Los Angeles City Councilman. Ferraro attended Bell High School, where his excellence on the football field led to a scholarship at the University of Southern California. Standing 6 feet 5 inches, he earned the nickname 'Big John' and was named an All-American in 1944 and 1947. He played in three Rose Bowls and three decades later, was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. During World War II, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve, serving on a tanker with Warren Christopher, who sparked Ferraro's interest in politics during long early-morning discussions when they were stationed in the Bay Area. After the war, Ferraro finished college and with a degree in business administration from USC, established a lucrative insurance business in Los Angeles. Through shrewd real estate and stock investments, he became a millionaire, but maintained an interest in politics. He served on the Police Commission for 13 years, starting in 1953 and in 1966, was appointed by Mayor Sam Yorty to fill a vacancy on the City Council created by the death of Councilman Harold A. Henry for the 4th Council District. When he joined the City Council, City Hall carpenters had to remove the top drawer of his desk so he could fit his legs underneath. The next year he ran for election and won his first four-year term and would go on to be re-elected 9 more times. A politician who often was awkward under the spotlight, Ferraro was more skillful as a behind-the-scenes deal maker, he built a reputation as a peacemaker, soothing relations on and off the frequently fractious body. He was pivotal in the private negotiations that finally nudged a defiant Daryl F. Gates out of the police chief's office in 1992, two months after the riots and a year after the police beating of Rodney King ignited calls for the chief's resignation. Ferraro was a strong supporter of rent control and limits on condominium conversions. In 1982, he wrote the legislation that created permanent rent controls in Los Angeles and ended a standoff between tenant and landlord groups. He played a major role in bringing the Olympics to Los Angeles, serving on early committees that were trying to attract the Games. Working closely with Mayor Tom Bradley, he kept arguing for the viability of the 1984 Games, the first to make the host committee responsible for all costs. He also played a key role in bringing the Democratic National Convention to Los Angeles in 2000 and spurred the renovation of the Los Angeles Zoo. Ferraro was president of the City Council at the time of his death from cancer. The Council Chambers are named in his honor as is the John Ferraro building on Hope street, formerly the Dept. of Water and Power.