Nick Patsaouras arrived from Athens at age 17. After establishing a successful electrical engineering firm, Nick decided to give back to his adopted city. He served on boards that oversee Los Angeles’ zoning appeals and its Department of Water and Power as well as the region’s transit systems. In his latter role, he spearheaded the development of the region’s subway and light rail lines and advocated for bus services. Nick became a volunteer “Mr. Fix-It” for a succession of Los Angeles mayors and county supervisors who asked him to oversee vital public infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n
Nick’s chronicle of the modernisation of Los Angeles was fifteen years in the making. Besides his firsthand account of decisions the boards he served on made, he draws heavily from public documents, news reports, and interviews with dozens of key players — elected officials and their aides, bureaucrats, corporate executives, developers, architects, engineers, preservationists, and academics. Nick has stitched together an absorbing, insightful account of the city’s evolution over a 50-year period.<\/p>\n
In his no-nonsense, straightforward writing style, he takes readers behind the scenes, where colossal egos clashed, where politics prevailed over principles, and where the art of compromise flourished. Nick also delves into the city’s recovery from the Northridge earthquake; the fights against smog, oil drilling in Pacific Palisades, and an East Los Angeles prison; the construction of Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Museum of Contemporary Arts; the restoration of Angels Flight Railway; and the City’s architecture.<\/p>\n
Nick is a true insider whose vision and persistence prevailed and made a monumental difference. The insights and wisdom he gained from all these endeavours are woven throughout this book, making it a must-read for anyone with even a passing interest in Los Angeles’ recent past and future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nick’s chronicle of the modernisation of Los Angeles was 15 years in the making. Besides his firsthand account of decisions the boards he served on made, he draws from public documents, news reports, and interviews with dozens of key players — elected officials, bureaucrats, corporate executives, developers, architects, engineers, and academics.
FOREWORD by Dan Rosenfeld 9
\nPROLOGUE 10
\nCHAPTER ONE | THE BOY FROM ATHENS 13
\nCHAPTER TWO | LOS ANGELES’ MODERN POLITICAL AND CIVIC ODYSSEY 28
\nCHAPTER THREE | TRANSPORTATION 90
\nFunding of the Metro Rail 90
\nMTA Headquarters and Transit Center 109
\nSouthern California Rapid Transit District 128
\nUniversal City Metro Station 139
\nMTA and MCA Deal: Compromise or Public Betrayal? 140
\nThe Demise of the East LA Subway 144
\nLos Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics 148
\nRTD\/MTA Transit Police 153
\nThe Sumitomo Debacle 157
\nJohn Dyer 160
\nCHAPTER FOUR | THE CHALLENGES WE FACE 162
\nClean Energy 162
\nWater 170
\nCHAPTER FIVE | ARCHITECTURE 185
\nCHAPTER SIX | HOMELESSNESS 206
\nCHAPTER SEVEN | PROMOTING THE ARTS 228
\nCHAPTER EIGHT | THE EDGY NARRATIVE BEHIND THE STORY 253
\nOil Drilling at Pacific Palisades 253
\nNorthridge Earthquake 261
\nEast LA Prison Controversy 270
\nThe War Against Smog 275
\nLos Angeles International Airport 284
\nPrivate and Service Clubs 289
\nCHAPTER NINE | DINING OUT IN LOS ANGELES 299
\nCHAPTER TEN | OVERSIGHT OF PUBLIC PROJECTS AND AGENCIES 318
\nThe $1.6 Billion White Elephant (I-405 widening) 318
\nRibbon of Light (6th Street Viaduct) 324
\nA Bridge Home 329
\nThe LAPD Administration Building 332
\nLAC + USC Medical Center 338
\nLos Angeles Department of Water and Power 339
\nLessons Learned 347
\nRatepayer Advocate 350
\nBoard of Zoning Appeals 351
\nCHAPTER ELEVEN | PRESERVING LOS ANGELES HERITAGE 354
\nLos Angeles City Hall 354
\nLos Angeles Central Library 359
\nThe Grand Central Market 369
\nAngels Flight 370
\nAmbassador Hotel: Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools 376
\nCHAPTER TWELVE | A NEW DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES 380
\nBunker Hill 380
\nCathedral of Our Lady of the Angels 385
\nCivic Center 389
\nLA Live 395
\nLa Plaza de Cultura y Artes 398
\nMuseum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) 401
\nState Office Facilities 406
\nStaples\/Crypto.com Arena 409
\nWalt Disney Concert Hall 418
\nMetropolitan Water District Headquarters 430
\nOne Santa Fe 433
\nJames Wood 437
\nCHAPTER THIRTEEN | INITIATIVES THAT AFFECTED OUR LIVES 439
\nTransit Oriented Development 439
\nLinking schools to subway system 445
\nGreenways 447
\nExposition (E) Line 457
\nOrange (G) Line 460
\nBenefit Assessment Districts 464
\nRail Construction Corporation 467
\nTransit Industry Jobs Creation Initiative 470
\nBlue (A) Line alignment decisions 472
\nMeasure R 474
\nMeasure J 478
\nMeasure M 478
\nGreenline (C) Connection to LAX 482
\nLos Angeles River 483
\nCHAPTER FOURTEEN | FINDING BEAUTY AND CREATING IT 495
\nSteel Cloud 495
\nBridge Over 101 Freeway 502
\nAngels Walk 505
\nUniversal Citywalk 517
\nCHAPTER FIFTEEN | ASPIRING FOR OFFICE 521
\nLos Angeles Mayor`s Race, 1993 521
\nLos Angeles Controller’s Race, 2009 525
\nCHAPTER SIXTEEN | ASSOCIATION WITH NATIONAL AND WORLD LEADERS 529
\nCHAPTER SEVENTEEN | THE GREEK CONNECTION 542
\nGreek American Community 542
\nLos Angeles — Athens Sister City Affiliation 544
\nHellenic American Chamber of Commerce 552
\nTelevision and Radio Endeavor 557
\nHellenic American Political Action Committee 557
\nAmerican Hellenic Council 557
\nImpressive Tactic in Greek Elections 558
\nCHAPTER EIGHTEEN | OTHER 559
\nProp. 187 559
\nModest Investments 563
\nReconfigure L.A. City Departments’ Roles and Responsibilities 568
\nEPILOGUE 574
\nTESTIMONIALS 576
\nINTERVIEWEES 578
\nABBREVIATIONS 580
\nACKNOWLEDGMENTS 583
\nINDEX 584<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":53970,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[5559],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-53969","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-architecture-landscape-design","7":"author-by-author-nick-patsaouras","8":"publisher-oro-editions","10":"first","11":"instock","12":"shipping-taxable","13":"purchasable","14":"product-type-simple"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n