John Seymour, Anaheim Mayor And U.s. Senator, Dies At 88

John Seymour was nan uncommon leader who didn’t mind harming his profession if it meant doing correct by his constituents.

As nan recently elected politician of Anaheim successful 1978, he angered nan city’s Police Department by suggesting nan creation of a citizens oversight committee aft residents complained that officers regularly harassed and hit them.

The lifelong Republican upset his party’s blimpish guidelines successful nan 1980s arsenic a authorities senator, erstwhile he announced his support for abortion rights and guidance to offshore drilling.

“I’m not going to ever beryllium right,” Seymour told reporters successful 1990. “Therefore, to expect 1 to ne'er alteration a position connected an rumor ... is excessively overmuch to ask.”

Appointed to nan U.S. Senate successful 1990 aft Pete Wilson was elected governor, Seymour mislaid his spot to Dianne Feinstein 2 years later and ne'er ran for nationalist agency again. He remains nan past California Republican to service successful that role.

“John was a feline who had awesome courage, he had awesome goodwill and a damn bully mind,” Wilson, who was politician of San Diego erstwhile he first met Seymour successful nan 1970s, said Monday. “He not only enjoyed a small combat, he was consenting to springiness nan clip basal for it.”

Seymour died connected April 18 astatine his location successful Carlsbad. He was 88, and nan origin was Alzheimer’s disease, according to his boy John.

As his statement swung to nan right, nan mean Seymour had nary problem pinch becoming a governmental afterthought.

Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, center, poses pinch senators connected Capitol Hill successful 1991. With Thomas, from near to right, are Sens. John Seymour (R-Calif.), Larry Craig (R-Idaho), Bob Dole (R-Kan.), Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), Connie Mack (R-Fla.) and Dan Coats (R-Ind.), correct front.

(John Duricka / Associated Press)

“If location successful a footnote, history should grounds my nationalist service, I would dream that they grounds maine arsenic 1 who cared much for group than for policy, 1 who was a no-nonsense feline who worked difficult for those successful request of help, but who wasn’t hesitant to sound heads of bureaucrats successful bid to get things done,” he told supporters astatine nan kickoff to his Senate run successful 1992.

Born successful Chicago, Seymour settled successful Southern California successful nan 1960s aft a stint successful nan Marine Corps. The UCLA postgraduate started a existent property business successful Orange County arsenic nan region transformed from farmland to suburbia. After 4 years connected nan Anaheim City Council, he became politician successful 1978.

He quickly established nan pragmatic persona that would alteration his emergence successful California politics.

Months aft Seymour’s mayoral win, Anaheim constabulary officers stormed a Latino vicinity and hit up dozens of group successful what became known as nan Little People’s Park riots. At organization meetings, Seymour admitted his daze astatine learning astir nan mediocre relations betwixt nan constabulary and galore residents.

The politician described his attack as: “Don’t expanse it nether nan rug; don’t look nan different way. Admit that we person a problem.”

At nan aforesaid time, Seymour was negotiating pinch nan Los Angeles Rams to move from nan Coliseum to Orange County. While different O.C. officials projected a caller stadium, he convinced nan Anaheim City Council to person Angel Stadium into a multipurpose venue that he based on would create “the top opportunity for Anaheim since Disneyland and nan California Angels.”

The Rams moved to nan metropolis successful 1980. Two years later, Seymour was disconnected to Sacramento arsenic a authorities senator.

He became caput of nan Republican Senate caucus successful his first twelvemonth and bucked nan stereotype of an Orange County GOP firebrand by mostly eschewing civilization warfare issues successful favour of matters for illustration higher salary for teachers and authorities support for mediocre parents that sometimes aligned him pinch Democrats. That made him fewer friends successful his ain party, pinch galore finding his individual ambition grating — he erstwhile wrote a missive to then-Gov. George Deukmejian asking that he beryllium appointed authorities treasurer — and a distraction from getting much of their ain elected to Sacramento.

Seymour made nary apologies for trading himself arsenic a nationalist servant while simultaneously seeking much power.

“I for illustration to do things,” Seymour told The Times successful 1987. “I’ve been a doer each my life. I don’t for illustration to beryllium astir sucking my thumb. I for illustration to resoluteness problems.”

That year, blimpish opponents deposed him arsenic caucus chair. They snickered 2 years later erstwhile he announced that while he personally opposed abortion, he now supported a woman’s correct to choose.

Sen. John Seymour successful 1991.

(Don Boomer / For The Times)

The impetus was a U.S. Supreme Court decision that gave states much leeway to modulate abortion. Since California had legalized nan process decades earlier, Seymour reasoned that he should respect women’s choices. He said pinch group who were for and against abortion, and pinch his ain family, earlier going nationalist pinch his alteration of heart.

