Richard Riordan looks back on his tenure as LA Mayor

"The Mayor: How I Turned Around Los Angeles After Riots, an Earthquake, and the O.J. Simpson Murder Trial" by Richard J. Riordan with Patrick Range McDonald

Mayor Richard Riordan has the distinction of being the only Republican to be elected mayor in Los Angeles in the last 4 decades.

Mayor Richard Riordan has the distinction of being the only Republican to be elected mayor in Los Angeles in the last 4 decades. On paper, he shared few ideological similarities with his GOP colleagues. He was pro-gay rights, pro-choice, and pro-immigration.

Riordan’s tenure began in 1993. He was elected to office in the wake of the Rodney King beating and the ensuing riots that swept the city. By the time he stepped down as mayor in 2001, Los Angeles had endured two other major events: the Northridge earthquake in 1994, and the O.J. Simpson murder trial in 1995.

In his new memoir, The Mayor, Riordan looks back at the successes and challenges of his mayorship, as well as personal events that have shaped him.

Guest:

Richard Riordan, Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993 to 2001. He is the author of the new memoir, “The Mayor” (Post Hill Press, 2014) that comes out today.