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((Short description|American politician (1895–1970)))
((More citations needed|date=May 2011))
((Infobox officeholder
| image = File:William G. Bonelli, California State Department of Professional and Vocational Standards director, 1935.jpg
| caption  =Bonelli in 1935
| birth_date  = November 9, 1895
| birth_place = [[Kingman, Arizona|Kingman]], [[Arizona]], U.S.
| birth_name   = William George Bonelli
| death_date  = ((death date and age|1970|11|21|1895|11|9))
| death_place = [[Mexico]]
| state_assembly = California
| district       = [[California's 54th State Assembly district|54th]]
| term           = January 5, 1931 – January 2, 1933
| preceded       = [[Augustus F. Jewett Jr.]]
| succeeded      = [[Frank J. Rogers]]
| office1        = [[President of the Los Angeles City Council]]
| term1          = July 1, 1927 – June 30, 1929
| preceded1      = [[Boyle Workman]]
| succeeded1     = [[Winfred J. Sanborn]]
| occupation     = [[Politician]]
| alma_mater     = [[University of Southern California]]<br />[[Occidental College]]<br />[[Southwestern Law School]]
| spouse         =
| parents        =
| children       =
))

'''William George Bonelli''' (November 9, 1895 – November 21, 1970) was a California Republican politician and former member of the [[California State Board of Equalization]] who fled to Mexico to avoid arrest on a corruption indictment.

==Biography==
Son of a pioneer American family of Swiss-English descent, Bonelli was born in [[Kingman, Arizona]] and moved to [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] in 1912.  He entered the [[University of Southern California]] and received his bachelor of arts degree in 1916. He then served in the Aviation Section of the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] in 1918–19 and remained in the Reserve as a pilot until 1934.((Citation needed|date=September 2010))

Bonelli obtained his master of arts degree from [[Occidental College]] in 1923 and his [[Juris Doctor|law degree]] from [[Southwestern Law School]] in 1924; he was admitted to the California Bar in 1925.

He became a promoter of the Southern California aircraft industry and the [[Santa Clarita Valley]]. He purchased [[Hoot Gibson]]'s rodeo venue in 1937 in [[Saugus, California]] and ran rodeos until a quarter-mile [[dirt track racing|dirt track]] was built in 1939; it was later renamed Bonelli Ranch Stadium. It hosted a myriad of events showcasing [[midget car racing|midget cars]] and hot rods ([[Roadster (automobile)|roadsters]]). Later, the track was expanded to one-third mile. In 1954, the surface was paved and the name changed to [[Saugus Speedway]]. The paved track brought on the transition to [[stock car racing|stock car]]s, which was the primary format through 1995, when the track was closed.

Bonelli had two sons, Robert, of [[Phoenix, Arizona]],<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/166990532 "Whereabouts of Bonelli Is Puzzle to Son," ''Los Angeles Times,'' August 26, 1956, p. 6]</ref>  and William Jr. of [[Saugus, California]].<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/156959428 "Dr. W.G. Bonelli Jr., Veterinarian, Dies," ''Los Angeles Times,'' February 23, 1972, p. D-4]</ref> He died November 21, 1970, in Mexico.<ref name=StateToPress>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/156540402 "State to Press Suit Against Bonelli Estate," ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 25, 1970, p. B-2]</ref>

==Career==

===Academia===

He was associate professor of political science at [[Occidental College]] for seven years, until 1929.

===Los Angeles===

Bonelli was elected to represent [[Los Angeles City Council District 14]] in the May 1927 primary, winning the majority of votes over seven other candidates. He did not run for reelection in 1929, instead choosing to challenge [[John Clinton Porter|John C. Porter]] in the mayor's race, which Porter won.

The youngest member at age 36 and a newcomer on the incoming 1927 City Council, Bonelli was chosen for the position of [[Los Angeles City Council presidents|president of the council]] after it was determined that none of the other nominees — [[Charles J. Colden]]. [[Howard W. Davis]] and [[Frank L. Shaw]] — could attain a majority of votes. He was named on the 56th ballot of a council [[Caucus#In the United States|caucus]].<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/161963280 "New Council Takes Office," ''Los Angeles Times,'' July 1, 1927, p. A-1]</ref>

Bonelli, who was seen as an opponent of the [[George E. Cryer]] administration, declared in his inaugural address after being elected president that the council should "use its efforts to prevent the police department from being swayed from its duty by 'outside control.'"<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/161995298 "Bonelli Warns of Police Peril," ''Los Angeles Times,'' July 2, 1927, p. A-1]</ref><ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/162171896 "Porter or Bonelli for City's Next Mayor?" ''Los Angeles Times,'' May 26, 1929, p. B-1]</ref> Nevertheless, when Bonelli himself was running for mayor in 1929, he was criticized for sending an appeal for votes and an attack on Chief [[James E. Davis (police)|James E. Davis]] and the Police Commission in letters bearing his office title to two thousand members of the department.<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/162126259 "Bonelli Seeks Police Votes," ''Los Angeles Times,'' May 4, 1929, p. A-1]</ref><ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/162275211 "Bonelli and the Police," ''Los Angeles Times,'' May 5, 1929, p. B-4]</ref>

