Series:

Interviews not in a series, part two

Topic:

Politics and Government

Biographical Note:

President of the California Democratic Council; Assistant Chief Deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, 1969-1973 and 1978-1987; California State Senator, 30th District, 1974-1978; Los Angeles City Council member, 10th District, 1987-2003.

Interviewer:

Nicolaides, Becky

Interviewee:

Holden, Nathaniel N.

Persons Present:

Holden and Nicolaides

Place Conducted:

Nate Holden’s home in Los Angeles, California

Supporting Documents:

Record relating to the interview are located in the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.

Interviewer Background and Preparation:

The interview was conducted by Becky Nicolaides, interviewer, UCLA Center for Oral History Research; Ph.D., U.S. History, Columbia University. Nicolaides has published a book and articles on the history of Los Angeles, has taught L.A. history courses at UC San Diego and UCLA, and has consulted on numerous cultural resources projects on Los Angeles history.

Processing of Interview:

The transcript is a verbatim transcription of the recording. It was transcribed by a professional transcribing agency using a list of proper names and specialized terminology supplied by the interviewer. The interviewee did not review the transcript, and therefore some proper names may remain unverified. the audio of sessions 4 and 5 is not available. Please refer to the Available Downloads tab for a transcript.

Length:

18 hrs.

Language:

English

Copyright:

Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.

Audio:

Parents’ background, both from Georgia--Summer trips to Elizabeth, New Jersey, to visit maternal grandmother--Childhood in Macon, Georgia--Mother works at Singer sewing machine company--Family gets by during the Great Depression--Community life in Macon around church and baseball--Race relations in Macon--Challenges and accomplishments in elementary school--Dislikes working on paternal grandmother’s farm during the summers--Early awareness of race and politics in the South--As a youngster, supports Franklin D. Roosevelt/Henry A. Wallace ticket in 1940 presidential election--Segregation and racial incidents in Macon--Detests picking cotton at age 6--Parents support Franklin D. Roosevelt, though they are racially disenfranchised in Georgia--Moves to Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1939 with mother and siblings--Interracial community life in Elizabeth--Accomplishments and setbacks in junior high school--Drafting class becomes his passion--Gets jobs as a youth to earn money--Discovers boxing and goes pro by age 16--Enlists in Army at age 16 before graduating from high school--Basic training at Camp Plauche, New Orleans--Resents that German POWs are treated better than African American soldiers during World War II--Supports Henry A. Wallace in 1948 presidential election--Serves in Germany and Italy from 1945 to 1947 with a military police battalion--Oversees German prisoners in Italy--Receives repeated transfers after confrontations with allies and superiors--Receives praise from various generals.

Character and political leanings of father and character of mother--In Italy at end of World War II escorts German prisoner to trial--Wartime service represents a means of opportunity for an African American young man--Adjusts to civilian life back in Elizabeth, New Jersey--Works in warehouse and kosher slaughterhouse as a teenager--Finishes high school, along with other veterans, in an integrated night school--Works as door-to-door salesman--Attends American Design Institute in Newark, New Jersey, to learn design drafting--Lands first design job at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey--Moves into other design jobs for better pay--Joins the left-leaning Young Progressives of America (YPA) in 1949--Engages in progressive activism with YPA during the Cold War era--Moves to Los Angeles in 1955 for job at Hycon Manufacturing Company, Pasadena--Connects with the African American community in Pasadena--Moves into other design jobs in aerospace companies in Los Angeles--Forms Holden Engineering to conduct drafting work for clients--Works on ion propulsion systems at Electro-Optical Systems, Pasadena, then gets laid off--Works on design system for lunar “soft landing” at Hughes Aircraft--Runs for U.S. Congress in 1968.

Marries and has two children while living in Pasadena--Moves to La Brea and 20th Street in Los Angeles--Joins the Alta Loma Democratic Club, a bi-racial progressive group--Becomes president of the Alta Loma Democratic Club--Runs for U.S. Congress in 1968 on platform of “peace, progress, prosperity”--Loses election for not aligning with rising Democratic leader Henry Waxman and other California Democrats--Runs for U.S. Congress in 1970 against Democratic incumbent Charles Wilson--Resists redistricting attempts in Los Angeles--Election fraud contributes to his election defeat in 1970.

