The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors bid goodbye today to Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslavsky as they attended their last public board meeting.
Calling them “two Los Angeles County legends,” Supervisor Don Knabe led a send-off that included a longstanding ovation from assembled department heads and county workers. Video footage captured the supervisors’ early community activism and swearing-in ceremonies and highlighted key accomplishments.
They have “forever changed the landscape of their districts, Los Angeles County and the lives of their constituents,” Knabe said.
Both have spent decades in public service, serving on the Los Angeles City Council before being elected to their county seats. Molina was elected to represent Los Angeles County’s First District in 1991. Yaroslavsky, who represents the Third District, was first elected in 1994. Term limits approved by voters in 2002 forced them to step aside. They are being replaced by Supervisors-elect Hilda Solis and Sheila Kuehl, both of whom will be sworn in Monday.
Molina, 66, recalled being elected on the heels of a divisive voting rights lawsuit that redrew district boundaries. In her early years on the board, “everything seemed like a battle.” But something changed over the years, Molina said, and now most of what the non-partisan board works on “we do together.”
Yaroslavsky, 65, noted that the day he was sworn in as the Third District representative, Orange County declared bankruptcy.
Yaroslavsky is often credited with taking the lead on conservative fiscal policies that have allowed the county to avoid layoffs, even during the recession that followed the 2008 financial crisis.
Chief Executive Officer William Fujioka credited much of the board’s success to the supervisors’ long tenures, institutional memory and “their courage to live with the consequences of their actions.”
“I hate term limits,” said Fujioka, an appointee who is also retiring from county service.
Molina was recognized for her transformative work on Grand Park and the historic La Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Yaroslavsky was honored for his longstanding dedication to the arts, evidenced by iconic projects like the Walt Disney Concert Hall and, most recently, a planned major expansion of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Both have “amazing accomplishments in bricks and mortar,” Fujioka said. But “the legacy is in what they’ve done for people.”
For Yaroslavsky, that includes a focus on eradicating homelessness, with special attention paid to veterans and the chronically homeless. Many of Molina’s efforts have been directed toward getting much-needed resources to children and families.
The two departing supervisors acknowledged a sometimes contentious relationship, but both praised the other’s work.
“When you’re in a battle, you want Gloria on your side, not on the other side,” Yaroslavsky said. “She has been a crusader for the little guy.”
Molina called their time together on the board “a bumpy ride back and forth,” but said of Yaroslavsky, “He really wants government to work for everyone.”
Molina presented Yaroslavsky with a homemade quilt in the design of a crossword puzzle with answers like Hollywood Bowl, Democrat and Wooden.
Yaroslavsky is a UCLA graduate and Bruin fan who works a daily crossword.
He gave Molina a painting of the landmark fountain in Grand Park, with City Hall and the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration — the board’s home — in the background.
Supervisor Michael Antonovich took the opportunity today to offer his endorsement of Molina in her bid to replace Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar in next year’s election.
“She’ll be able to show … what can be done when you have effective leadership,” Antonovich said.
Yaroslavsky, first elected to public office at 26, said it “didn’t really hit me that we were on our way out” until he began removing dozens of photos from the walls of his eighth floor office.
He compared feeling melancholy about retirement to the time when he and his wife, Barbara, became empty-nesters.
“The first day was a little difficult. The second day was a piece of cake,” Yaroslavsky said with a smile.
Knabe and Antonovich will be termed out in 2016.
“Where did the time go?” Antonovich said.
Mark Ridley-Thomas, the only current board member with the opportunity to serve beyond the next two years, called Yaroslavsky and Molina “impact players” who have left an indelible mark on the lives of county residents.
“We salute Gloria, we salute Zev, for your service,” Ridley-Thomas said to a loud round of applause.
