SRO for Robertson *

They filled up the council chambers this morning for Bill Roberston, the former head of the county Federation of Labor who died in December. Martin Ludlow, the fed's current chief, presided. Mayor Villaraigosa and former governor Jerry Brown spoke, as did Rep. Maxine Waters and council president Eric Garcetti. Reception followed at the home of Mrs. Robertson. More to come...

As promised, from sources: Other speakers included former mayor Jim Hahn, Rep. Howard Berman, Supervisor Yvonne Burke; federal judges Harry Pregerson and Stephen Reinhardt (and his wife Ramona Ripston of the ACLU), Rev. Chip Murray, Assemblywoman Carol Liu and her husband Mike Peevey. Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis sent a video tribute and messages were read from Walter Mondale and Ted Kennedy. Reinhardt told a story about watching a crucial football game on TV with Robertson when the phone rang. While Robertson cursed, Reinhardt mused aloud that only Jerry Brown would not be watching such an important game. The caller was Brown.

Also attending, among others: former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley; Rep. Brad Sherman, Sen. Richard Alarcon; Assembly members Jerome Horton, Paul Koretz, Cindy Montanez and Mark Ridley-Thomas; Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, City Council members Alex Padilla, Wendy Greuel, Bill Rosendahl and Jan Perry and former members Mike Feuer, Joy Picus, Robert Farrell and Nate Holden; former Attorney General John Van de Kamp; ex-Assemblyman Rod Wright; local political figures Tim McOsker, Bill Elkins, Joe Cerrell, Peter Kelly, Emma Schafer, Dan Weinstein, Dominick Rubalcava, Alan Arkatov, Lou and Kathy Moret, Chuck Winner and Jaime Regalado; and labor officials Maria Elena Durazo, Julie Butcher and Dave Sickler. Journalists on hand included Linda Breakstone (recently departed from KCAL-KCBS), the LAT's Steve Hymon and Henry Weinstein, retired Times reporter Ken Reich and Rob Greene of the LA Weekly.

A reception on the City Hall steps followed, before the more private gathering at the home. Jim Winstead, who was on a Los Angeles Conservancy walking tour of City Hall, snapped the photo before the event began and posted it on Flickr along with some beautiful shots of building details.

* Sunday: LAT story by Weinstein, Ken Reich blog item including gossip that Times staffer Joe Mathews will get the labor beat when he returns from book leave.