Zev’s Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power - Zev Yaroslavsky

Zev’s Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power has earned praise from Mayor Karen Bass, who called it a “compelling history of our city’s last half century, as conveyed through the life of one of our most impactful leaders. …” And from U.S. Senator Alex Padilla who called it “an uplifting and inspiring journey of personal faith, public service, and the shaping of Los Angeles.”

The book is the story of Zev Yaroslavsky, the son of Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to the United States 100 years ago. Fiercely independent, he combined an activist’s passion with a seasoned politician’s skill to challenge the region’s power brokers. He fought the L.A.P.D.’s excessive force and political intelligence gathering 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,” Zev said on the day he was first sworn into office, “but the establishment is not part of me.”

About the Speaker: Zev Yaroslavsky served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 to 1994, and on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1994-2014.  In a 40 year public service career, he was at the forefront of many of the major issues facing the city and county, including transportation, the environment, land use, health care, and cultural arts.  He is currently the Director of the Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and the Department of History, focusing on the intersection of policy, politics and history. He is also affiliated with the National Democratic Institute in Washington, D.C. engaging in election observation and democratization projects in new and emerging democracies.

Zev’s Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power. A Political Memoir
The Schonfeld Collection Program Series

Zev Yaroslavsky (UCLA) 
Moderator: Caroline Luce (UCLA)

Sponsored by The UCLA Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies

Cosponsored by the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy