Zev's Los Angeles : from Boyle Heights to the halls of power, a political memoir

This is the story of Zev Yaroslavsky, a young social activist, who became one of Los Angeles’ most powerful and consequential elected officials, taking on established power brokers and sparking major reforms in policing, transit, land use and fiscal policies. “I may be a part of the establishment,” he said when first sworn into office, “but the establishment is not part of me.” A LA Times Bestseller "...[A] compelling history of our city's last half century, as conveyed through the life of one of our most impactful leaders. ..." — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass This is the story of Zev Yaroslavsky, the son of Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to the United States in the early 1920s. His memoir charts the journey of a young social activist who battled to free Soviet Jews before becoming one of the most consequential elected officials in Southern California. Fiercely independent, he combined an activist's passion with a seasoned politician's skill to challenge the region's power brokers. He fought the Los Angeles Police Department's excessive force and political spying policies, led the effort to ban local taxes from funding the 1984 Olympics, teamed with President Clinton to avert a catastrophic county bankruptcy, helped develop L.A.'s modern transit system, won a bruising battle with real estate interests to save the Santa Monica Mountains from rapacious development, and was pivotal in the development of Walt Disney Concert Hall and the modernization of the iconic Hollywood Bowl. "I may be part of the establishment," he said on the day he was first sworn into office, "but the establishment is not part of me." "This is the story of Zev Yaroslavsky, the son of Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to the United States in the early 1920s. His memoir charts the journey of a young social activist who battled to free Soviet Jews before becoming one of the most consequential elected officials in Southern California. Fiercely independent, he combined an activist's passion with a seasoned politician's skill to challenge the region's power brokers. He fought the Los Angeles Police Department's excessive force and political spying policies, led the effort to ban local taxes from funding the 1984 Olympics, teamed with President Clinton to avert a catastrophic county bankruptcy, helped develop L.A.'s modern transit system, won a bruising battle with real estate interests to save the Santa Monica Mountains from rapacious development, and was pivotal in the development of Walt Disney Concert Hall and the modernization of the iconic Hollywood Bowl. "I may be part of the establishment," he said on the day he was first sworn into office, "but the establishment is not part of me."-- Provided by publisher Contents 5 “I Will Love You Forever, if You Let Me”: A Dedication to Barbara Edelston Yaroslavsky (1947–2018) 7 Introduction 11 1. Roots of a Legacy: Shimon Soloveichik 17 2. My Parents: Minna and David 28 3. The Sandman Awakens 40 4. Coming of Age 53 5. The Walls Have Ears 64 6. “Why Zev?” 83 7. Be Indispensable to Your Constituents 101 8. The Taxpayer and Renter Revolt 120 9. The Untold Story of the 1984 Olympics 133 10. Taking on the LAPD 144 11. Big Money and the Battle to Preserve Neighborhoods 160 12. The Mayor’s Race That Never Was 175 13. Sudden Change 192 14. Designed Not to Govern 213 15. The Crisis That Nearly Bankrupted the County 221 16. The Transit Revolution 239 17. Arts and Culture: Los Angeles’ Golden Age 255 18. God Isn’t Making Mountains Anymore 273 19. Confronting the Homeless Crisis 291 20. Tragedy and Resurrection at MLK Hospital 302 21. Every Cause Needs a Champion 311 22. Witness to History 325 23. Who Could Have Imagined? 340 Epilogue 344 Acknowledgments 346 Source Endnotes 348 Index 354