Overview

"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 LA'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."""

Full Product Details

9798874780593

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

In a Los Angeles political career spanning four decades (City Council 1975-1994, County Board of Supervisors 1994-2014), Zev Yaroslavsky played a central role in shaping America's largest metropolis. Health care, transportation, arts and culture, the environment, and fiscal policy were his domain. He received an MA in history and a BA in economics and history, both from UCLA, where he currently teaches public policy and history. Josh Getlin is a former Los Angeles Times journalist who covered politics in Los Angeles and Washington DC, and was the paper's New York Bureau Chief. He has an MS from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and a BA in history from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Josh Getlin is a former Los Angeles Times journalist who covered politics in Los Angeles and Washington DC, and was the paper's New York Bureau Chief. He has an MS from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and a BA in history from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Graham Rowat is an award-winning narrator who has appeared in numerous television shows and stage productions. He has had roles on Broadway in Meteor Shower, Sunset Boulevard, Mamma Mia, Guys and Dolls, LoveMusik, Dracula, and Beauty and the Beast, and his Off-Broadway credits include The Blue Flower (Second Stage) and The Boys in the Band (Transport Group). Nationally, he has appeared in productions of White Christmas and Les Miserables, and his regional credits include Arsenic and Old Lace, Constellations (Berkshire Theatre Festival), and A Funny Thing . . . Forum (Two River Theater, Williamstown Theatre Festival). His television credits include Elementary and The Good Wife.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available