“I Trust Them to Get it Right:” The Power of Unrestricted Support

Over the course of a long and varied career, James Frank has worn many hats: lawyer, municipal court judge, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) reserve officer. These days, with a generous seven-figure donation to The Fund for Cedars-Sinai, he is leaning into another of his numerous identities: community philanthropist.

The support James and his family have offered Cedars-Sinai stretches back decades. His parents were friends with prominent art collector Marcia Weisman—a founder of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art—who inspired them to start an art collection of their own and donate works to benefit Cedars-Sinai. In the 1980s, they gave the medical center a number of Lucite columns created by renowned acrylic sculptor Vasa Mihich. As the years passed, James’ relationship with Cedars-Sinai only deepened.

“My goal was always to make Cedars-Sinai a little brighter for patients, and that included me: Between numerous spinal repairs, knee replacements and other procedures, I’ve had a total of 16 surgeries, most of them at Cedars-Sinai,” he said. “I think it helps the healing to be in a beautiful environment.”

Building a successful legal practice gave James the resources to fulfill his philanthropic goals. “As a lawyer and a judge, you meet a lot of people, and I made numerous friends in law enforcement. They piqued my interest in a career shift, so I went to the police academy and got a job as a reserve officer in the LAPD’s Wilshire Division, which is actually where Cedars-Sinai is located,” James said. “I found myself at the medical center many times conducting subject interviews.”

In fact, Cedars-Sinai has been a common denominator throughout his life.

“No matter what I’ve done or where I’ve gone, Cedars-Sinai has been on my radar, and today I’m proud to be stepping up my giving to a new level,” James said.

He has done so with a significant gift that empowers Cedars-Sinai to address the most pressing health needs in our community.

“I don’t have the medical background to know where my money will do the most good, so I’m letting the expert staff at Cedars-Sinai put it to the best use,” he said. “It’s an excellent hospital with exceptional care, and I trust them to get it right.”