Blog note: This piece, celebrating
the re-opening of the historic Clifton’s Cafeteria (opened first in 1931) in
downtown Los Angeles, tells the story of Clifton’s founder: Clifford Clinton.
We reprint it because, in the telling, we learn of Clinton’s membership on the
1937 Los Angeles County Grand Jury and his attempt to rid the City of Los
Angeles of graft and corruption.
Prior to its
closing in 2011, walking into Clifton's Cafeteria at Seventh and Broadway in
downtown Los Angeles was like walking into a kitschy mountain lodge in a
national park, with Redwood trees serving as columns, rocks and foliage
bursting from the walls, stuffed and mounted animals, and a stream running
through the dining room. On September 21, 2015, Clifton's Cafeteria will
re-open after four years of renovation, and the city waits with anticipation to
see the changes made by new owner Andrew Meieran.
The
re-opening of Clifton's Cafeteria also offers Angelenos an opportunity to
reflect on the importance of its founder and namesake: Clifford Clinton. This
cafeteria owner left his mark on food, politics, and life in Los Angeles like
few others. Names like Henry Huntington, Harrison Grey Otis, and William
Mulholland come to mind when thinking of the traditional power brokers
responsible for shaping L.A.. But Clinton was different, because he was not
seeking power, glory, or money. Rather, he was guided by resolute moral
principles and an ardent desire to make L.A. a better place for everyone to
live.
Clinton is
most famous for his cafeterias. He opened his first in 1931. Later named
Clifton's Pacific Seas, it featured jungle murals, artificial palm trees, a
waterfall and a controlled rainfall every twenty minutes. The name
"Clifton's" was made up of parts of his first and last name. Now,
contrary to what they are now, cafeterias were extremely trendy in the 1930s.
So much so, that Clifton opened a second cafeteria in 1935 called the Brookdale
Cafeteria, which boasted a redwood forest-inspired interior, and was the
largest cafeteria in the world.
Serving
Democracy.
But for Clinton, running a cafeteria was not just about profit
margins. As the Depression deepened and Angelenos suffered, Clinton refused to
turn away customers who could not afford a meal. He printed his business policy
on the check received by each of his patrons:
"Regardless of the amount of this
check our cashier will cheerfully accept whatever you wish to pay - or you may
dine free."
And this was
during a time when more than fifty percent of American restaurants failed in
their first year. This son of Salvation Army parents would not let Angelenos go
hungry.
Clinton told
his employees to make Clifton's guests, their guests. Clifton's policy
of courtesy and service to customers of all races generated some customer
complaints, as it was a time when most restaurants discouraged patronage by
Blacks, Latinos and Asians. One such complaint, as well as Clinton's response,
was published in a leaflet called "The Guests Voice," which was
available at Clinton's restaurants.
The guest
wrote:
"I have always liked Clifton's ...
but yesterday, while having lunch two Negroes came and sat at my table ...
After that the food tasted like sawdust ... I like the Negro people ... but I
refuse to eat or sleep with them ... I will hereafter go elsewhere where they
do not have Negroes ..."
Clinton's
response filled the rest of the page:
"Democracy brings many people
together who may not enjoy close social contacts. It is for us to weigh the
benefits of democracy against its alternative in which a majority class or
"master" race could outlaw minorities. So far a few nations have
chosen the undemocratic way of life. We are at war with those nations, and
there is no discrimination as to the races among those who are offering their
lives for our American rights and freedom.
To promote peace, justice order and
harmony our laws and Constitution make it unlawful to discriminate. We are left
with two choices. We can obey the letter and spirit of the law, which, we
believe also expresses the Christian solution of our problems, or we can
violate the law and the Christian conscience of our Republic...
Frankly we know of only one line of
conduct consistent with our conscience and obligation as a citizen. It is our
duty to serve all who enter our doors and conduct themselves within their legal
rights. If the 'ruin' so often predicted, is around the corner, then we prefer
to be ruined doing business in accordance with our obligations as a citizen.
This is our policy. We survive or perish according to which point of view has
greatest appeal to the people. Somehow we have faith in the people."
Clinton's
moral compass was not limited to the cafeteria business. In 1935, a Los Angeles
County Board of Supervisor asked him to inspect food operations at the L.A.
