James Harvey Brown

Lore & Background

Brown began his career as a chief radio operator at sea and later worked as a disc jockey at KFOX and KGER. He earned an engineering degree from UCLA and became chief engineer at KFAC and KGER, then master control supervisor for NBC in 1937. During World War II he served as a Navy lieutenant assigned to airborne radar design at MIT and other laboratories. After earning a law degree from Southwestern University School of Law, he served as both president and attorney for the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians.

In 1973, Brown returned to City Hall to oppose a request by Santa Monica Mountains homeowners to restrict amateur radio antennas on hillside rooftops. He argued that ham operators had provided vital communication links during disasters such as the Sylmar earthquake and floods. A city council committee rejected further control.

Brown was a charter member of the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters, the Society of Wireless Pioneers, and the Radio Club of America. He also served as vice chair of the California Democratic Party from 1948 to 1958 and was a Congregationalist.

Reader's Guide

Brown's significance lies in his dual career as a broadcast engineer and public official, combined with his lifelong commitment to amateur radio. As a ham operator (W6VH), he defended the rights of amateur radio operators against proposed antenna restrictions, citing their role in emergency communications during the Sylmar earthquake and floods. His engineering background—from sea-going radio operator to NBC master control supervisor and wartime radar designer—gave him technical credibility. On the bench, he presided over the preliminary hearing for eleven Black Panther Party members in 1969, calling their activities 'armed anarchy' and binding them over for trial. He also helped develop Dodger Stadium and Los Angeles International Airport during his council tenure. His legacy includes service as a charter member of three radio-related organizations and a career that spanned broadcasting, law, and civic leadership.

Did You Know?

• Brown was a chief radio operator at sea before becoming a disc jockey and chief engineer at Los Angeles radio stations.
• During World War II he was a Navy lieutenant working on airborne radar design at MIT.
• He was the first judge assigned to Los Angeles's first night traffic court in 1965.
• In 1973 he successfully fought a proposal to restrict amateur radio antennas in the Santa Monica Mountains.