LOS ANGELES : Ridley-Thomas Wins Turf Battle With Holden
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Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas won a nasty turf battle with colleague Nate Holden Wednesday, acquiring for his district a Crenshaw-area shopping center that is a likely redevelopment target.
The City Council voted 12 to 1 that Ridley-Thomas should represent Santa Barbara Plaza, despite angry protests from Holden that taking the center from his district was unfair and “a slap in the face.”
The 23-acre shopping center--the largest concentration of black-owned businesses in the city--is aging and in need of repair. But it is considered a plum because of pending proposals for redevelopment that could be a showcase of post-riot economic revival.
The larger Crenshaw District, one of the wealthiest black enclaves in the nation, is also viewed as a desirable political base. The vote places the bulk of Crenshaw in Ridley-Thomas’ 8th District, though Holden keeps a portion.
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