Reflections on 40 Years in L.A. Local Government and Where We Go From Here

During a career in public life spanning nearly four decades, Zev Yaroslavsky has been at the forefront of Los Angeles County’s biggest issues, including transportation, the environment, health care, and cultural arts. First elected to the Los Angeles City Council at the age of 26, he quickly earned a reputation for being unafraid to tackle controversial issues, prompting the Los Angeles Times to write upon his departure that he “was more often than not a dominant player in virtually every municipal initiative of note since he joined the City Council.”

In 1994, Yaroslavsky was elected to the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, serving five terms until term limits led him to retire in December 2014. While a county supervisor, he authored several landmark ballot initiatives, including: the 1996 park bond — which resulted in the preservation of a broad swath of rural open space and the development of urban parks; and the 2002 trauma tax — credited with saving two public hospitals from closure and keeping the county’s emergency services intact.  Yaroslavsky was also the driving force behind several major transit projects and led the effort to provide permanent supportive housing for thousands of homeless persons. He is also credited with playing a leading role in the sweeping reforms of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Now founder and chairman of the Yaroslavsky Institute — a governmental research organization focused on Southern California issues – Yaroslavsky attended UCLA, where he earned a B.A. in Economics and History and an M.A. in British Imperial History before entering public life.