Rita Walters | |
|---|---|
 Walters in 1986 | |
| Member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 9th district | |
| In office July 1, 1991 – June 30, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Gilbert W. Lindsay |
| Succeeded by | Jan Perry |
| Member of the LAUSD Board of Education for the 1st district | |
| In office July 1, 1979 – June 30, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Succeeded by | Barbara M. Boudreaux |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 14, 1930 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 17, 2020 (aged 89) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Wilbur E. Walters
(
m. 1955;
div. 1973) |
| Children | 3 |
Rita Dolores Walters ( née White; August 14, 1930 – February 17, 2020) was an American politician and educator who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 9th district from 1991 until 2001. She previously served as a member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education from 1979 to 1991.
Rita Dolores White was born on August 14, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to Henry Walters, a Pullman porter, and Verter Walters, a housecleaner. The oldest of five children, her family moved to Kansas soon after. White was among the first to integrate a local community college and briefly attended a college in Alabama before returning home to work at a jewelry store. In 1955, she moved to Los Angeles with friends in search of a job and found work as a clerk. Later, she became a housewife to raise her three children. [1]
On December 28, 1990, City Councilmember Gilbert W. Lindsay, the first black member of the Los Angeles City Council, passed away due to complications from a stroke, leaving his seat vacant. The following January, Walters announced her candidacy for the City Council, but faced a challenge over residency requirements, which were later declared unconstitutional. [2] [3] [4] Lindsay's legacy became a campaign issue, with Walters and nine other candidates, including Lindsay's aide Robert Gay and sports journalist Brad Pye Jr., competing for the seat. [5] After advancing to the runoff with Gay, Walters narrowly defeated him by 76 votes, a victory Gay attributed to the support of Mayor Tom Bradley. [6]
She married aerospace engineer Wilbur E. Walters on December 31, 1955, after meeting him in Los Angeles. They had three children together before divorcing in 1973.
| Year | Office | Party | Primary | General | Result | Swing | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | Total | % | P. | ||||||||
| 1991 | Los Angeles City Council | Nonpartisan | 6,251 | 50.31% | 1st | Won | N/A | ||||||
- ^ Blume, Howard (February 20, 2020). "Rita Walters, a fierce advocate for equality and trailblazing elected official, dies at 89". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Hamilton, Denise (January 10, 1991). "Rita Walters to Run for City Council". Los Angeles Times. p. 39.
- ^ Fritsch, Jane (January 19, 1991). "Walters Residency an Issue as Race Opens for Lindsay's Seat". Los Angeles Times. p. 531.
- ^ "Walters Run OK'd". Los Angeles Times. January 25, 1991. p. 507.
- ^ Fritsch, Jane (April 3, 1991). "Lindsay's Legacy Remains a Campaign Issue". Los Angeles Times. p. 276.
- ^ "Gay Loses to Walters by 76 Votes". Los Angeles Times. June 12, 1991. p. 21.