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NEW YEAR L.A. - The hopeful new year behooves us to take a walk down Los Angeles’ memory lane, a journey that holds more than simple nostalgia. Rather, it is more of a meaningful reminder of the events that have shaped us over the past few decades. By reflecting on these occurrences, we gain valuable insight into our experiences, from a gallery preserved by time, offering lessons to study, wisdom to borrow, and inspiration to continue cultivating our growth.
Certainly, the past is not a place to remain, but rather a destination to briefly visit and by so doing collect insights and lessons that will equip us to face upcoming challenges with greater confidence and preparedness.
In June we will have elections for mayor and, in addition to the incumbent mayor, Karen Bass, more than a dozen others are already in the race, including Austin Beutner, former superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District and possibly billionaire and real estate developer Rick Caruso. Therefore, this stroll down memory lane enlightens us of accomplishments by recent mayors that created the Golden Age of Los Angeles and turned a regional powerhouse into a world megacity.
During my career, I worked with each mayor listed here to develop and implement programs addressing city needs and in support of growth. The key accomplishments enumerated help preserve institutional memory, acknowledge those leaders who devotedly contributed to the city's progress, and a challenge to the mayoral candidates to articulate their own vision for Los Angeles.
Tom Bradley’s election in 1973 was a powerful political earthquake. He became L.A.’s first Black mayor and its first liberal mayor, creating a coalition of voters that transformed the city from a conservative, white-dominated center into a multiracial, globally oriented metropolis. For twenty years he did not just govern; he oriented the city toward the world and built the infrastructure that made modern Los Angeles possible. Bradley knew that a megacity needed mobility, and he pursued his dream of a regional rail network with intensity and enthusiasm.
He also oversaw downtown’s vertical growth with the redevelopment of Bunker Hill and the huge construction of skyscrapers. At last, Los Angeles was elevated from a horizontal suburb into global cultural status. Bradley’s accomplishments are myriad, spanning a wide range of impressive endeavors. He presided over the successful 1984 Olympics broadcasting a new image of Los Angeles to billions, and led the cultural boom in museums, performing arts and international events.
Richard Riordan became mayor in 1993 and pushed for a major revision of Los Angeles' City Charter to address issues of fragmentation and lack of accountability. Voters approved the changes in 1999, and they took effect in 2000.
The city had a weak mayoral system with authority spread across dozens of semi‑independent commissions and departments. Riordan obtained greater control over city departments, centralized financial oversight, and created a new office of finance under mayoral authority. His reforms led to the creation of dozens of neighborhood councils giving residents a formal voice in city decisions, decentralized planning decisions by creating seven area planning commissions, modernized and streamlined city functions by clarifying roles of elected officials, updated contracting procedures and restructured commissions and department oversight, all changes that were meant to reduce bureaucratic gridlock and increase accountability.
James Hahn became mayor in July 2001, and two decisions alone define the entire arc of his mayoralty: defeating secession and appointing Bill Bratton as chief of police.
In 2002, Los Angeles faced the most serious breakup attempt in the history of any major U.S. city. Three areas — the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood, and San Pedro — sought to secede and form their own cities. Residents had expressed dissatisfaction with how their taxes were utilized by Los Angeles, feeling that their needs were overlooked in favor of other areas. The effort culminated in the November 5, 2002, election. While the Valley voted for secession, the rest of Los Angeles voted overwhelmingly (80.5%) against letting the Valley go.
A consequential and courageous decision by Hahn was his refusal to grant Los Angeles Police Department Chief Bernard Parks a second term and instead appointed Bill Bratton, the former New York Police Department Commissioner. Hahn wanted a reform‑minded, high‑profile leader to rebuild the LAPD after the Rampart scandal and under the federal consent decree.
Hahn led the campaign to defeat the Valley’s attempt to break away from Los Angeles and Valley voters who once supported him turned against him. Also, turning his back to Parks angered many African American voters who were a core part of his election victory in 2001. Their withdrawal of support along with the angered Valley voters led to Hahn’s defeat in 2005.
Antonio Villaraigosa became mayor in 2005 and quickly became known for his signature slogan, “Subway to the Sea,” a push to extend the Metro Purple Line westward from Koreatown through Beverly Hills, Century City, and Westwood all the way to Santa Monica.
The project now known as the D Line Extension is under construction, but it stops in Westwood, several miles short of Santa Monica and the ocean. It has not reached the sea, at least not yet.
Further, Villaraigosa succeeded in launching and funding the most ambitious rail expansion in modern L.A. history. Measure R, a major 2008 countywide ballot measure, reshaped transportation funding and infrastructure across Los Angeles County, providing a half‑cent sales tax increase (from 8.25% to 8.75%) with the approval of 67% of voters in November 2008. His leadership was the decisive factor.
Villaraigosa`s vision of 20% renewable energy for the City of Los Angeles was achieved by 2010.
Eric Garcetti became mayor in 2013 and quickly turned to dealing with climate and sustainability, two deeply intertwined issues which threaten ecosystems and societies. He sought to address these issues by balancing social and economic needs with an eye on environmental protection. By doing so, he elevated Los Angeles’ profile internationally.
In making climate policy one of his signature issues, Garcetti launched L.A.’s “Green New Deal” in 2020, which aimed to move the city toward carbon neutrality and included measures to reduce emissions from buildings, transportation, electricity, and waste. He embedded electric vehicle adoption into the city’s long-term sustainability strategy.
Importantly, Garcetti shaped and was the primary political force behind Measure M, the 2016 Los Angeles County Traffic Improvement Plan, that created a permanent sales tax that funds a massive expansion of rail, bus, and transportation infrastructure across L.A. County, the largest local infrastructure plan at the time, providing $120 billion for new rail lines, freeway fixes and transit improvements.
Historically, Los Angeles mayors have been recognized for steadfastly upholding the city's position as a leading metropolis, implementing signature programs and initiatives designed to enhance the quality of life for its residents.
Reflecting on the past is valuable when it offers practical insights for today. "What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."—Pericles
(Nick Patsaouras is an electrical engineer and civic leader whose firm has shaped projects across residential, commercial, medical, educational, institutional, and entertainment sectors. A longtime public advocate, he ran for Mayor in 1993 with a focus on rebuilding L.A. through transportation after the 1992 civil unrest. He has served on major public boards, including the Department of Water and Power, Metro, and the Board of Zoning Appeals, helping guide infrastructure and planning policy in Los Angeles. He is the author of the book "The Making of Modern Los Angeles.")
