Charles Navarro
Encyclopedia
Charles Navarro born Charles Navarro Guarino, was a Los Angeles, California, City Council
member between 1951 and 1961 and city controller
from 1961 to 1977.
and Universal Studios
. He also owned an apartment building on San Marino Street in Los Angeles. Navarro was married to Rose Northy for 70 years, then married Seda Stevens.
Navarro retired in 1977 and spent the last 28 years of his life overseeing his investments and enjoying "dining at his favorite Westside steakhouses. . . . At 100-plus he was walking without a cane, driving his Cadillac and going to church every Sunday." He died in his sleep at the age of 101 on September 7, 2005, and was survived by his wife and a stepson, Armen Haig Stevens.
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1951
At the beginning of 1951, four candidates had begun their campaigns for election to Los Angeles's 10th District
seat on the City Council — the incumbent, G. Vernon Bennett
, as well as Assemblyman Vernon Kilpatrick, 1332 Hope Street; Sam B. Whitworth, 2106 Wilmot Street; Charles Downs
, 1607 Venice Blvd.; and Navarro, 2700 San Marino Street. Downs was a former City Council member who had lost his seat and went to prison in 1925 on a corruption charge. The district was "in the south-central section of the city," bounded by Wilshire
and Jefferson
boulevards and La Brea Avenue
and Main Street
.
The Los Angeles Times, which favored Navarro's election, wrote of him:
The April primary was seen as a dirty one: "Three of the candidates were accused of having police records, one of being an ex-convict. Another was linked with activities of the Communist Party." Navarro came in second, with 5,077 votes to 5,301 for Kilpatrick, 3,835 for Bennett, 2,250 for Hubbard and 1,423 for Downs. Bennett promptly sued for Navarro's disqualification on the grounds that he had not listed his birth name on the ballot. Navarro answered that he had dropped his last name, Guarino, "because the first two were better suited to his work as a professional musician." A Superior Court judge dismissed Bennett's claim. Navarro won the May election, 9,001 votes to Kilpatrick's 7,321.
1953
In the 1953 election, Navarro had four opponents: "John A. Somerville, Negro dentist and a member of the Municipal Police Commission; Courtland G. Mitchell, Negro real estate man; Charles Downs, contractor, and Ben F. Hayes, insurance investigator." Navarro won with 14,892 votes over Somerville, 8,316; Hayes, 2,781; Downs, 1,385, and Mitchell, 901.
1955
The 1955 election in the 10th District was the closest ever seen in Los Angeles, not being decided until a count of absentee ballots. The final returns were 11,336 for Navarro, the victor, 6,236 for African-American businessman George L. Thomas; 3,086 for African-American newspaper publisher Louis Lomax
; 1,555 for automobile dealer Milton Mackaig; and 477 for pet shop proprietor Sam B. Whitworth.
, who had been city controller
for 24 years and who said that his ambition was to equal the 28-year record of his predecessor in office, John Myers
. Navarro, chairman of the City Council's finance committee, was endorsed by the president of the Merchants and Manufacturers Association
and the Los Angeles Times
. Navarro won the election, 187,122 votes against 133,569 for Hoye, 67,318 for certified public accountant Harry C. Fischer and 25.683 for management consultant Cecil R. Kay.
The city controller was unopposed in the next two elections: He received 470,324 votes in 1965 and 379,971 in 1969. He won the 1973 election, with 300,511 votes against 56,924 for Democratic businessman David Gold. Other 1973 candidates were Hoag, 34,428 votes; Day, 27,957; Blount, 26,458; Taylor, 17,086, and Rees, 11,667.
Navarro testified twice before City Council committees in opposition to proposals to make the city controller an appointive office rather than elective — in 1969 and in 1977.
He testified also in the 1975 trial of a woman who was charged with taking part in a "multimillion dollar plan to defraud the Los Angeles municipal treasury by cashing stolen city checks." He said his signature had been forged. The same year he persuaded the City Council to purchase two check-writing machines that "would make forging a controller's signature virtually impossible."
Navarro left office in 1977.
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...
member between 1951 and 1961 and city controller
Comptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
from 1961 to 1977.
Biography
Navarro was born in New York City to Italian immigrant parents. He was a self-taught guitarist and banjo player who moved to Los Angeles when he was 19 to be a professional musician. He worked for ParamountParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. He also owned an apartment building on San Marino Street in Los Angeles. Navarro was married to Rose Northy for 70 years, then married Seda Stevens.
Navarro retired in 1977 and spent the last 28 years of his life overseeing his investments and enjoying "dining at his favorite Westside steakhouses. . . . At 100-plus he was walking without a cane, driving his Cadillac and going to church every Sunday." He died in his sleep at the age of 101 on September 7, 2005, and was survived by his wife and a stepson, Armen Haig Stevens.
City Council
See also Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1951 and after.1951
At the beginning of 1951, four candidates had begun their campaigns for election to Los Angeles's 10th District
Los Angeles City Council District 10
Los Angeles City Council District 10 is one of the 15 districts of the Los Angeles City Council. It includes parts of Palms, Koreatown and South Los Angeles. Herb Wesson has been the incumbent since 2005....
seat on the City Council — the incumbent, G. Vernon Bennett
G. Vernon Bennett
Guy Vernon Bennett , also known as G. Vernon Bennett, was superintendent of schools in Pomona, California; a professor of education at the University of Southern California, and a Los Angeles city councilman from the 10th District from 1935 to 1951...
, as well as Assemblyman Vernon Kilpatrick, 1332 Hope Street; Sam B. Whitworth, 2106 Wilmot Street; Charles Downs
Charles E. Downs
Charles E. Downs was the first Los Angeles City Council member representing the 10th District after a new city charter went into effect in 1925...
