Louis R. Nowell
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Louis R. Nowell (February 8, 1915 – July 2, 2009) was a fireman and politician in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. He was best known for serving on the
Los Angeles City Council The Los Angeles City Council is the legislative body of the Los Angeles, 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 Los Angeles City Counc ...
from the San Fernando Valley from 1963 to 1977. He was appointed as a member of the South Coast Regional Coastal Commission. A self-described political conservative, Nowell favored high-density growth in residential areas and related development. He opposed school busing to achieve racial integration, believing that families should be able to choose where their children went to school. Investigated for some financial irregularities related to his public office, Nowell pleaded no contest and was fined for a violation of a campaign-reporting law. He was the grandfather of
Bradley Nowell Bradley James Nowell (February 22, 1968 – May 25, 1996) was an American musician and the lead singer and guitarist of the ska punk band Sublime. Born and raised in Belmont Shore, Long Beach, California, Nowell developed an interest in mu ...
, the singer and the guitarist of the band Sublime.


Biography

Nowell was born February 8, 1915, in
Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, one of twelve children in the family of Oliver and Minnie Gordon Nowell, both of Salt Lake City. His father, a blacksmith, died when Louis was ten years old, and his mother brought him and two siblings to Los Angeles in 1931. He went to Franklin High School and to
Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus ...
, where he majored in
mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...
. At one point Nowell learned the building trade and was superintendent for construction of "several hundred" homes in Hawaii. At age 25, Nowell joined the
Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides emergency medical services, fire cause determination, fire prevention, fire suppression, hazardous materials mitigation, and technical rescue services to the city of Los Angeles ...
in 1940. He served there for 23 years, rising to the rank of captain and being elected president of the 8,500-member Fire and Police Protective League. He was married on April 20, 1941, to Maxine Barlow of
Mason City, Iowa Mason City is a city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Go ...
. They had three children, Julie, Jim and John, and since 1945 lived at 10205 Scoville Avenue in the Sunland district of the northeast
San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
.Los Angeles Public Library reference file
/ref> Nowell was said to wear a "conservative label proudly." A ''Los Angeles Times'' reporter wrote of him:
Without the university degrees that open doors to executive positions, winning his way from a 65 cents a day job thinning sugar beets in Utah to election to City Council . . . is a plus in any man's memoirs.
Nowell died on July 2, 2009, in
Camarillo, California Camarillo ( ) is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 70,741, an increase of 5,540 from the 65,201 counted in the 2010 Census. Camarillo is named for brothers Juan an ...
. but his death was not announced by his family in Los Angeles until July 23. No cause of death was given. Memorial donations were suggested to the Widows, Orphans and Disabled Firemen's Fund of Los Angeles.Valerie J. Nelson, "Louis R. Nowell dies at 94," ''Los Angeles Times,'' July 24, 2009
/ref>


City Council


Elections

Nowell was a candidate for
Los Angeles City Council District 1 Los Angeles City Council District 1 is one of the 15 districts of the Los Angeles City Council, representing sections of Northeast Los Angeles and Northwest Los Angeles. Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez is the current representative for CD 1; she ...
in 1963 to succeed
Everett G. Burkhalter Everett Glen Burkhalter (January 19, 1897 – May 24, 1975), who went by Everett G. Burkhalter, was an American film studio electrician who turned to politics in 1941 and became a member of the California State Assembly, the Los Angeles City ...
; he placed second in the April primary to attorney Phill Silver. He won in the June final. He was easily reelected in 1965, but in 1969 he polled just 54% of the vote in the primary. He had a strong opponent that year in
Jim Keysor James Brain Keysor (December 10, 1927 Salt Lake City – February 13, 2014 Capistrano Beach, California) served, from 1970 to 1974, in the California State Legislature, representing the California's 41st State Assembly district, 41st State Assem ...
, who polled 18% of the vote and went on to be elected to the State Assembly. During his time in office, Nowell supported more residential development, as Southern California was continuing to attract new residents. In 1977 he led an effort to formally opposed forced school busing in Los Angeles to achieve racial integration, believing that parents wanted the choice of where their children went to school, with most preferring their own neighborhoods. In 1973 Nowell was subject to a forceful opposition campaign led by Gerald and Betty Decter (below), who sent out thousands of anti-Nowell brochures and fliers to District 1 voters. The councilman complained that "hundreds of young people" had come from outside the district to work against him.Kenneth Reich, " 'No on Nowell' Drive Appears to Have Councilman in Trouble," ''Los Angeles Times'', March 30, 1973, page D-1
/ref> Nevertheless, Nowell won in the primary by a 54% vote. In an emotional speech to the City Council (below, Quotations), he announced in 1976 that he would not run for reelection the next year. "His voice broke, and he appeared to be near tears." Instead, he was a candidate for city
controller Controller may refer to: Occupations * Controller or financial controller, or in government accounting comptroller, a senior accounting position * Controller, someone who performs agent handling in espionage * Air traffic controller, a person ...
, coming in third.


