Antonio Villaraigosa Part 1

08/30/20 • 80 min

Has anyone lived a more quintessentially Los Angeles life than Antonio Villaraigosa? From high school dropout to labor leader to, eventually, Speaker of the California State Assembly and Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio's journey is both unlikely and fascinating.
You may be somewhat familiar with his story, but you've never heard him tell it like this. Take a deep dive into his rough and tumble childhood, his close relationship with his mother, a very important relationship with his high school mentor, and how he almost stumbled into life as an elected official.
This is part 1 of a two part episode - the more personal part. Intimate and unexpected, you'll learn things you didn't know about one of this city's most iconic figures.

Previous Episode

Carol Schatz

The 24/7 Downtown Los Angeles we know now didn't happen by accident. And it didn't happen without a lot of hard work. And one of the hardest workers and most consequential leaders who helped make that happen was Carol Schatz - now widely recognized as the unofficial "Queen of Downtown". As the longtime head of the Central City Association, Carol helped make sure that Staples Center actually faced *towards* Downtown. She helped pass the policies that allowed for the conversion of older buildings to condos and apartments. She even fought for real nightlife options (putting the "24" in 24/7). For all that and more, Carol is arguably on the Mount Rushmore of the new Downtown LA.
But for everything people know about Carol, there's a lot that they probably don't. Like the fact that she majored in "Revolution" at UC Berkeley. Or that she was smack in the middle of the savings and loan crisis of the 80s. Or that she was actually passed over for the CEO role at CCA two times - because nobody could imagine giving it to a woman - before finally getting the job, with an assist from Mayor Riordan.
How did Downtown happen? Listen to this episode to find out.

Next Episode

Cedd Moses/Pedro Shanahan

Cedd Moses has been many things, from horse track better to financial advisor to bar owner to, really, the creator of modern nightlife in Downtown Los Angeles. Now he can add one more title to his resume: author. Cedd has written a love letter to bars and bartenders, and he gave it the same title as his company: Pouring with Heart. Yes, Cedd is a repeat guest, but his first episode was really his story - this episode is more focused on his team and his service philosophy (and, of course, the book), and we're joined by Pedro Shanahan, who is the "spirit guide" for Cedd's bar group and also the voice for the audiobook version of Pouring with Heart. But if you're reading this and thinking "nah, I don't need to listen to a podcast episode about a book on bars and bartenders", take a look at that title. Because the book - and this conversation - is only about bars and bartenders on the surface: we talk just as much if not more about compassion and empathy and community and the nobility of service and, well ... heart. Oh, speaking of which, all the proceeds from the book go to a fund to help bartenders in need, so the simple act of buying it offers a little bit of heart to someone else. I hope you'll check it out - and I hope you'll check out the book!