, 1607 Venice Blvd.; and Navarro, 2700 San Marino Street. Downs was a former City Council member who had lost his seat and went to prison in 1925 on a corruption charge. The district was "in the south-central section of the city," bounded by Wilshire
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
and Jefferson
Jefferson Boulevard
Jefferson Boulevard is a street in Los Angeles and Culver City. Its eastern terminus is at Central Avenue east of Exposition Park. At its entrance to Culver City, it splits with National Boulevard. North of Sawtelle Boulevard, it merges with Sepulveda Boulevard...
boulevards and La Brea Avenue
La Brea Avenue
La Brea Avenue is a prominent north/south thoroughfare in Los Angeles. Several museums are located along La Brea, and it is known for having many stores and eateries.-Description:...
and Main Street
Main Street (Los Angeles)
Main Street is a major north-south thoroughfare in Los Angeles, California, and is the east-west postal divider for that city. It begins as a continuation of Valley Boulevard west of Mission Road in Lincoln Heights and ends at the Port of Los Angeles. At 9th Street, it merges with Spring Street in...
.
The Los Angeles Times, which favored Navarro's election, wrote of him:
In a district which has been a favorite haunt for left-wingers for some considerable time, Navarro comes right out and says he's downright against all kinds of bureaucracy, Socialism or any other kind of ism. . . . Although the Council job is supposedly nonpartisan, he's up against two old-line, left-wing Democrats, G. Vernon Bennett, the incumbent, and Assemblyman Vernon Kilpatrick, who's willing to ditch his State post for a city job if he can get it. Bennett, 16 years in the Council, is nearing 70 and during recent months was in trouble with the police. He appears to be on the way out.
The April primary was seen as a dirty one: "Three of the candidates were accused of having police records, one of being an ex-convict. Another was linked with activities of the Communist Party." Navarro came in second, with 5,077 votes to 5,301 for Kilpatrick, 3,835 for Bennett, 2,250 for Hubbard and 1,423 for Downs. Bennett promptly sued for Navarro's disqualification on the grounds that he had not listed his birth name on the ballot. Navarro answered that he had dropped his last name, Guarino, "because the first two were better suited to his work as a professional musician." A Superior Court judge dismissed Bennett's claim. Navarro won the May election, 9,001 votes to Kilpatrick's 7,321.
1953
In the 1953 election, Navarro had four opponents: "John A. Somerville, Negro dentist and a member of the Municipal Police Commission; Courtland G. Mitchell, Negro real estate man; Charles Downs, contractor, and Ben F. Hayes, insurance investigator." Navarro won with 14,892 votes over Somerville, 8,316; Hayes, 2,781; Downs, 1,385, and Mitchell, 901.
1955
The 1955 election in the 10th District was the closest ever seen in Los Angeles, not being decided until a count of absentee ballots. The final returns were 11,336 for Navarro, the victor, 6,236 for African-American businessman George L. Thomas; 3,086 for African-American newspaper publisher Louis Lomax
Louis Lomax
Louis E. Lomax was an African-American journalist and author. He was also the first African-American television journalist.-Early years:...
; 1,555 for automobile dealer Milton Mackaig; and 477 for pet shop proprietor Sam B. Whitworth.
City controller
Navarro announced in December 1960 his determination to unseat 70-year-old Dan O. HoyeDaniel O. Hoye
Daniel O. "Dan" Hoye served as Los Angeles City Controller from 1937 to 1961. On January 19, 1937, after the resignation of John S. Myers, Hoye was appointed by the Los Angeles City Council to replace him. He served until 1961, when he was defeated by Charles Navarro.-References:...
, who had been city controller
Comptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
for 24 years and who said that his ambition was to equal the 28-year record of his predecessor in office, John Myers
John S. Myers
John S. Myers served as Los Angeles City Auditor and Los Angeles City Controller for a total of 28 years.Meyers served as Auditor of the City of Los Angeles longer than anyone else. He succeeded William C. Mushet in 1909 and held the title of Auditor until it was changed to Controller in 1925 under...
. Navarro, chairman of the City Council's finance committee, was endorsed by the president of the Merchants and Manufacturers Association
Employers Group
Employers Group was founded as the Merchants and Manufacturers Association in 1896 in California. It has become a worldwide organization advocating for employers and giving guidance about employment laws and regulations, professional development, consulting projects, and compensation and workplace...
and the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. Navarro won the election, 187,122 votes against 133,569 for Hoye, 67,318 for certified public accountant Harry C. Fischer and 25.683 for management consultant Cecil R. Kay.
The city controller was unopposed in the next two elections: He received 470,324 votes in 1965 and 379,971 in 1969. He won the 1973 election, with 300,511 votes against 56,924 for Democratic businessman David Gold. Other 1973 candidates were Hoag, 34,428 votes; Day, 27,957; Blount, 26,458; Taylor, 17,086, and Rees, 11,667.
Navarro testified twice before City Council committees in opposition to proposals to make the city controller an appointive office rather than elective — in 1969 and in 1977.
He testified also in the 1975 trial of a woman who was charged with taking part in a "multimillion dollar plan to defraud the Los Angeles municipal treasury by cashing stolen city checks." He said his signature had been forged. The same year he persuaded the City Council to purchase two check-writing machines that "would make forging a controller's signature virtually impossible."
Navarro left office in 1977.
Quotations
- "What I saw of Socialism and Communism in the rest of the world made me want to pitch in and stop it here."
- "I have never been arrested and am not a member of, or supported by, the Communist Party."
- "The job [of city controller] is paying the bills, making sure everybody gets paid, and making sure the city is in sound financial shape. Bookkeeping, bookkeeping and more bookkeeping."