Does LA Need a Leader Beyond the City Limits?

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For the first time in local history, the Los Angeles City Clerk is not providing hourly updates on turnout for today-s mayoral election, so comparisons to 2001 won-t be possible until after the polls close at 8 o-clock. Predictions of another low turnout in a city where news coverage is minimal and apathy seems to prevail insure that two candidates out of the top five will be in a May 17 runoff. Yet even before the results are in, election day provides a moment to look at some interesting issues. Los Angeles City is only part of LA County. More than three times bigger, the County is run by five supervisors, whose divided authority makes them invisible, compared to the Mayor of LA. Why has the Mayor become the area-s most conspicuous elected official? We hear from Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who wants to change that, pollster Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California. Reporter-s Notebook: Is Los Angeles Moving to the Left? Los Angeles City and County governments were created more than a hundred years ago to serve a small rural population. The region's political history reflects the ongoing conflict between a business-oriented middle class and a -progressive- movement that began decades ago. Now, LA is one of the world-s great urban centers. Are voters willing to make some changes? We hear from Robert Gottlieb, a professor of urban environmental policy at Occidental College, and Republican political strategist Arnold Steinberg.
For the first time in local history, the Los Angeles City Clerk is not providing hourly updates on turnout for today-s mayoral election, so comparisons to 2001 won-t be possible until after the polls close at 8 o-clock. Predictions of another low turnout in a city where news coverage is minimal and apathy seems to prevail insure that two candidates out of the top five will be in a May 17 runoff. Yet even before the results are in, election day provides a moment to look at some interesting issues. Los Angeles City is only part of LA County. More than three times bigger, the County is run by five supervisors, whose divided authority makes them invisible, compared to the Mayor of LA. Why has the Mayor become the area-s most conspicuous elected official? We hear from Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who wants to change that, pollster Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute of California.
  • Reporter-s Notebook: Is Los Angeles Moving to the Left?
    Los Angeles City and County governments were created more than a hundred years ago to serve a small rural population. The region's political history reflects the ongoing conflict between a business-oriented middle class and a -progressive- movement that began decades ago. Now, LA is one of the world-s great urban centers. Are voters willing to make some changes? We hear from Robert Gottlieb, a professor of urban environmental policy at Occidental College, and Republican political strategist Arnold Steinberg.

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney

Producer:

Frances Anderton