Eric Preven, one of Los Angeles County’s most prominent citizen watchdogs, has died at age 63, according to his family.
Previn is a well-known advocate for government transparency, known as a keen observer of local meetings, a savvy user of state public records laws and a reliable thorn in the government’s side.
Relatives said Previn died of a suspected heart attack at his home in Studio City on Saturday.
The word “gadfly” is often used to describe local government, to describe those who never miss a public meeting. But politicians and his family say the word doesn’t do “prevention” justice.
“You may not agree with him, but it’s not just [he was] Shot from the hip. “He’s going to do his research,” said supervisor Kathryn Barger, who has watched Previn testify for more than a decade. “He’s going to let the facts speak for themselves.”
In 2016, Previn and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California filed a lawsuit all the way to the California Supreme Court. A ruling was made in his favor, Finds the public has a right to know how much the county pays outside attorneys in closed cases. Three years later, he succeeded in forcing the city expand its rules The public testimony comes after he argued he was illegally barred from the Studio City development project.
Many people who attend local public meetings tend to engage in offensive diatribes that have nothing to do with the issue at hand. Previn never did this.
Instead, he fine-tuned the art of making minute-long logical arguments on everything from budget shortfalls to seemingly exorbitant settlements. He may cut back a bit, but he always has a point to make.
And he never missed a meeting.
“Thank you for giving the probation department such an exhausting lecture,” Previn said last Tuesday, after supervisors concluded a rebuke of officers for trivial programming inside juvenile hall. “The thought that we pay for these programs, that are scheduled and nothing happens, is horrific.”
Previn is a New Yorker who moved to Los Angeles to work in Hollywood and then landed in television. writing gig In shows like “Pop” and “Reba”. His local activities began 15 years ago when his mother’s two chocolate labs were torn down by the county animal control department after a fight with an off-leash dog, according to his family.
Previn, a dog lover known for hosting parties with members of local dog parks, believes the demolition of the lab is unjustified. He went to the supervisory board meeting and told them that. Then he went again. here we go again. here we go again.
Long after the dog returned, Previn kept going back.
“He started listening to the meeting and looking at the agenda, and he was shocked by how much he saw,” said his brother, Joshua Preven. “He was very angry about it.”
Previn is a strong advocate for the public’s right to know what’s going on at local meetings and to keep an eye on staff changes at City Hall. He has been known to text local government reporters on weekend mornings asking why people are resigning from city agencies, or self-deprecatingly share his latest blog posts on local news site CityWatch.
“I’ve been deep into my belly button lately,” he texted two weeks ago, alongside a new article about the famed architect behind his building. historic home Located in the foothills of Studio City.
He often sends weekly emails to Times editors and reporters outlining the successes and shortcomings of their reporting. Politicians and officials in the county have received similar messages about their governance.
“He could be violent,” his brother said. “His stubbornness was put to good use when he came to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.”
Previn is a staunch user of the California Public Records Act, uncovering valuable records buried in institutions that rarely receive scrutiny. Dawyn Harrison, the county’s chief attorney, said he filed so many records requests with Animal Care and Control that the county assigned an attorney to handle them.
“Eric is the epitome of an engaged constituent and critic of local government who constantly questions and challenges government officials,” Harrison said. “As his interest in county government grew, so did the scope of his requests; as a result, my office spread out the processing of his requests because no one person could cover all the topics he examined. He was a true watchdog.”
Supervisor Janice Hahn said she has been scrutinizing Previn and her colleagues since she became alderman.
“Eric Previn never let those in power in government forget who we worked for. … He pushed us, challenged us, and had a perspective on everything — from the biggest issues of the day to routine contract votes that were often overlooked,” she said. “Although some people didn’t believe him, I thought there was always a point to what he said.”
Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, whose district includes parts of Studio City, said he “takes his role as a citizen seriously and attends county meetings religiously.”
In addition to his brother, Previn leaves behind a sister, Anne Previn, a mother, Ruth Previn, a father, David Previn, and two children, Isaac Rooks Previn, 28, and Reva Jay Previn, 26.
Previn has run for public office multiple times, running unique campaigns for mayor, city council and county supervisor. His brother, who served as his campaign manager, said he raised virtually no money and was not allowed to participate in many debates.
“We had no idea what the hell we were doing,” Joshua Previn said. “But he kept showing up.”
Times reporters Dakota Smith and David Zanicer contributed to this report.
