Kevin James (broadcaster)
{{short description|American broadcaster and politician}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Kevin James
| image = Kevin James, 2013.jpg
| caption = James in 2013
| office = President, Los Angeles Board of Public Works{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/13/kevin-james-board-of-public-works_n_3591425.html| title=Kevin James, Board Of Public Works Commissioner, Accepts Post By Former Rival And New Mayor Eric Garcetti| work=Huffington Post| date=2013-07-13}}
| term_start = July 1, 2013
| term_end = December 12, 2022
| office1 = Director, Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Film and Television
| term_start1 = March 2015
| term_end1 = December 12, 2022
| predecessor =
| successor =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1963}}
| birth_place =
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| nationality = American
| party = Democratic (until 2002; 2019–present){{cite news|url=https://medium.com/@heykevinjames/making-the-switch-from-republican-to-democrat-9ca654925d78|title=Making the Switch from Republican to Democrat |last=James|first=Kevin|date=1 July 2019|work=Medium|accessdate=3 July 2019}}
| otherparty = Republican (2007–2019)
Independent (2002–2007)
| spouse =
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| residence = Los Angeles, California
| alma_mater = University of Oklahoma
University of Houston Law Center
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}}
Kevin Lee James (born 1963) is an American radio host and political commentator, focused on local and national politics. He was a candidate in the 2013 Los Angeles mayoral election and a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for Southern California. His program aired on KRLA AM 870 in Los Angeles between 12 a.m. and 3 a.m. on weekdays.
He was appointed by Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti as President of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works, in 2013. James continues to serve in that role and as Director of the Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Film and Television since 2015.
Early life
James earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Oklahoma where he was a President's Leadership Scholar and attended the University of Houston Law Center.{{cite news| url=http://krla.townhall.com/pages/KEVINJAMES| title=Kevin James Biography| publisher=KRLA| year=2008| accessdate=2008-05-17| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080721041005/http://krla.townhall.com/pages/KEVINJAMES| archivedate=2008-07-21}} He is a member of the California State Bar.{{cite web|author=The State Bar of California |url=http://members.calbar.ca.gov/search/member_detail.aspx?x=137156 |title=California Bar Membership |publisher=Members.calbar.ca.gov |date= |accessdate=2013-12-03}}
Career
=Assistant U.S. Attorney=
James worked for three years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, prosecuting federal crimes. During his tenure as assistant U.S. Attorney, James received the Director's Award for Superior Performance. He also worked for more than 20 years in private practice, representing entertainment industry clients.
=Talk show host=
After several years as a guest and substitute host for talk radio programs in Los Angeles, James worked as the morning drive host on KTOK AM 1000 in Oklahoma City in 2004. In 2005, James became the host of Red Eye Radio, an overnight (1 a.m. to 5 a.m.) call-in program on KABC (AM) 790 in Los Angeles.[http://www.kabc.com/listingsEntry.asp?ID=307339&PT=Press+Releases "Kevin James Named New Host of Talkradio 790 KABC's Red Eye Radio"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928142650/http://www.kabc.com/listingsEntry.asp?ID=307339&PT=Press+Releases |date=2007-09-28 }}, KABC March 3, 2005 press release He focused on both local and national issues. Over Memorial Day Weekend 2007, James began hosting The Kevin James Show on KRLA AM 870 in Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=http://www.krla870.com/subpage.asp?StationId=KRLA-AM&PageNo=35 |title=KRLA Website |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704135452/http://www.krla870.com/subpage.asp?StationId=KRLA-AM&PageNo=35 |archivedate=July 4, 2007 }}{{cite web |url=http://townhall.com/talkradio/show.aspx?radioshowid=34 |title=The Kevin James Show |publisher=Townhall.com |date=2013-11-18 |accessdate=2013-12-03 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
James also appears as a guest commentator on television news programs. He was a regular on Court TV’s now-cancelled Catherine Crier Live and has appeared numerous times on Hardball with Chris Matthews.[https://web.archive.org/web/20130129090138/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/] In this NBC News video, host Chris Matthews ends the segment by stating that James won the debate regarding the negative political impact of Barack Obama's affiliation with Rev. Jeremiah Wright
