Richard Riordan: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Richard J. Riordan (born 1930) is a Republican politician from California, currently serving as the California Secretary of Education in the cabinet of his friend, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Riordan ran for governor himself in 2002.

Riordan, a Hispanic, was born in Flushing, New York and attended Princeton University, earning a degree in Philosophy. He then served in the Korean War, and earned his law degree from the University of Michigan.

Mayorship

Riordan was elected Mayor of Los Angeles in 1993, succeeding Tom Bradley. He was the first Republican mayor in over 30 years. Taking office after some destructive race riots in 1992 (see 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles), Riordan focused on preventing crime, saying that "from a safe city, all else follows". He also focused on electing new members to the Los Angeles Unified School District, though he had no direct jurisdiction over that body.

In 2002, Riordan, a moderate Republican, decided to seek the Governorship. He was opposed in the Republican primary election by Bill Simon, a conservative. Although it appeared that he was leading earlier in the race, he eventually lost to Simon. One controversial aspect of his loss was the fact that Gray Davis, the Democratic then-Governor, ran advertisements against Riordan, claiming that Riordan was not conservative enough to be a Republican--essentially helping the Simon campaign. It's very rare for a candidate to try to influence the other party's primary in such a manner; however, Davis felt that he had a much better chance against the conservative Simon than the moderate Riordan, and that the move was worth the risk. Riordan lost the primary, and Davis went on to defeat the unpopular Simon in the general election.

When Davis was recalled, there was speculation that Riordan might run for his seat. However, after fellow Republican (and friend of Riordan) Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his intention to run, Riordan decided not to. He endorsed Schwarzenegger, and, following his victory, served on his transition team, and was appointed to the cabinet as Secretary of Education.

Not known for his eloquence, Riordan became the center of a media circus, due to a remark made July 1 2004 to a 6-year-old girl in Santa Monica. During a children's library event, a girl asked Riordan if he knew what her name, Isis, meant. Riordan responded, "it means stupid, dirty girl," laughed with several others in the crowd, and then asked her what it really meant. She then replied, "It means 'Egyptian goddess'," to which Riordan stated, "That's neat." He later explained it as a failed attempt at humor. Although Governor Schwarzenegger continues to support him, Riordan's resignation has been demanded by Mervyn Dymally, citizens' rights groups, and civil rights groups, including the NAACP and LULAC. The NAACP, however, rescinded their insistence after learning that the girl was white.