Highlights

* Adobe. Nowell was named California Legislator of the Year in June 1968 by the Conference of California Societies for his "inspired leadership" in saving the historic
Andres Pico Adobe Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres * "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7 See also ...
in Mission Hills from destruction. He had persuaded the
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
to allocate $175,000 to buy the structure. * Busing. Nowell led a successful drive for the City Council to go on record in opposition to mandatory busing to achieve desegregation in city schools. The council passed the resolution by an 8-4 vote but not until Nowell and black City Councilman Dave Cunningham stood "nose-to-nose" and "appeared to verge on fisticuffs." "You are the greatest racist in this world," Cunningham shouted at Nowell during a recess in the meeting. Nowell told reporters later: "The majority of citizens—black, brown and white—don't want their children in forced busing. . . . Voluntarily, yes. Forcefully, hell no!" Mayor Tom Bradley later proposed a "peace conference" between the two; Cunningham accepted but Nowell did not. The next day, Nowell proposed a motion of censure against Cunningham. It was referred to a committee when it got only three favorable votes to suspend the rules and consider it—from Nowell,
Don Lorenzen Donald D. Lorenzen (January 22, 1920 – May 1980) was a San Fernando Valley funeral director who was a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1969 to 1977. Biography Lorenzen was born on January 22, 1920, in Elgin, North Dakota, the son of ...
and
Robert M. Wilkinson Robert Melvin Wilkinson (April 11, 1921 – September 27, 2010) was a political figure and lobbyist in the San Fernando Valley in California. He was a member of the Los Angeles City Council from 1953 to 1957 and from 1967 to 1979. Biography Wi ...
. * Coastal Commission. The appointment by Council President John S. Gibson, Jr. of Nowell as the city's representative on the newly formed South Coast Regional Coastal Commission drew fire from
conservationists The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental, and social movement that seeks to manage and protect natural resources, including animal, fungus, and plant species as well as their habitat for the f ...
. Both Gibson and Nowell had opposed the commission's formation. The City Council voted to assume authority over Nowell in casting votes on the commission, but the action was ruled invalid and unenforceable by the assistant city attorney. In one of his early votes, he came down against "the environmental side, voting against trying to stop drilling by the
Occidental Petroleum Occidental Petroleum Corporation (often abbreviated Oxy in reference to its ticker symbol and logo) is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration in the United States, and the Middle East as well as petrochemical manufacturing in the ...
Corp. in Pacific Palisades." * Development. Nowell had a reputation as "probably the most
developer Developer may refer to: Computers *Software developer, a person or organization who develop programs/applications *Video game developer, a person or business involved in video game development, the process of designing and creating games *Web deve ...
-oriented member of the City Council" in that he "persistently supported higher density development and the zoning changes necessary to achieve it both in his own district and in the city as a whole."Kenneth Reich, "Environmentalists' Oust-Nowell Campaign Off to a Rocky Start," ''Los Angeles Times,'' February 13, 1973, page C-1
/ref>


Decters

It was said that Nowell was led to resign from the council by the decade-long work of one husband-wife couple, Jerry and Betty Decter, who lived at 2054 North Beverly Drive in the
Beverly Crest Beverly Crest is a neighborhood in the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Westside area of the city of Los Angeles, California. History Developer George Read purchased the 80-acre area in 1923. After the streets were paved and underground utilities ...
district and who first fought the councilman over his support of a 1968 plan to realign
Beverly Drive Beverly Drive is a major north–south roadway in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. Location South Beverly Drive South Beverly Drive begins northbound at Harlow Avenue, a small street just north of the Santa Monica Freeway in the city of Los Angele ...
between the San Fernando Valley and Beverly Hills. Columnist
Al Martinez Al Martinez (July 21, 1929January 12, 2015) was a columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times''. He also was known for his writings for several television shows, such as ''Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series), Hawaii Five-O'' in 1978, the short-lived 1980 po ...
of the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote of the Decters in 1977:
With little help and with a dedication rare among private citizens, they pursued Nowell for a decade, and in the end brought him down with a series of revelations that reduced the once powerful legislator to tears. The Decters spent thousands of dollars of their own money and thousands of hours of their time to end the 14-year career of a man who had towered over civic affairs."Two Who Said 'No' on Nowell," June 26, 1977, page 1
/ref>
Colleagues said the couple "hounded Nowell into becoming a tense, distrustful and people-hating man." Council President John S. Gibson, Jr. said: "He got to dislike people. He began thinking everyone was against him and that he couldn't trust anyone." Councilman
Zev Yaroslavsky Zev Yaroslavsky (born December 21, 1948) is a politician from Los Angeles County, California. He was a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from District 3, which includes the San Fernando Valley, the Westside of Los Angeles and ...
said: "Louie was driving himself out of office. Not a week went by that he didn't refer to the Decters." As for Nowell, he said: "I'm getting sick and tired of them picking on me." Jerry Decter died on June 24, 2009, eight days before Nowell.


