Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has ordered flags in Los Angeles to fly at half-staff Thursday in memory of Nate Holden, who represented the 10th District on the City Council for 16 years.
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\nHolden died Wednesday at age 95, his family told Supervisor Janice Hahn.<\/p>\n
\u201cNate Holden leaves behind a legacy of service and strength,\u201d Bass said in a statement. \u201cThroughout his life, he put the South Los Angeles community front and center. As an organizer, I learned from the way he served \u2014 always working to ensure vital services were delivered directly to the residents he represented. For decades, he was a trusted advisor.\u201d
\nBorn June 19, 1929, in Macon, Georgia, Holden moved with his mother and brothers to Elizabeth, New Jersey, when he was 10 after his parents separated. He quit high school at age 16, when he enlisted in the Army in 1946, despite being underage. He was deployed to Germany, where he served as a military policeman.<\/p>\n
Following his military service, Holden sought to become a draftsman. Holden told the Los Angeles Times one of his teachers purposely gave him a bad grade to discourage him, telling him such a job was out of reach for a Black man.
\nWhen he applied for a training program for veterans, he was again denied and told he was wasting his time, that it would never lead to a job.
\n\u201cI served God and country, I\u2019m gonna get into that training program,\u201d Holden said he told them. \u201cIf I don\u2019t get it, I\u2019m gonna go to Washington and knock on that president\u2019s door.\u201d
\nHolden was finally admitted and studied design and engineering at night while finishing high school. He eventually worked for several aerospace companies, which led him to California.<\/p>\n
Holden made his first foray into politics as a member of the left-leaning California Democratic Council. Holden made his first run for office in 1968, challenging then-Rep. Tom Rees, D-Beverly Hills, in a Democratic primary and losing by a more than 3-1 margin.
\nThen-Assistant Chief Deputy Nate Holden, left, with LA County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn (Courtesy photo)
\nHolden became a member of the staff of LA County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, and was then elected to the state Senate in 1974. Holden authored and co-authored more than 70 bills that became law in his four years in the Senate, according to his website, nateholden.com.<\/p>\n
Holden authored the bill establishing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s birthday as a state holiday, along with bills outlawing redlining on home mortgages, the Credit Denial Disclosure Act of 1976, increased funding for inner city schools, the creation of Baldwin Hills Regional Park, proliferation and control of liquor stores and property tax relief for senior citizens.
\nHolden ran for the Democratic nomination to succeed then-Rep. Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, D-Los Angeles, who gave up the 28th Congressional District seat to unsuccessfully run for attorney general in 1978. Holden lost to then-Assemblyman Julian Dixon, D-Culver City, who would go on to hold the seat until his death in 2000.
\nLA Mayor Tom Bradley, left, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and LA Councilman Nate Holden (Courtesy photo)<\/p>\n
Holden was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1987, serving until 2003, when he was barred from seeking re-election because of term limits.
\nHolden\u2019s accomplishments as a councilman included a gun buyback program requiring all children\u2019s toy guns be brightly colored so as to not be confused with actual weapons.
\n\u201cYou always knew where Nate stood,\u201d frequent council foe Hal Bernson said on June 25, 2003, two days before Holden\u2019s final council session in office, as fellow council members paid tribute to him. \u201cHe always kept his word. \u2026 The city is going to be better for his having served.\u201d
\nThen-Council President, now Sen. Alex Padilla, observed that when \u201cthey made Nate Holden, they broke the mold. When he gives his word, you can take it to the bank \u2026 I am a better leader because of some of the hoops (Holden) put me through.\u201d
\nThen-Mayor Jim Hahn used words like \u201cgreat partner\u201d and \u201cbig brother\u201d in describing Holden.<\/p>\n
Whether it was intentional or unintentional, Holden often made headlines.
\nHe was sued \u2014 unsuccessfully \u2014 for alleged sexual harassment of three female staffers, criticized for being entertained by a stripper during a city mission to Korea and fined for exceeding campaign-contribution limits.
\nHe outraged many of his Koreatown constituents in the 10th District when he defended his socializing with scantily clad dancers during the 1991 trip to Seoul by saying: \u201cThat\u2019s the way you do official business there.\u201d
\nHe later apologized for the remark.
\nHolden also made headlines last year when Donald Trump appeared to confuse him with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown.
\n\u201cI call Willie Brown. \u2018Donald Trump has problems. He is saying you were in the helicopter ride that required an emergency landing.\u2019 Willie said, \u2018No, no.\u2019 So, then he must be talking about me then,\u201d Holden told City News Service.
\nHolden told CNS that he met Trump at Trump Tower for a trip to Atlantic City, where they were going to tour the Taj Mahal casino.
\nHolden had been in communication with Trump and his staff regarding a proposal to build the world\u2019s tallest building on the site of the Ambassador Hotel, which was in his district.<\/p>\n
Holden\u2019s survivors include sons Reginald Holden, a former Los Angeles County sheriff\u2019s deputy, and Chris Holden, a former member of the Assembly and former Pasadena mayor.
\n\u201cNate Holden was a legend here in Los Angeles,\u201d Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement. \u201cHe was a lion in the state Senate and a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles City Council.
\n\u201cI learned a lot sitting next to him in the chambers as a new councilmember. He was a valued member of my father\u2019s staff for years and my dad relied on his unique brand of wisdom. I always referred to him as Uncle Nate because to me he was part of the Hahn family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nate Holden’s passing marks the end of an era in Los Angeles politics. His legacy as a champion of the South Los Angeles community and his commitment to public service will be remembered for generations to come. Through his numerous achievements and his unapologetic stance on issues, Holden left an indelible mark on the city he served for so many years.<\/p>\n
Q: When did Nate Holden pass away?
\nA: Nate Holden passed away on Wednesday at the age of 95.
\nQ: How long did Nate Holden serve on the Los Angeles City Council?
\nA: Nate Holden served on the Los Angeles City Council for 16 years, from 1987 to 2003.
\nQ: What were some of Nate Holden’s notable legislative achievements?
\nA: Some of Nate Holden’s notable legislative achievements include authoring the bill establishing the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.\u2019s birthday as a state holiday, outlawing redlining on home mortgages, and increasing funding for inner city schools.
\nQ: Who are Nate Holden’s survivors?
\nA: Nate Holden’s survivors include his sons Reginald Holden and Chris Holden.
\nQ: What is Nate Holden’s legacy in Los Angeles politics?
\nA: Nate Holden’s legacy in Los Angeles politics is that of a champion of the South Los Angeles community and a committed public servant who left a lasting impact on the city.
\nOriginally Published: May 8, 2025 at 9:30 AM PDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to Nate Holden’s Life and Legacy Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has ordered flags in Los Angeles to fly at half-staff Thursday in memory of Nate Holden, who represented the 10th District on the City Council for 16 years. Holden died Wednesday at age 95, his family told Supervisor Janice Hahn. Early Life and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14104","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Nate_Holden_Press_Ph-16x9-1.jpg?w=1400px&strip=all&w=1400&resize=1400,785&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14104"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14104"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14106,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14104\/revisions\/14106"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}