Guest Editorial

By Martha Welborne,

Faia

Dick Riordan, risk-taker

Since the death of our former mayor, much has been said about how he successfully led the city through crises. While that was certainly true, Dick Riordan also was noteworthy in areas where he was willing to take a risk on a good idea and trust his team to carry it out.

I was fortunate to be involved with him on two such initiatives. First, when I was envisioning the Metro Rapid system (the red articulated buses), I convinced Mayor Riordan to come with me to Curitiba, Brazil in 1999 to see the bus system that officials there had built because they could not afford a subway. Within two years of that trip, Metro had several successful demonstration lines up and running in Los Angeles and now has hundreds of miles in operation.

Then, in 2000, with construction underway on the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Riordan’s friend Eli Broad persuaded the mayor to collaborate with the County to develop the parking lots that then surrounded the Hall, a collaboration they had me manage for the next 11 years. Today, with many thanks due to Dick Riordan, we have the Gloria Molina Grand Park, The Broad Museum, the Conrad Los Angeles hotel, and 707 residential units in The Emerson and The Grand, 20 percent of which are low income.

Dick Riordan was willing to take on ideas others might have thought impossible or foolish. He also was a lot of fun to work with.

GWNC Voting April 30

On Sunday, April 30, 2023 , the Greater Wilshire community will elect 21 board members and 21 alternates for two-year terms on the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council (GWNC).

We have five Hancock Park residents running in the election this year. All of them would really appreciate your votes. (For each seat, both a board member and an alternate are elected.) Voting in this election enables you to have a critical voice in super-local government. Every vote matters, as many people do not bother to vote in Neighborhood Council elections. The GWNC plays an important role in calling attention to local issues; having adequate effective representation for our neighborhood has proven to be very helpful in accomplishing our neighborhoods priorities.

Please consider a vote for the following HP candidates:

• Cindy Chvatal-Keane is running for the At-Large seat.

• Jennifer DeVore and David Trainer are running for the Area 5 seat.

• Mark Alpers is running for the Special Interest - Other Nonprofit seat.

• Benny Rosenberg is running for the Special InterestReligion seat.

Who is Eligible To Vote in the GWNC Election:

Stakeholders — like all Hancock Park residents — who live, work, or own property in the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council area can cast up to two votes:

1. One vote for a Geographic Area board seat (Area 5)

2. One vote for a Special Interest seat or the At-Large seat. Other stakeholders, i.e., those who declare an interest in the neighborhood (but do not live, work or own property) can only cast one vote for the At-Large seat.

To vote in the election, you will be required to present a drivers license (or any other picture ID with age and address) to show eligibility to vote for all board seats, including AtLarge. In addition, for the Special Interest seats (Other Nonprofit, Religion, etc.) you will be required to provide one additional piece of evidence to support your eligibility as part of that constituency.

Vote in person on Sunday, April 30, at The Barking Lot, 336 N. Larchmont Blvd, from 10 AM to 4 PM.

Please bring your specified IDs to register on the spot. Check the document on the City Elections site for specific examples of acceptable credentials (tinyurl.com/9dyxykyd).

Please email any questions to Jen Devore at JenDeVore@ gmail.com or Cindy Chvatal-Keane at snorekel@gmail.com.