Press Release: October 2, 2023

The Autry Museum of the American West Hosts Zev Yaroslavsky in a Conversation about His Political Memoir
Zev's Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power

Zev Yaroslavsky looks out over Los Angeles

(October 2, 2023 - Los Angeles, CA)—The Autry Museum of the American West hosts a conversation with Zev Yaroslavsky on his memoir Zev's Los Angeles: From Boyle Heights to the Halls of Power, A Political Memoir on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at 7 p.m.

The son of Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to the United States in the early 1920s, Zev Yaroslavsky’s memoir charts the journey of a young social activist who battled to free Soviet Jews before becoming one of the most consequential elected officials in Southern California.

Combining an activist’s passion with a seasoned politician’s skill, Yaroslavsky challenged the region’s power brokers, making his memoir an engrossing guide to the history, politics and culture of Los Angeles over the last five decades. 

"My book is more than a memoir," Yaroslavsky said. "It's a history of Los Angeles spanning one of its most transformative periodsthe last half-century. It chronicles the growth and demographic changes that characterize the L.A. we know today."

Yaroslavsky fought the Los Angeles Police Department’s excessive force and political spying policies, led the effort to ban local taxes from funding the 1984 Olympics, teamed with President Clinton to avert a catastrophic county bankruptcy, helped develop L.A.’s modern transit system, won a bruising battle with real estate interests to save the Santa Monica Mountains from rapacious development and was pivotal in the development of Walt Disney Concert Hall and the modernization of the iconic Hollywood Bowl. 
 
The conversation with Yaroslavsky will be followed by a book signing and a light reception. Admission is free but remember to reserve your ticket online as there will be limited seating.

For more information, please visit theAutry.org.


This event is produced with support from the John and LaRee Caughey Foundation. The Caughey Foundation supports non-profit organizations working towards civil rights and promoting the study of the American West. Although the Foundation is closing after 55 years of good work, the John and LaRee Caughey Foundation has provided funding for many years for the biannual Caughey Lecture series at the Autry Museum of the American West.

 

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Press Inquiries

Sarah Crispi 
Communications Specialist 
323.495.4266 
scrispi@theautry.org

Land Acknowledgment

The Autry Museum of the American West acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles basin and So. Channel Islands). We recognize that the Autry Museum and its campuses are located on the traditional lands of Gabrielino/Tongva peoples and we pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.

The Autry Museum in Griffith Park

4700 Western Heritage Way

Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462
Located northeast of downtown, across from the Los Angeles Zoo.
Map and Directions

Free parking for Autry visitors.


MUSEUM AND STORE HOURS
Tuesday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Saturday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

DINING
Food Trucks are available on select days, contact us for details at 323.495.4252.
The cafe is temporarily closed until further notice.