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Palo Alto Online

She did it her way

by Bill D'Agostino

City Council candidate LaDoris Cordell's response to a car accident with a drunk driver in 1984 is emblematic of her innovative, yet sometimes divisive, approach to making change.

In response to the slap on the wrist Cordell felt the driver received, three years after the accident the candidate - then a superior court judge -- required convicted drunk drivers to install a device in the ignition of their cars that acted as a Breathalyzer. If the driver didn't pass the test, the car wouldn't start.

Since Cordell was the first judge in California to issue such a requirement, she attracted her share of controversy. Cordell disregarded state protocol by lowering mandated fines so drivers could purchase the items, according to the district attorney's office, which later took her to court over the matter. After a five-year battle to get a law signed by the governor allowing the fines to be waived, Cordell's initiative became official under Gov. Pete Wilson.

Controversies such as that taught Cordell that institutions are resistant to change and about the necessity to work with those who may initially be opponents.

"Change takes time and it takes collaboration," Cordell said. "It takes being patient. And it takes being consistent and persevering -- a certain doggedness, without being obnoxious. So I've grown up. I've matured."

Cordell's ability to work with others is particularly relevant as she makes a bid for a seat on the often discordant Palo Alto City Council. She is one of six challengers taking on four incumbents, and intends to harmonize the council.

"I don't like what I've seen and I'd like to be to able to serve as one individual -- I'm not saying I'm some miracle worker -- but one of the individuals who will bring people together," said Cordell, who is now working as a vice provost for Stanford.

But former colleagues on the bench say her go-it-alone style often caused problems.

"She acted unilaterally on occasion -- without bringing her colleagues in on what she was doing," said a fellow judge, who did not wish to be named. "That led to some conflicts in the courthouse."

Jennifer Hagan, who served as a law clerk for Cordell in 1989, believes the judge was controversial because she stood up to the court's older white male judges.

"She was on the leading edge of changing the face of the judicial system in California," said Hagan, now a Palo Alto parks and recreation commissioner. "That's a hard thing to do and some people aren't going to like you for it -- but she's never been afraid of a challenge."

As a judge, Cordell was known for drawing sketches of life on the bench. She turned them into calendars, donating the money to a nonprofit serving youth court advocates. One calendar lampooned judges who golfed during the day without taking vacation time -- another action that drew colleagues' ire.

"I think it is a courageous thing to do" to criticize your colleagues when "you see what they're doing is wrong," Cordell said.

Cordell comes from Ardmore, Penn., a racially-divided suburb of Philadelphia. For generations, her family served the town's richer, white families. Her grandmother was a head cook for the prestigious Haverford School, and her great uncle was a chauffer.

As a child working summers in "Spring Cleaners," her parent's dry-cleaning business that was a gathering place for the African-American community, she learned the importance of community and leadership.

"My parents were always the one people came to," Cordell said. "This was what I saw all my life."

Although she lived among African-Americans, Cordell attended school in the Caucasian district. "I lived in two worlds," she said. Although she had white friends, they never visited each others' homes.

After graduating from Stanford Law School, Cordell's career was a parade of notable firsts: first lawyer to open a private practice in East Palo Alto, first African-American judge in Northern California (in 1982), and first African-American judge elected to the Superior Court in Santa Clara County (in 1988).

As a candidate for City Council, Cordell wants to take a hard look at the city's budget. She also wants to encourage "truly" affordable housing, while also preserving neighborhoods.

"My mantra when it comes to development is moderation," she said. "There always has to be this balance between development and over-development."

Still, Cordell opposes the 800 High St. housing development on the November ballot. She is supporting residents who placed the 61-unit project's approval on the ballot because she feels the city did not listen to neighbors who worked on planning the complex's neighborhood.

Cordell is also advocating raising developer fees to make sure the cost to oversee the projects and provide services for its new residents are covered.

About the issue of divisiveness on the council, Cordell argues she is uniquely qualified because of her years as a judge in the family court. "I developed the skills to be able to sit down with people who were really at each other's throats, to get them to calm down" and find a way to compromise.

E-mail Bill D'Agostino at bdagostino@paweekly.com