Hollywood Oaks

My Neighborhood Has Brangelina

The following article was selected as a finalist in Zócalo’s adopt-a-mayor contest.

I couldn’t imagine living anywhere but the Hollywood Oaks. I say this as an ex-New Yorker who grew up with 24-hour traffic noise and a steady bustle of sidewalk activity. Bordered on two sides by Griffith Park, the Oaks has neither. On particularly still nights, when the only loud noises are coyotes howling, my wife and I feel as if we live on the edge of civilization, not in the middle of a major city.

We love this dichotomy—the isolated …

North Hollywood

Actually, We’re the Center Of the World

The following article was selected as a finalist in Zócalo’s adopt-a-mayor contest.

Dear Antonio:

Forgive me the informality, Mr. Mayor, it’s just that I’ve known you a bit for so darned long, …

Adopt Mayor Villaraigosa

After June 30, He’s Going To Need a Home. Can You Make the Best Case For Why He Should Choose Your L.A. Neighborhood?

This spring, Los Angeles and its neighborhoods face a peculiar challenge. A distinguished citizen, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, is about to be made homeless, and very publicly so. When he leaves …