Bio
Mayor Cory A. Booker
Cory A. Booker, has spent his entire professional life in Newark. After serving as a Staff Attorney for the Urban Justice Center and as a Program Coordinator of the Newark Youth Project, in 1998, Cory rose to prominence by up setting a four-term incumbent to become Newark's Central Ward Councilman. During his four years of service, Cory earned a reputation as a leader with innovative ideas and bold actions, from increasing security in public housing to building new playgrounds.
Cory ran for mayor of Newark in 2002, narrowly losing to the incumbent. For his work, he has been recognized in numerous publications, including, among others, U.S. News and World Report (naming him one of America's Best Leaders in April, 2006), Time magazine, Esquire magazine (naming him as one of the country's 40 Best and Brightest in December 2002), New Jersey Monthly (naming him as one of New Jersey's top 40 under 40) and Black Enterprise in December 2005 (naming him to The Hot List, America's Most Powerful Players Under 40).
Cory is a member of several boards including the Executive Committee of Yale Law School, Columbia University Teachers' College Board of Trustees, the Black Alliance for Educational Options, North Star Academy, Integrity Inc. and the International Longevity Center. He received a B.A. in political science in 1991 and an M.A. in sociology in 1992 from Stanford University. He then traveled to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and received an honors degree in Modern history in 1994. In 1997, he earned his law degree from Yale University.
Antonio Villaraigosa
Antonio R. Villaraigosa is the 41st mayor of Los Angeles and has held the office since 2005. During his first term, Villaraigosa built the police force to its largest size in history, oversaw the steepest reduction in crime since the 1950s, and developed LA's first comprehensive anti-gang strategy. Having dedicated much of his first term to reforming LA's public schools, he now oversees the Partnership for LA Schools, which runs ten of the lowest-performing schools.
With the launching of Green LA, Villaraigosa has set the city on the path to becoming one of the greenest large cities in the nation. Among the many improvements in becoming greener, LA has met the Kyoto targets for reducing greenhouse gases four years ahead of schedule, has met the first target of getting 10 percent of energy from renewable sources, and is on track to reaching 40 percent by 2020.
Encyclopædia Britannica Article
- Los Angeles
City (pop., 2000: 3,694,820), southern California, U.S. The second largest city in the U.S., it is situated between the San Gabriel Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Bisected by the Santa Monica Mountains, which separate the neighbourhoods of Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Pacific Palisades from the San Fernando Valley, it is near the San Andreas Fault, and earthquakes are frequent. It began in 1771 as a Spanish mission; in 1781 settlers claimed the land as El Pueblo de la Reyna de los Angeles (the Town of the Queen of the Angels). Taken by U.S. forces in the Mexican War, it prospered in the wake of the 1849 gold rush. Incorporated in 1850, the city grew rapidly after the arrival of the railroads in 1876 and 1885. In 1913 an aqueduct was built to supply it with water from the slopes of the Sierra Nevada. It was struck by a major earthquake in 1994. Sites of interest include early Spanish missions, the Getty Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Educational institutions include the University of Southern California, Occidental College, and the University of California at Los Angeles.
- Los Angeles on britannica.com
© 2010 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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