Marvin Braude passes on *

YAROSLAVSKY ISSUES STATEMENT ON PASSING OF MARVIN BRAUDE

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky issued the following statement today on the passing of former Los Angeles City Councilmember Marvin Braude:

"Marvin Braude was a leader of great integrity and uncompromising principle. He was my closest colleague on the City Council, and our partnership on two major initiatives--to control rampant development, and to ban coastal oil drilling in our city--remains among the most fulfilling experiences of my own public service career. His passing is a great personal loss to me.

"Marvin was truly one of a kind, a politician consistently ahead of his time, embracing issues before they became popular and educating the rest of us in the wisdom of his position.

"The hallmarks of his career were his staunch commitment to fiscal responsibility and ethics in government; his dedication to environmental protection, which included preserving the Santa Monica Mountains, protecting our fragile coastal environment, and reducing air pollution; championing the rights of non-smokers; and strengthening the effectiveness of the LAPD by implementing the Christopher Commission reforms.

"Marvin's legacy in City Hall attests to the fact that one need not be a president, a governor or a mayor to have a monumental impact on the lives of the people he serves.

"As long as our coastline is blue, our mountains green and our air clean, Los Angeles will have Marvin Braude to thank."

Statement by Laura Chick:

Marvin Braude was the personification of what a public servant should be. Marvin cared deeply about doing what was right, even if it came with a political cost. I was very fortunate to serve with him on the City Council--he was my mentor and seatmate. The City of Los Angeles is a much better place today because of Marvin Braude.

Statement by Mayor Villaraigosa:

MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA'S STATEMENT ON THE PASSING
OF THE HONORABLE MARVIN BRAUDE

I am deeply saddened by the passing of my good friend and dedicated public servant, former Councilman Marvin Braude. Marvin Braude served Council District 11 in the City of Los Angeles for a remarkable 32 years, dedicating his life to the city he loved.

Throughout his life, he advocated for the people of Los Angeles with vision, clarity, wisdom, and results.

Mr. Braude was a stalwart environmentalist before the term existed, working for three decades to preserve our City's beautiful open spaces and beaches. He made possible the creation of a 50,000-acre public park in the Santa Monica Mountains and worked to limit commercial density and to prohibit oil drilling along the city's shores.

As a leading health advocate, he authored the City's pioneering ordinance to protect nonsmokers from secondhand tobacco smoke. This ordinance failed many times before it passed, but with his steadfast nature and determination, he pushed it through.

Vastly knowledgeable in every aspect of city government, Mr. Braude served as chair of the City's Finance and Revenue Committee, the Environmental Quality and Waste Management Committee, and the Public Safety Committee. He also helped formulate city policy in information technology, public works, zoning, and land use issues.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family during this difficult time.

He was beloved to many, and will truly be missed.