Educational challenges in middle and high school--Attends West Coast University (WCU) for training in applied physics and systems engineering--Works on weapons systems for WCU and Hughes Aircraft--Opposes Vietnam War--Participates in work culture and political debates at Hughes Aircraft--Joins Crenshaw Neighbors and networks with political activists--Finds it difficult to embrace the civil rights movement’s non-violent approach--Views on communism and racism--Experiences racism as a child and teenager--Watts uprising of 1965--Kenneth Hahn’s efforts to build a hospital in South Los Angeles in wake of Watts uprising--Becomes president of Alta Loma Democratic Club--Supports and campaigns for Tom Bradley in early city council race--Works for National Contract Management Association (NCMA), which represents the military industrial complex--On NCMA, works on promoting minority contracts in government procurement to increase presence of minorities in aerospace--Runs unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress in 1968 and 1970--Joins Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn’s staff as deputy supervisor--Kenneth Hahn’s leadership style influences Holden, especially the emphasis on connecting with constituents.

Balances anti-crime policies with efforts to help gang members--Confronts fellow city council members on issues from an independent stance--Doesn’t believe in building bridges with other council members--Opposes projects like Lancer (incinerator project in central city) and oil pipeline out of environmental concerns--Runs for mayor in 1989 against incumbent Tom Bradley--Both criticizes and praises Tom Bradley--Moves residences in 1970s and 1980s--Responds to Rodney King beating--Opposes the sacking of LAPD chief Daryl Gates because of procedural concerns, prompting death threats--Observes riots in 10th District after Rodney King verdict--Supports the Rebuild LA effort--Contends with sexual harassment allegations by former staffers in 1992--Asserts the charges were unfounded and politically motivated by backers of Tom Bradley--Believes Clarence Thomas was wrongly accused by Anita Hill--Runs for mayor in 1993 but campaign sinks because of sexual harassment charges--Throws support behind Richard Riordan, a Republican, and not his Democratic adversary Mike Woo--Calls Mayor Richard Riordan out on mistakes, including cancelling labor contracts with air traffic controllers and sanitation workers--Opposes selling of Los Angeles International Airport--Responds to 1994 earthquake by working with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)--Meets Bill Clinton during 1992 presidential campaign and establishes working relationship.

Opposes Mayor Richard Riordan’s effort to privatize Los Angeles International Airport--Opposes Mayor Riordan’s push to deregulate the Department of Water and Power--Supports Riordan over Mike Woo--Builds relations with the Korean community in his council district--Encounters racism in some Koreatown businesses, despite having helped those businesses--Works to eradicate Korean mafia operating in Koreatown--Builds relations with Korean businesses, youth, and senior citizens through meeting their needs--Refuses a bribe from a Korean doctor, an incident that is symptomatic of larger problems in politics--Relations between African Americans and Koreans begin around businesses, with Koreans buying up small businesses in black areas--Killing of 15-year-old African American Latasha Harlins by Korean shopkeeper sours race relations, yet blacks still defend certain Korean-owned shops during 1992 Rodney King uprising--Marches with Gene Kim (founder of Koreatown Development Association) in tense Martin Luther King Day parade--Works to meet the needs of the highly diverse 10th District through delivering services--Contends with poverty in certain apartments in the Wilshire district--Perceives that African Americans are the largest racial group in his district, Latinos a smaller group--African Americans seek to welcome and help Latinos in the 10th District--Opposes street vending in Los Angeles for hurting brick-and-mortar businesses; supports a designated area for street vending--Opposes Proposition 187 (1994) to deny public services to undocumented immigrants--Immigration complicates existing problems in terms of jobs and schools--Supports inclusionary housing, requiring that development projects help fund affordable housing, though housing is not a policy priority--Travels to South Korea to build ties with business people and promote cultural understanding--Promotes business development in the 10th District--Supports Donald Trump’s plan to develop the Ambassador Hotel into a high rise--Supports secession of the San Fernando Valley because it would leave the rest of Los Angeles wealthier--Opposes charter reform because it creates new, unneeded layers of government and imposes term limits--Works to keep open communication with LAPD leadership--Opposes Staples Center deal for giving public funds to private developers--Looking past earlier friction, pushes to honor Tom Bradley through naming of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) international terminal and renaming of Crenshaw Boulevard--Introduces motion for reparations for African Americans--After city council service, consults and serves on public boards--Recaps accomplishments in public service and his fight to get things done.