J. C. Barthel

By 1914, Barthel had become the commissioner of supplies of Venice, California, which at that time was an independent city. He spoke before the Pomona, California, City Council on June 19 of that year on Venice's practice of burning garbage in an incinerator "which is supplied with a patent draft device for economical operation." He said the residue "makes a fine sub-structure for good road building in street improvements, being . . . more desirable and durable than rock."[14]

Barthel was appointed postmaster in Venice by Democratic President Woodrow Wilson, serving from 1915 to 1924, and he was active in Democratic politics in 1916. He was ousted in 1924 in the Republican Calvin Coolidge administration, being replaced by Clyde W. Holbrook.[15][16] Just a few months later, though, he was secretary and campaign manager for Coolidge in the Beach Cities area[17] and remained active in Republican politics.

Barthel made his first run for the Los Angeles City Council in 1927, when the beach area was a part of Los Angeles City Council District 3. He finished fifth in a field of eight. In 1929, though, the beach area was placed in the 11th District, and Barthel defeated a challenge by former Councilman Lester R. Rice-Wray by a vote of 11,410 to 6,637, to win the race. His bid for reelection in 1931 failed with the victory of Clarence E. Coe, who had 5,450 votes to 4,444 for Charles W. Dempster (both nominated in the primary) and 3,621 for Barthel (who ran in the final as a write-in). He ran again in the 11th District in 1933, placing last in a field of nine, and in 1937, where he again finished last — third in a field of three, and in 1939 where he once more finished last, among five candidates.

In 1930, he ran unsuccessfully for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in the 4th District.[18]

In January 1930, Barthel and seven other council members who had voted in favor of granting a rock-crushing permit in the Santa Monica Mountains were unsuccessfully targeted for recall on the grounds that the eight

have conspired with . . . Alphonzo Bell, Samuel Traylor and Chapin A. Day, all multi-millionaires, to grant this group a special spot zoning permit to crush and ship . . . from the high-class residential section of Santa Monica, limestone and rock for cement.[19]

In February 1930, Barthel introduced a motion that would have required the City Council to issue drilling permits in the Venice oil district to "any and all requests" because "Venice people are capable of effecting their own contracts." The motion came as the result of a move by the council to place strict requirements on the oil-drilling companies, "whereby the municipality receives a royalty of the oil in proportion to the extent of land covered by public streets and alleys."[20] The Times reported that

Several days ago it was discovered that one of the applicants [for an oil-drilling permit] is Mrs. Barthel under her maiden name of Harriet Cleveland.[20]

As the council debated the Venice oil district proposal during the next sessions, Barthel studiously avoided debate on the issue, absenting himself from the council chambers when the votes were held.[21]

It was reported in May 1930 that Barthel was among the City Council members who were taking free gasoline from L.A. police stations — in Barthel's case "as much as 300 gallons per month from the Wilshire station." He said he had permission to do so.[22]

Barthel was among six council members who in May 1930 unsuccessfully opposed allocating funds to make a study of lowering the height of Bunker Hill, "which stands as a hindrance to traffic and a bar to development in the northwestern downtown territory."[23]