In 2010 James announced a neighborhood council tour in which he would visit over 45 neighborhood councils all across Los Angeles, taking their issues of concern directly to the airwaves.{{Cite web |url=http://teamkevinjames.com/schedule.php |title=Neighborhood Council Tour |access-date=2011-03-09 |archive-date=2010-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105154311/http://www.teamkevinjames.com/schedule.php |url-status=dead }} He launched TeamKevinJames, a website for his listener audience to follow his neighborhood council tour schedule and other local activity, learn his issues of top concern and communicate with him regularly. Since 2010 James has been supportive and involved with LA Clean Sweep, a non-partisan grassroots citywide coalition of community groups and activists working for change at City Hall in Los Angeles.{{cite web |url=http://www.lacleansweep.org/ |title=L.A. Cleansweep |publisher=L.A. Cleansweep |date= |accessdate=2013-12-03 |archive-date=2013-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208055712/http://www.lacleansweep.org/ |url-status=dead }}
Political career
= 2013 Los Angeles mayoral run =
{{further|2013 Los Angeles mayoral election}}
James was a candidate for the 2013 Los Angeles mayoral election. James's campaign focused on fiscal accountability and transparency, including delegating power to the neighborhood councils and reducing business taxation.{{cite web |url=http://www.kevinjamesformayor.com/issues.php |title=Kevin on City Issues|publisher=Kevin James for Mayor 2013 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}} To further support his campaign focus in regards to transparency, James reminded Angelenos of a recent controversy which took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.{{cite web |first=Jon |last=Regardie |url=http://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/kevin-james-is-the-man-who-would-be-king/article_ca4742b8-b73a-11e1-98fe-001a4bcf887a.html |title=Kevin James is the Man Who Would be King |publisher=Los Angeles Downtown News |work=The Regardie Report |date=June 18, 2012 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}} He would have been the first openly gay mayor of Los Angeles.{{cite web |url=http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/03/kevin_james_los_angeles_mayora.php |title=Kevin James Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Reconfirms He's A Gay Republican |last=Macdonald |first=Patrick Range |publisher=LA Weekly |work="The Informer" blog |date=March 23, 2011 |accessdate=March 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007231425/http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/03/kevin_james_los_angeles_mayora.php |archive-date=October 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }} He finished third in the mayoral race held on March 5, 2013, in which only the top two candidates advanced to a runoff election.{{cite web |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/la-votes-dismal-turnout-puts-greuel-and-garcetti-in-mayoral-runoff-sales-tax-bombs.html |title=L.A. Votes: Dismal turnout puts Greuel and Garcetti in mayoral runoff, sales tax bombs |publisher=Los Angeles Times |work="L.A. Now" blog |last=Mehta |first=Seema |date=March 6, 2013 |accessdate=March 6, 2013}}
= President of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works =
In July 2013, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appointed his one-time mayoral rival Kevin James to a key City Hall position, giving him a job as a commissioner on the Board of Public Works.{{Cite web|title = Garcetti Appoints Former Rival|url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/13/kevin-james-board-of-public-works_n_3591425.html|website = The Huffington Post| date=13 July 2013 |accessdate = 2015-10-26}} James, who decried City Hall corruption and incompetence during his bid for Los Angeles mayor earlier in the year, said he would focus on street improvements and sidewalks in his new position. The commissioners meet three times a week at City Hall and serve collectively as the general managers of the Department of Public Works, which oversees city services such as lighting, beautification and street services. James was then chosen unanimously to preside over the powerful five-member board as president.{{Cite news|title = Kevin James elected president of L.A. Board of Public Works|url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2013-jul-31-la-me-ln-kevin-james-board-president-20130731-story.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130913213027/http://articles.latimes.com/2013/jul/31/local/la-me-ln-kevin-james-board-president-20130731|url-status = live|archive-date = September 13, 2013|newspaper = Los Angeles Times|date = 2013-07-31|access-date = 2015-10-26|issn = 0458-3035|language = en|first = David|last = Zahniser}}
= Director of the Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Film and Television =
In March 2015, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti named Kevin James to the post of chief film liaison.{{Cite web|title = Kevin James Named L.A. Chief Film Liaison|url = https://variety.com/2015/biz/news/kevin-james-named-la-chief-film-liaison-1201446442/|website = Variety| date=4 March 2015 |accessdate = 2015-10-26|language = en}} James continues to serve in his role as President of the Board of Public Works, and is also now the City Hall point person on film and TV production. James is openly gay.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080721041005/http://krla.townhall.com/pages/KEVINJAMES Kevin James] on KRLA
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20151018094244/http://bpw.lacity.org/Bio-Kevin-James.html Los Angeles Board of Public Works]
{{portal bar|Politics|United States}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Kevin}}
Category:American talk radio hosts
Category:American political commentators
Category:University of Houston alumni
Category:University of Oklahoma alumni
Category:American gay politicians
Category:American LGBTQ broadcasters