As a council member, he was a supporter of a $6 million [[bond issue]] that would develop a city-owned airport on any one of the three sites — Mines, Vail and Sesnon — then under consideration.<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/162043734 "Bonelli Defines Airport Issue," ''Los Angeles Times,'' April 16, 1928, p. A-9]</ref>

===Corruption===
[[File:A. Brigham Rose, William G. Bonelli, Carlos S. Hardy, and Merle Templeton at the liquor license bribe trial.jpg|thumb|Bonelli (second from left) with three others, during a break in his trial, ((circa|1939–40))]]
In 1931 he was elected to the [[California State Assembly]] from the 54th District, and from 1934 to 1938 was director of the State Department of Professional and Vocational Standards.
He was then appointed to the [[State Board of Equalization (California)|State Board of Equalization]], the state agency that approved  liquor licenses. Bonelli was [[indicted]] by a Los Angeles [[grand jury]] in November 1939, along with six others, on charges of soliciting bribes in a $10 million "annual liquor license pay-off scandal."<ref>[https://search.proquest.com/docview/165019156 "Bonelli Indicted in Liquor Pay-offs," ''Los Angeles Times,'' November 10, 1939, p. 1]</ref>

A series of articles in the ''[[Los Angeles Mirror]]'' in 1953 accused Bonelli of a long involvement in kickbacks on liquor licenses, bribery and criminal associations.((citation needed|date=June 2012))<ref>((cite news | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] | date = March 3, 2002 | title = Onetime 'Liquor Czar' Ended Life a Fugitive | author = Cecilia Rasmussen | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-mar-03-me-then3-story.html))</ref>

Bonelli hired journalist [[Leo Katcher]] to ghost-write ''Billion Dollar Blackjack: The Story of Corruption and the Los Angeles Times'' (1954), in which Bonelli, as the ostensible author, defended himself and attacked the Chandlers. He also sued the ''Mirror'' for $1.15. million for libel; it had run front-page stories calling him the Liquor Czar. Facing an impending [[grand jury]] indictment, Bonelli found exile in [[Mexico]] where he spent the rest of his life. He tried numerous times to have the court case moved from [[Los Angeles County, California|Los Angeles County]] to [[San Diego County, California|San Diego County]] because he said he could never get a fair trial in Los Angeles County because it was under the control of the ''Times''.<ref>[https://articles.latimes.com/2002/mar/03/local/me-then3/2 Onetime 'Liquor Czar' Ended Life a Fugitive], by Cecilia Rasmussen, ''Los Angeles Times'' (March 3, 2002)</ref><ref>((cite news | publisher = scvhistory.com | date = November 10, 1939 | title = Bill Bonelli Indicted on Bribery Charges by Grand Jury | author = Los Angeles Times | url =  https://scvhistory.com/scvhistory/lat19391110bonelli.htm))</ref>

He had a running battle with the [[Los Angeles Police Department]] and [[Harrison Gray Otis (publisher)|Harrison Gray Otis]]'s and Harry and [[Norman Chandler]]'s ''Times'' — which he likened to "a black-jack, a bludgeon, a weapon to be used in behalf of their friends and against their enemies." In his book he accused the ''Times'' of all manner of malfeasance, from king-making and [[union busting]] to subverting laws, violating civil rights and "aligning class against class, race against race, in an attempt to make bigger profits for themselves."((citation needed|date=June 2012))

He died a fugitive in Mexico on November 24, 1970.<ref name=StateToPress/>

==References==

''Access to the ''Los Angeles Times'' links requires the use of a library card.''

((Reflist))

==External links==
* ((Cite web|url=http://www.joincalifornia.com/candidate/263 |title=JoinCalifornia – William G. Bonelli |publisher=JoinCalifornia |accessdate=2008-10-31))
* ((find a Grave|55847689))
* [http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002dbg2b Portrait of William G. Bonelli, California State Department of Professional and Vocational Standards director, 1935.] [[Los Angeles Times]] Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, [[Charles E. Young Research Library]], [[University of California, Los Angeles]].
----
((s-start))
((succession box | before = [[Isaac Colton Ash]] | title = [[Los Angeles City Council]]<br>[[Los Angeles City Council District 14|14th District]] | years = 1927–1929| after = [[Charles A. Holland]]))
((succession box | before = [[Boyle Workman]] | title = [[President of the Los Angeles City Council]] | years = 1927-1929 | after = [[Winfred J. Sanborn]]))
((s-end))
((S-start))
((S-off))
((Succession box|title=[[California State Assembly]]<br>[[California's 54th State Assembly district|54th District]] |before=[[Augustus F. Jewett, Jr.]]|after=[[Frank J. Rogers]] |years=January 5, 1931 – January 2, 1933 ))
((S-end))

((Authority control))

((DEFAULTSORT:Bonelli, William G.))
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1970 deaths]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the California State Assembly]]
[[Category:University of Southern California alumni]]
[[Category:Occidental College alumni]]
[[Category:California lawyers]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Los Angeles City Council]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:California politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I]]
[[Category:People from Kingman, Arizona]]
[[Category:20th-century American legislators]]
[[Category:People from Saugus, Santa Clarita, California]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:Military personnel from California]]
[[Category:American expatriates in Mexico]]
[[Category:20th-century California politicians]]

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