Naysayers accused nan authorities legislator of trying to prime up female voters arsenic he was campaigning for nan Republican information for lieutenant politician against fellow Orange County legislator Marian Bergeson, who opposed abortion. The complaint was bogus, according to longtime Seymour run advisor Eileen Padberg.

“He didn’t get talked into it — he was an effing Marine,” she said. “He had to beryllium convinced successful thing earlier making a decision. In my profession representing hundreds of candidates, John was 1 of very fewer who consistently would opportunity astir their stances, ‘This is going to termination me, but I gotta do it.’”

Seymour mislaid nan superior to Bergeson. Six months later, he was erstwhile again 1 of nan astir powerful Republicans successful nan authorities erstwhile he took nan Senate spot Wilson had conscionable vacated to go governor.

Seymour’s boy John recalled his begetter getting nan telephone from Wilson while nan family was vacationing successful Shasta.

“Dad knew that it was a heavy, weighted responsibility, and that it would impact nan family,” John said. “But we kids said, ‘You should do this, if it makes you happy.’”

Seymour became nan 2nd Anaheim Republican to service successful nan position, aft Thomas Kuchel successful nan 1950s and 1960s.

Wilson told The Times that he primitively wanted to support his friend successful Sacramento to thief push done his agenda. But nan politician figured he needed a trusted sound successful Washington moreover more.

“You’re looking for group who are not only friends but are tin and knowledgeable and understand what’s necessary,” Wilson said. “And I don’t deliberation I was doing him a awesome favor, because it was a reliable clip for nan state.”

California was weathering its worst recession successful decades and a punishing drought. The state’s vaunted defense manufacture was shedding tens of thousands of jobs pinch nan closure of subject bases aft nan extremity of nan Cold War.

The daunting task didn’t faze Seymour.

“I mean, you gotta beryllium bully to win successful nan backstage sector,” he told The Times successful 1992. “But if you’re gonna win successful getting things done successful nan nationalist sector, you gotta beryllium amended than that! That’s nan challenge!”

Seymour spent astir of his short clip successful nan Senate successful triage mode. He lobbied particularly difficult for California’s existent property industry, calling himself nan “realtors’ senator.” But nan diminutive man’s plainspoken demeanor grounded to summation traction pinch California voters — a 1991 Times floor plan deemed him “the chartless senator.” And his 1 infinitesimal successful nan nationalist spotlight became fodder for opponents.

In nan outpouring of 1992, Los Angeles erupted successful deadly riots aft a assemblage acquitted 4 constabulary officers who hit Rodney King. As he erstwhile did successful Anaheim, Seymour went connected a listening circuit crossed affected neighborhoods, accompanying President George H.W. Bush.

This time, Seymour was accused of seeking photograph opportunities a period earlier his superior predetermination and being tone-deaf to nan riot’s guidelines causes by airing tv ads stating, “We can’t beryllium reliable capable connected lawbreakers.” White House aides bullied him successful nan property arsenic nan “Velcro senator.” His Republican opponent, Orange County Rep. William Dannemeyer, branded him “Senator Flip Flop.”

Seymour easy hit Dannemeyer, past faced Democrat Dianne Feinstein, nan erstwhile San Francisco politician whose constrictive nonaccomplishment to Wilson successful nan governor’s title had earned her wide sanction recognition. He received only 38% of nan ballot arsenic Feinstein rode a Democratic wave that swept Bill Clinton into nan White House and a grounds number of women into nan U.S. Senate, including Barbara Boxer successful California.

California Department of Finance spokesperson H.D. Palmer worked for Seymour astatine nan clip and saw his “regular guy” leader springiness “one of nan kindest and astir gracious concession speeches I’ve ever heard.”

“Then he went down to O.C. to beryllium pinch his supporters,” Palmer said. “He was existent to his roots.”

Wilson soon appointed Seymour to caput nan California Housing Finance Agency, which helps first-time location buyers entree low-rate loans. He stayed successful that domiciled for 2 years earlier becoming main executive of nan Southern California Housing Development Corp. The Inland Empire nonprofit, which managed and built affordable lodging complexes, is now known arsenic National Community Renaissance, aliases National CORE.

John, who is nan nonprofit’s vice president of acquisitions, said his begetter had nary regrets astir leaving authorities down because “housing was his passion. He saw it arsenic a level for group to grow. He would say, ‘Once you’re housed, you person a big, beautiful sky to do anything.’”

Seymour did thin connected his past to impulse skeptical cities and counties to let affordable lodging projects, challenging them to beryllium for illustration him: do nan correct point sloppy of governmental cost.

“If successful truth you’re going to effort to alteration an situation successful which a politician aliases metropolis assembly will do what they cognize successful their hearts is right, you request to offset nan governmental blow,” he said astatine a lodging convention successful Cathedral City successful 2002. “I situation you to shape a coalition.”

Seymour is survived by his woman of 54 years, Judy; children John, Shad, Jeffrey, Barrett, Lisa Houser and Sarena Talbert; 9 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.