Jan C. Perry (born June 8, 1955) is an American politician from California. A member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, she served on the
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California.
The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tem ...
.
Career
Perry was a member of the
ninth district of the
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California.
The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tem ...
from 2001 to 2013 and was President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council. She is a member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
. She was a candidate for
Mayor of Los Angeles in
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
.
Perry was elected to office in 2001 to succeed Councilwoman
Rita Walters
Rita Dolores Walters (née White; August 14, 1930 – February 17, 2020) was an American politician.
Political career
Walters served on the Board of Library Commissioners for the Los Angeles Public Library. Prior to this position, she served on t ...
, for whom she had served as
Chief of Staff. Perry was re-elected in 2005 and 2009, and left office in 2013.
Perry helped enact restrictions on
fast food restaurants in her district. As part of a larger campaign to combat high
obesity
Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...
rates, she has also funded
public parks
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...
to promote outdoor activity and supported incentives to encourage more
grocery stores
A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...
to open within her district.
Jan Perry was the General Manager of the Los Angeles Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWDD) of the City of Los Angeles. Initially appointed as Interim General Manager of the Los Angeles Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWDD) in July 2013 by Los Angeles Mayor
Eric Garcetti
Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles from 2013 until 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in the 2013 election, and reelected in 2017. A fo ...
, her former rival. She was named General Manager in November 2013.
She stepped down at the end of 2018.
In 2022, Jan Perry ran for Congress in
California's 37th congressional district to succeed
Karen Bass
Karen Ruth Bass (; born October 3, 1953) is an American politician, social worker and former physician assistant who is serving as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Bass had previously served in the U.S ...
, who ran for Mayor of Los Angeles. She was defeated by
Sydney Kamlager.
Jan Perry Wetlands
A 9-acre underutilized bus maintenance yard was developed into a South Los Angeles storm water wetlands and community park.
The
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the City of Los Angeles in California.
The council is composed of 15 members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tem ...
voted to rename the park "The Jan Perry Wetlands" for her work with the project.
The project includes storm water pre-treatment, storm water treatment wetlands of approximately 4 acres, open park space, and a parking lot sloped to drain into the wetlands. The project also provides for wildlife viewing, and educational opportunities. The project was completed in December, 2011.
The project is funded by Los Angeles Proposition "O", 2004 Bond Measure, State and local grant money and funds from the EPA and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were also used.
Personal life
Perry is a
convert
Conversion or convert may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman''
* "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series
* "The Conversion" ...
to Judaism. She converted in the 1980s.
The Jewish Journal: "Jan Perry’s quest: Spirituality, pursuit of L.A.‘s well-being" By Bill Boyarsky
July 25, 2012
References
External links
Jan Perry for Congress
campaign website
(archived)
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Jan
1955 births
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women
21st-century African-American politicians
21st-century African-American women
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
African-American city council members in California
African-American Jews
African-American women in politics
California Democrats
Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections
Converts to Judaism
Jewish American people in California politics
Living people
Los Angeles City Council members
University of Southern California alumni
Women city councillors in California