Jan C. Perry (born June 8, 1955)[1] is an American politician from California. A member of the Democratic Party, she served on the Los Angeles City Council from 2001 to 2013.

Jan Perry
Perry in 2014
President Pro Tempore of the
Los Angeles City Council
In office
July 7, 2009 – November 4, 2011
Preceded byWendy Greuel
Succeeded byEd Reyes
Assistant President Pro Tempore of the
Los Angeles City Council
In office
January 1, 2006 – July 28, 2009
Preceded byTony Cárdenas
Succeeded byDennis Zine
Member of the Los Angeles City Council
from the 9th district
In office
July 1, 2001 – July 1, 2013
Preceded byRita Walters
Succeeded byCurren Price
Personal details
Born (1955-06-08) June 8, 1955 (age 69)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Southern California (BA, MPA)
WebsiteCampaign website

Career

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Perry speaking in 2006.

Perry represented the Ninth District on the Los Angeles City Council from 2001 to 2013 and was president pro tempore of the Council.[2] She is a member of the Democratic Party. She was a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles in 2013.

Perry was elected to office in 2001 to succeed Councilwoman Rita Walters, whom she had served as chief of staff. Re-elected in 2005 and 2009, Perry left office in 2013.

She helped enact restrictions on fast food restaurants in her district. As part of a larger campaign to combat high obesity rates, Perry has also funded public parks to promote outdoor activity and supported incentives to encourage more grocery stores to open within her district.[3]

Jan Perry was the general manager of the Los Angeles Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWDD) of the City of Los Angeles. Initially appointed as Interim General Manager of the Los Angeles Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWDD) in July 2013 by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, her former rival. She was named general manager in November 2013.[4] She stepped down at the end of 2018.[5]

In 2022, Jan Perry ran for Congress in California's 37th congressional district to succeed Karen Bass, who was elected mayor of Los Angeles. Perry was defeated by Sydney Kamlager.

Jan Perry Wetlands

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A 9-acre underutilized bus maintenance yard was developed into a South Los Angeles storm water wetlands and community park.[6]

The Los Angeles City Council voted to rename the park "The Jan Perry Wetlands" for her work with the project.[7]

The project includes storm water pre-treatment, storm water treatment wetlands of approximately 4 acres, open park space, and a parking lot sloped to drain into the wetlands; it also provides for wildlife viewing and educational opportunities. The project was completed in December 2011.[8]

The project is funded by Los Angeles Proposition "O", 2004 Bond Measure, State and local grant money and funds from the EPA and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were also used.[9]

Personal life

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Perry is a convert to Judaism. She had an Orthodox conversion in the 1980s, studying under Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller of UCLA's Hillel.[10][11]

References

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  1. ^ JewishJournal 2001
  2. ^ "Jan Perry re-elected as president pro tempore in City Council | OnCentral". Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  3. ^ McBride, Sarah (July 22, 2008). "Exiling the Happy Meal: Los Angeles Lawmakers Want to Escalate The War on Obesity (And Fast Food)". The Wall Street Journal.
  4. ^ Perry, Jan. "About Us". Official website Los Angeles Economic & Workforce Development Department. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  5. ^ Mayor Garcetti announces that Jan Perry, General Manager of the Economic and Workforce Development Department (2018-10-19). "Mayor Garcetti announces that Jan Perry, General Manager of the Economic and Workforce Development Department, is stepping down". Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  6. ^ Hagekhalil, Adel. "Adel Hagekhalil on Significance of South LA's Wetlands Park". The Planning Report February 26, 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  7. ^ Vaillancourt, Ryan (24 June 2013). "The End of the Era of Jan". www.downtownnews.com.
  8. ^ Linthicum, Kate. "Reclaimed bus yard begins life as urban wetland". Los Angeles Times. No. February 10, 2012.
  9. ^ "Official website of Proposition O Info & Outreach". www.lapropo.org.
  10. ^ The Jewish Journal: "Jan Perry’s quest: Spirituality, pursuit of L.A.‘s well-being" By Bill Boyarsky July 25, 2012
  11. ^ "Black Jews You Should Know, Part 3". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 2023-04-30.
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Political offices
Preceded by Member of the Los Angeles City Council
from the 9th district

2001–2013
Succeeded by
Preceded by President pro tempore of the Los Angeles City Council
2009–2011
Succeeded by
Preceded by Assistant President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council
2006–2009
Succeeded by