Zócalo Public Square

Few Californians pay attention to state government (much less visit the state Capitol), and few of us even bother to vote in elections for our weak local governments. So our officials are often elected by the campaign dollars of rich people, powerful developers, and a handful of labor unions. But when crisis hits California—as it so often does—we are quick to demand action and to lash out at politicians whose names we barely know. What can we reasonably expect from California leaders when crisis strikes this sprawling, dysfunctional, and disengaged state? What are essential demands in an emergency, and what is too much to ask? And what lessons do previous crises—giant recessions, earthquakes, wildfires, blackouts, the 1992 riots—hold for today’s leaders? Antonio Villaraigosa, who served as speaker of the California state Assembly from 1998 to 2000 and as mayor of Los Angeles during the Great Recession, visited Zócalo for a blunt back-and-forth on why leaders falter in crises, and how they might succeed. Thi