Schooner

Nowell and his family purchased a 51-foot or 57-foot
schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
named ''Sharolyn'' or ''Sharon'' in Hawaii and, with eight relatives, sailed it in 1972 from the islands to San Pedro. The 33-day crossing was rough, and most of the people aboard were seasick. The boat was out of contact for 24 days until it was sighted by a Japanese freighter, and it arrived in Santa Barbara with just five gallons of fuel left.Irv Burleigh, "Wife Is Heroine of Councilman Nowell's 33-Day Ocean Voyage," ''Los Angeles Times,'' August 8, 1972, page 7
/ref> In 1974 Jerry and Betty Decter had been wondering how a city councilman could afford the cost of maintaining the schooner. They and a colleague, Warren Kessler, found through public records that Nowell had been receiving a 50% discount in a
Marina del Rey Marina del Rey (Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The p ...
boat
slip Slip or SLIP may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Slip (fish), also known as Black Sole * Slip (horticulture), a small cutting of a plant as a specimen or for grafting * Muscle slip, a branching of a muscle, in anatomy Computing and ...
owned by a real estate developer who had received approval by Nowell on the City Council on a controversial condominium project in Long Beach. The Decters charged that Nowell had failed to comply with financial laws by declaring the discount as a gift. Nowell and the developer, Jona Goldrich, denied any impropriety. The Decters learned that Nowell had docked his schooner at a city pier in the Port of Los Angeles, but not paid a cent for doing so. A ''Los Angeles Times'' investigation found that Nowell had also been receiving services by Harbor Department employees aboard his yacht. He was subsequently billed $7,920 by the city, offered to settle for $480 and eventually paid $2,000.Doug Shuit, "Nowell Receives 50% Discount on Boat Slip Fee," ''Los Angeles Times,'' October 25, 1974, page C-1
/ref>Doug Shuit, "Nowell's Use of City Dock for His Boat Being Investigated," ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 21, 1974, page 1
/ref> After his retirement, Nowell and his wife moved first to Kernville in
Kern County Kern County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield. Kern County comprises the Bakersfield, California, Metropolitan statistical area. The county sp ...
and then to
Marina Del Rey Marina del Rey (Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The p ...
, where they lived aboard their schooner. Nowell announced in 1980 that he was putting the vessel on the market for $170,000.


Misdemeanor

Nowell was fined $500 and placed on a year's probation in 1974 for failing to properly report $19,700 received in a 1972
fund-raising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
dinner aboard the '' Queen Mary'' in
Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...
. He had listed the money in a campaign-contribution report as funds contributed by himself rather than as contributions from supporters. Gerald and Betty Decter filed the original report on this issue to law-enforcement agencies.


Puerto Vallarta

Betty and Jerry Decter, with Warren Kessler, asked District Attorney
John Van de Kamp John Kalar Van de Kamp (February 7, 1936 – March 14, 2017) was an American politician and lawyer who served as Los Angeles County District Attorney from 1975 until 1981, and then as the 28th Attorney General of California from 1983 until 1991. ...
to charge Nowell and the Pacific Outdoor Advertising Company with corrupt practices for Nowell's accepting room, food and beverages for him and his wife "at the fashionable Hotel Playa de Bucerias" in
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Puerto Vallarta ( or simply Vallarta) is a Mexican beach resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Puerto Vallarta is the second largest urban agglomeration in the state after the Guadalaja ...
. After he took the trips, Nowell voted against a city measure to control billboards. Nowell confirmed the fact and said that Foster and Kleiser, another billboard agency, had paid the couple's air fare. He said he did not regard the payments as a bribe and that he would take such a trip again, "Only next time I'd insist that they send me to South America and make a big trip out of it instead of a little hop to Puerto Vallarta."David Rosenzweig, "Nowell Admits Taking Free Trip, Denies Bribery," ''Los Angeles Times,'' March 4, 1976, page C-1
/ref>


See also

*
The Stentorians The Stentorians are a fraternal organization of African American firefighters, based in Los Angeles, California, and founded in 1954. Background The Central-Alameda neighborhood of South Los Angeles was an area of sprawling American Craftsmen s ...
Arnett Hartsfield Jr. Firefighter LAFD 1940-1961


References

Access to some ''Los Angeles Times'' links may require the use of a library card. ---- {{DEFAULTSORT:Nowell, Louis R. Los Angeles City Council members 20th-century American firefighters Politicians from Salt Lake City Los Angeles City College alumni 1915 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American politicians Franklin High School (Los Angeles) alumni