The Los Angeles City Council Friday welcomed former 10th District Councilman Nate Holden, who served four years in the state Senate and 16 years on the Council, for a special recognition of his career.
Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson led a presentation detailing Holden’s “very distinguished career.” The councilman said Holden is a man who “truly loved the community” and “willing to fight with this council, with whoever was the mayor at the time,” as he served under a handful of mayors.
Holden was a senator from 1974 to 1978, where he had various bills passed, including a legislation prohibiting the sale or manufacture of realistic toy guns, and requiring cable companies to remove sneakers tied together and left dangling from overhead lines, signals of gang territory and drug sales.
He also introduced legislation that changed the restrictions that prevented women from acquiring a mortgage without the signature of a man.
In 1987, Holden was elected by L.A. city voters to represent District 10 until 2002.
“Nate Holden, better known as the `Chief,”’ said Councilwoman Heather Hutt, who represents Council District 10. “He was the person that broke up our district into grids so that he could make sure that constituents got real service. He is service-minded.”
Hutt acknowledged Holden’s urgency to serve people as “legendary,” and that he helped change the way of giving internationally.
Council President Paul Krekorian noted that if it weren’t for Holden, California would not have been the first state in the country to recognize Martin Luther King Jr., setting the tone for the rest of the nation to celebrate the civil rights leader’s holiday.
“That’s the sort of thing that happened within the career of this man,” Krekorian said. “If it weren’t for Nate Holden, the city would not have prohibited production of realistic toy guns, that meant the death of so many young people, who were simply out there playing with a toy gun. But Nate Holden saw that as a big problem and fixed it.”
Councilman Harris-Dawson presented Holden with a plaque and thanked him for his service to the people.
The Nate Holden Performing Arts Center at 4718 W. Washington Blvd. is named in the former councilman’s honor.