Bob Ronka - City Attorney Campaign

City Attorney Campaign

See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1981.

Ronka did not run for reelection in 1981 but was an unsuccessful candidate for city attorney instead. His political campaign caused a citywide furor with television ads saying that the councilman's opponent, City Controller Ira Reiner, had represented Leslie Van Houten, an associate of mass murderer Charles Manson, as her attorney in court. Another spot said Reiner was "private attorney (for the) Manson family." A campaign mailer claimed that Reiner had "solicited Manson as a client in order to draw press attention and make himself famous." (Reiner actually had served briefly as Van Houten's attorney but "was dismissed when he insisted on separating her defense from Manson's and going against Manson's wishes.") Ronka ordered the ads pulled, but the damage was done: Support fell away, and the editorial page of the Los Angeles Times withdrew its endorsement. Ronka survived the primary election in April but lost to Reiner in June, 231,540 to 133,205.

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