When Hollywood gadfly and anti-corruption activist John Walsh died in early 2019, Los Angeles City Council showed its contempt for the man by adjourning in his honor—knowing, no doubt that he had asked that this never happen, for “even in death, I would consider it an eternal insult to have my name associated with the L.A. City Council.”

John Walsh lived long enough to see the FBI raid City Hall, but not long enough to see the results of that raid.

Long unavailable due to complicated anti-competition matters between various defunct Los Angeles free weeklies, here is Susan Goldsmith’s legendary 1998 New Times feature story about John’s extraordinary work rooting out corruption in the Los Angeles subway project, “The Freak Who Stopped The Subway.”

In memory of John Walsh, with thanks from other Angelenos who care.