Los Angeles City Clerk

_:;ITY OF LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA Office of the JUNELAGMAY CITY CLERK City Clerk Council and Public Services Room 395, City Hall HOLLY L. WOLCOTT Los Angeles, CA 90012 General Information~ (213) 978·1133 Executive Officer Fax: (213) 978-1040 www.cltyclerk.lacity.org ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA MAYOR May 25, 2010 To All Interested Parties: The City Council adopted the action(s), as attached, under Council file No. 10-0820 , at its meeting held May 21 I 2010 . An Equal Employment Opportunity -Affirmative Action Employer RESOL Harvey Milk Day 1 tlJ J---1 May 22, 2010 WHEREAS, San Francisco city politician Harvey Milk helped open the door for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Trans gender (LGBT) individuals in the United States when he became the I" openly gay man to be elected to public office. WHEREAS, During his tragically short political career, Milk was an unwavering and fearless champion of LGBT issues, but never lost sight of the big picture, battling for a wide range of social changes in such areas as education, public transportation, child care, and low-income housing. WHEREAS, Milk entered the political arena for the first time in 1973 after being angered by the Watergate scandal, Milk decided to run for a spot on the Board of Supervisors, San Francisco's city council. Using the gay community as his voting base, Milk sought to develop an alliance with other minorities in the city. WHEREAS, Of the thirty-two candidates in the race, Milk came in tenth. Though he lost the election, he gained enough support to put him on the city's political map. Because of his popularity in his own largely gay district, he became known as "the Mayor of Castro Street." Milk spent much of the next year preparing for his next election campaign, including taking on a more mainstream look. WHEREAS, He also revitalized the Castro Village Association as a powerful civic organization and launched the popular Castro Street Fair. In addition, he conducted a voter registration drive that signed up two thousand new voters, and he began writing a newspaper column for the Bay Area Reporter. WHEREAS, Milk ran for supervisor again in 1975. Although he gained the support of several important labor unions, he lost again, this time placing seventh. In recognition of Milk's growing power base, however, newly elected Mayor George Moscone ( 1929-1978) appointed Milk to the Board of Permit Appeals. This would become Milk's first public office. After just a few weeks, however, Milk announced his intention to run for the state assembly. That announcement led to his removal from his city post. WHEREAS, Milk ran against the Democratic Party on the campaign theme "Harvey Milk versus the Machine." Milk lost yet again, by a mere four thousand votes. By this time, however, he had established a political machine of his own, the San Francisco Gay Democratic Club. In 1977, on his third try, Milk was finally elected to the Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay elected official in nation's history. WHEREAS, Several key themes characterized Milk's successful campaign and career as a city official: his demand that government respond to the needs of individuals be it potholes or an ordinance requiring people clean up after their dogs, an ongoing emphasis on LGBT rights, and his fight to preserve the unique character of the city's neighborhoods. WHEREAS, as city supervisor, Milk was the driving force behind the passage of a gay-rights law that prohibited discrimination, or unequal treatment, in housing and employment based on sexual orientation. At his urging, the city announced a drive to hire more gay and lesbian police officers. He also started programs that benefited underserved & minority communities, workers, and the elderly. WHEREAS, Milk also gained national attention for his role in defeating a state senate proposal, known as the "Briggs Initiative," that would have prohibited gays and lesbians from teaching in public schools in California. WHEREAS, On November 27, 1978, Milk and Mayor George Moscone were shot to death in City Hall by Dan White ( 1946-1985), a former city supervisor who had recently resigned. Despite a full confession, White was acquitted of murder and instead convicted of voluntary manslaughter, serving only 5 years in prison. His attorney's defense was that White's behavior was caused by binge eating junk food the night before the murders, which came to be known as the "Twinkie Defense." Outraged by the verdict, the LGBT community lashed out·and the "White Night Riots" ensued, with the conservative anti LGBT police force clashing violently with angry protestors, leaving hundreds hospitalized. WHEREAS, Since his death, Milk has become a symbol for the LGBT community of both what has been achieved and what remains to be done. He has been immortalized in the names of the Harvey Milk Democratic Club (fonnerly the San Francisco Gay Democratic Club), Harvey Milk High School in New York, and San Francisco's annual Harvey Milk Memorial Parade. WHEREAS, In 1985 the film The Times ofHarvey Milk won the Academy Award for best documentary. Ten years later, Harvey Milk, an opera co-commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera, the New York City Opera, and the San Francisco Opera, opened in Houston. And, in 2008, shortly after the passage of Proposition 8 in California that stripped the rights of same-sex couples to marry, the biopic Milk was released. It won two Academy Awards: Sean Penn for Best Actor in his role as Milk, and Dustin Lance Black for Best Original Screenplay. WHEREAS, May 22,2010 would have marked Harvey Milk's 80'h birthday, the California State Legislature & Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger designated May 22 as "Harvey Milk Day." In recognition of this day, organizations from throughout the City and State will come together for a day of service and action. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Los Angeles City Council declares May 22, 20 I 0 as Harvey Milk Day in the City of Los Angeles and encourages the people of Los Angeles to honor the great civic contributions of Harvey Milk and participate in a day of service to continue his legacy of hope and turning anger into positive action. PRESENTED B : az~ Eric Garcetti Councilmember, 13th District ADOPTED MAY 2 1 2010 lOS ANGELES CITII COUNCIL 5/14/2010 .

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