Enthusiastically Los Angeles

How did Downtown Los Angeles go from a glorified office park to being the "coolest Downtown in America" (at least according to GQ Magazine)? Who made it happen? What makes them tick? What are their stories? Your favorite Amateur Enthusiast interviews the dreamers, makers, movers, and shakers who made it happen - and continue to move it forward. From the famous to the infamous, the well known to the unknown, we all have one thing in common: a passion for Los Angeles. And we have our share of laughs along the way, too.

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Enthusiastically Los Angeles

Antonio Villaraigosa Part 2

August 30, 2020 • Glenn Gritzner/Antonio Villaraigosa • Season 1 • Episode 12

Has anybody lived a more quintessentially Los Angeles life than former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa?

In part 1 of this episode, we learned about Antonio's unlikely journey from high school dropout to elected official, just beginning his path towards leadership and power. This second half dives deeply into his political career. Hear how he almost unexpectedly ran for Speaker, getting his votes in 10 days time. Hear how Willie Brown continued to advise and guide him on his journey. Hear how he decided to run for Mayor the first time ... and what it feels like to lose a race like that. And how his entire team of advisors unanimously advised against him running the second time ... when he won.

This is a long episode because it took many interviews to cover it all. But political junkies - or anyone who wonders how politics really works - it doesn't get better than this.