County General Hospital. Clinton accepted the task and discovered significant
waste and corruption and made recommendations to trim the hospital budget.
Publicly
pointing out corruption had its drawbacks, especially in 1930s Los Angeles.
During that time, corruption was the norm in the city. Gambling and
prostitution establishments operated with impunity and often under the
protection of the police. Bribery was a way of life. And the corruption
extended all the way into the offices of the mayor, district attorney, and
police chief.
After his
inspection of the hospital, Clinton's own establishments suddenly started being
visited by city health officials and cited for multiple violations. Being
confronted with this type of pressure from a corrupt city hall, many restaurant
owners would likely have backed down. But not
Clinton, he doubled down and got himself appointed to the county grand jury.
And once appointed, Clinton pushed the grand jury to investigate vice
conditions in L.A. When he met resistance from other grand jury members, who
had ties to the mayor or the underworld, he started his own Citizen Independent
Vice Investigating Committee, or CIVIC. CIVIC's investigation revealed hundreds
of brothels and gambling houses, over a thousand bookie joints, and thousands
of slot machines. When the Grand Jury refused to publish, or even accept the
report, Clinton produced his own Minority Grand Jury Report. And it was
scathing. The report alleged that the District Attorney, Sheriff and Chief of
Police "work in complete harmony and never interfere with the activities
of the important figures in the underworld."
Retaliation
was swift. Clinton's real estate taxes were mysteriously increased. He was
denied a permit for a new cafeteria. And "slip and fall" and
"food poisoning" lawsuits started pouring in at Clinton's
establishments. And then things started getting violent.
In October
1937, a bomb exploded in the basement of Clinton's home in Los Feliz. Luckily,
no one was hurt. After the bombing, Clinton received a phone call saying that
this little "puff puff" was just a warning of worse to come if he
didn't "lay off."
A few months
later, a bomb exploded in the car of an ex-cop named Harry Raymond who was
doing his own investigation into corruption while also feeding information to
Clinton. Amazingly, Raymond survived even though he suffered over a hundred
shrapnel wounds. An LAPD Captain was implicated and later put on trial for the
bombing. During the trial, it was revealed that, in addition to planting a
bomb, the LAPD Captain was also running a secret spy squad that used wiretaps
to gather information on the mayor's opponents and other prominent Angelenos.
The LAPD Captain was convicted of the bombing and sentenced to 10 years in
prison. But more importantly, the corruption and spying done by the LAPD was
exposed to the public. After the mayor refused to fire the police chief,
Clinton and his allies launched a successful recall effort and sacked the
mayor. The new mayor, Fetcher Bowron, then pressured the chief of police as
well as the entire police commission to resign. It had been three years since
Clinton was asked to investigate corruption in the city's hospital. In that
time, Clinton not only helped topple the mayor and police chief, but he also
dealt a major blow to corruption and organized crime in L.A.
A World
Citizen
. But of course,
Clinton's commitment to his conscience did not stop there. A month after the
bombing of Pearl Harbor, Clinton, at the age of 41, enlisted in the army and
said he would "do anything" to serve his nation. He served as a
private and rose to first lieutenant as a mess officer. After the war, Clinton
ran for Mayor of Los Angeles, coming in second in a field of fifteen
candidates.
Clinton next
set his sights on world hunger. He asked Caltech biochemist Dr. Henry Borsook,
to develop a food supplement that would provide proper nutritional values while
costing no more than five cents per meal. Clinton offered his own money to
finance the research. This led to the development of Multi-Purpose Food (MPF),
a high-protein food supplement that could be made for just three cents per
meal. Clinton then created Meals for Millions, a not-for-profit organization,
which would go on to provide millions of MPF meals to people in over 60
countries around the world.
Clinton died
in 1969 at the age of 69. Clinton served the City of Los Angeles in so many ways
- as a colorful restaurateur, a political reformer, mayoral candidate, and the
founder of Meals for Millions. But Clinton considered this service part of his
debt to the city. He said: "Los Angeles has given me all that I have and I
am obligated to give Los Angeles everything that is in me."
As we celebrate the re-opening of one of Clinton's gifts to the city,
let us take a moment to remember the man whose commitment to his conscience
made Los Angeles a better city for us all.
September 14, 2015
KCET
By Robert
Petersen
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