Episode 48

We’re back!!! Where have we been?? Like for real. Where?! We explain.

We interview Los Angeles City Councilman for District 4, David E. Ryu, who was elected to his first term in the summer of 2015.

The 4th District is at the center of Los Angeles. The unusually shaped district reaches from Koreatown and Mid-Wilshire through Miracle Mile, the Fairfax District, north through much of Hollywood, Los Feliz and Griffith Park, and Silver Lake, and north through the Hollywood Hills, over the Cahuenga Pass into North Hollywood, and Sherman Oaks. What.

The scope of Councilmember Ryu's job duties range from the most local like the refilling (and future of) the Silverlake Reservoir, national issues like DACA, and the 2028 Olympics.

Ryu is the first Korean-American and only the second Asian-American to serve on the LA City Council. And as of 2017, only Ryu and fellow Councilman José Huizar (District 14) were born outside the US. Councilmember Ryu was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1975 and moved with his family to Los Angeles when he was 6 years old.

He holds a BA in Economics from UCLA and a Masters of Public Policy & Administration from Rutgers University.

Some of Ryu's core issues are fiscal accountability, limiting the uncontrolled expansion of homes, and restoring trust in government.

WHAT WE SAY WHEN:

• 
  
• Overview on Ryu's work on the city council, his role in local matters and national politics, and its influence on life in Los Angeles [05:20]
  
• DACA and LA as a city of immigrants [07:00]
  
• The future of the Silver Lake Reservoir [10:00]
  
• The 2028 Summer Olympics and the preparing Los Angeles to be the host city [15:40]
  
• LA Traffic and Public Transportation [23:00]
  
• Runyon Canyon vs. Griffith Park [24:50]
  

LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• 
  
• Councilman David E. Ryu: http://davidryu.lacity.org
  
• DSA LA’s Nolympics Initiative: https://www.nolympicsla.com
  
• Dan’s article on the Refilling of the SIlverlake Reservoir: https://medium.com/schmolitics/irresponsible-progress-and-the-empty-silverlake-resevoir-74590ae81bb2
  
• Refill Silverlake Now: http://silverlakenow.com
  
• Silverake Forward: http://silverlakeforward.com
  

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