Dear Future Mayor
Dear Future Mayor,
I’m writing to share my hope for your leadership and stewardship of our favorite city in the world, Los Angeles.
You will be elected at a pivotal moment in our city’s history. The city is emerging from the debris of a global pandemic. Its spirit is wounded from scandal. Too many of our neighbors wander the city looking for a safe place to rest. Our communities wake up everyday with a distrust in government that has seeped so deeply that it has become ingrained in our culture.
Will the city solve the housing crisis? “I doubt it.”
Will Los Angeles prioritize safe streets? “Nope. I’ve heard those promises before.”
I like that candidate. “You can’t trust them.”
You have a big job and my hope is that you recognize that you will fail if you do it alone. My wish is that you take on the mantle of “servant leadership” and make your administration one that focuses on Angelenos. I look forward to seeing your image on the “Welcome to LA” sign at LAX, but may that image include some of the beautiful faces of our city so we are reminded that success is a team effort. My hope is that your name on the free tote bags delivered at community events are accompanied by an invitation for Angelenos to join you in a cause bigger than your own profile.
Your leadership must activate the leadership of others because everyone has a role to play. You must plant knowledge of how our city works, and water those seeds with the resources that will help our neighbors get engaged like never before.
Your mayorship should inspire us to see our interconnectedness, “our kinship,” as Father Greg Boyle says. You must help people see that their success is intertwined with the success of their neighbor. Any jobless or unhoused Angeleno must be seen as a collective failure, along with a special opportunity for each of us to come together to fix it.
As Mayor, you have broad powers to change how Angelenos interact with their government. You set the pace, you establish the priorities, and you define the expectations of those who deliver the services that Angelenos use everyday, whether they know it or not. You can demystify the process of getting a tree trimmed or a pothole fixed. You can build a leadership team that will inspire city departments to help businesses grow, build housing faster, and make the city in its entirety eager to serve others. You can make the city budgeting process transparent, and engage Angelenos in the important work of prioritizing expenses. You can create an environment where Angelenos have meaningful connections with city workers, just like we do with our local barista or taquero. We must know how our city works and the roles we all play; to ensure it is working for all of us. As you enter an environment of skepticism and distrust, you have an opportunity to inject a contagious enthusiasm in the leadership of our city departments.
You can make the City of Los Angeles what it’s meant to be - a democracy. A transparent cooperative that is owned and operated by the people it serves.
I work at an economic justice organization and so economic development is important to me and the communities I serve. Our community members visit us every day: They are seeking help in navigating government programs that should be much easier to understand; they are looking for access to low-interest loans to fund their ideas and their job-creating businesses; they are seeking a guarantee that their families will be okay. We are helping, but we can’t do it alone. Our communities should not have to rely on small nonprofit organizations to address inequality.
We need good government and I hope that you can lead its development. We need to reinvigorate leadership and create a spirit of innovation that sets overarching “missions” for our city, missions that inspire Angelenos to do their part. Los Angeles is in a “war-time” effort against poverty, and everyone must help.
I believe that we have the talent in our communities to help you lead. My hope is that you are willing to engage Angelenos in the most neglected neighborhoods in your governing. My wish is that you see them as the experts that they are, and create a table where co-governance is possible. The best policies and programs are those designed by the people they are meant to help.
Some may encourage you to bring in the private sector to fix Los Angeles. Your advisors may encourage you to seek “outside” support to address the socio-economic challenges we are facing. Whoever you bring in, make sure they prioritize equity. Look deeply at their propositions and their blindspots. I believe it is possible to work fast, be effective, and be values-driven. We don’t need to compromise.
Thank you! Los Angeles is depending on you. Prove the skeptics wrong, make government work for us.
Sincerely,
Rudy Espinoza
Executive Director, Inclusive Action for the City