Redondo Mourns Death of Joe White, Public Servant

Joe White had a pretty straightforward view about the role of local government: to clean up trash, trim trees, rid someone’s yard of rodents.

From the moment in May when he won election to the Redondo Beach City Council, the 63-year-old retiree worked tirelessly on those and other matters. He became a fixture at City Hall, fielding complaints by the dozens and considering no problem too small for his attention.

Even when White was hospitalized for pneumonia earlier this month, he asked his wife to bring the council agenda to Little Company of Mary Hospital so he wouldn’t fall behind. And after he learned he had lung cancer, White returned to his City Hall office last week and continued his campaign promise of being there for his neighbors in the city’s north side.

This week, when word spread through the city that White had died of respiratory and heart failure Monday morning, the councilman was remembered as an avuncular workaholic who entered politics for the right reasons.

“He was a father figure, a down-to-earth, friendly guy,” said Mayor Brad Parton, who ordered all city flags flown at half-staff to mourn White’s death. “He was not a politician. He was retired and wanted to help the community.”

Parton had actively campaigned against White in May’s runoff election for the District 5 council seat. But the mayor and others said it was difficult to remain an opponent of White.

“He was the kind of guy you don’t see much anymore,” said Bruce Unruh, one of White’s five opponents in the council election earlier this year. “He was the kind of guy that, if you did business with him, you wouldn’t need a contract. A handshake would do.”

White’s seat on the council will be filled in a special election for District 5 residents, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 4. One possible candidate has already emerged: White’s wife, Marilyn, who managed his campaign and who has the support of family friends.

“There are some things he wanted to do. I would like to see some of these things completed,” Marilyn White said Tuesday.

“I’ve thought about it,” she said. “I just have to bury my husband. I will have plenty of time to think about it.”

Known among friends as “Chief,” White lived in Redondo Beach three decades and wore a variety of hats before running for public office.

A Missouri native, he served in the Navy 14 years and then spent another decade in the reserves. He worked as a real estate agent, spent 14 years running a Redondo Beach tavern and 12 more years as a construction superintendent with Anastasi Construction Co., a major South Bay developer.

When White surprised the city’s political Establishment by defeating an opponent backed by the mayor, he had a simple explanation: a lifetime of community ties.

Recalling how he moved to the city in 1957--a time when there were no sidewalks or curbs--White said: “Nobody’s ever believed me, but I’ve been in this community a long time. I was a Little League sponsor for years. . . . And I was a realtor here for a long time. A lot of these people, I sold their houses to them 30 years ago. And they didn’t forget me.”

White is survived by his wife of 39 years; one son, Joseph, of Redondo Beach; five brothers and a sister. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. today at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Redondo Beach. Burial will be at Pacific Crest Cemetery in Redondo Beach.