April 25, 2006 :: No. 224

Coalition building is the theme of "The New Los Angeles," a new PBS documentary airing Thursday at 10 p.m. on KCET.

"The film provides a really good portrait of an evolving city," said Raphael J. Sonenshein, a Cal State Fullerton professor of political science who provided historical background about race, ethnicity and events that shaped Los Angeles politics and history for the film. He also appears in the documentary.

"It should be very helpful for people in Southern California, but even more so nationally, where people's images of Los Angeles are shaped by a few shocking events, like the 1992 riots, the Rodney King case and the O.J. Simpson trial," said Sonenshein, who teaches a class on the politics of Los Angeles and has written two books detailing the city's political history. "These events give a really skewed portrait of the city. I think there's a very important message in 'The New Los Angeles' about the need for coalitions in a diverse city."

The film focuses attention on the social and economic changes in Los Angeles over the last 40 years, from the election of former Mayor Tom Bradley, the first African-American mayor in a major U.S. city without an African-American majority population, to the election of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the first Latino mayor of L.A. since 1872.

The late Miguel Contreras, who was the head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor from 1996 until his death last year, and his widow Maria Elena Durazo, who now is the interim head of the union, are featured in the documentary for their work as activists and leaders of the labor movement in Los Angeles. One clip shows Durazo at a rally of hotel workers demanding "living wages." Dozens of the workers, who sat in the street during the demonstration, were arrested.

"I think the city's focus on immigrant labor is critically important at this moment when immigration is such a big national issue," Sonenshein said. "It's worth remembering who maintains the yards, cleans the hotel rooms and does many other jobs. The movie provides an extraordinary focus on the mostly Latino working class of Los Angeles."

The documentary, by producer Lyn Goldfarb, is the third in the four-part PBS series "California and the American Dream." The fourth, "Ripe For Change," which is about the debates in California over issues of food and agriculture, will air May 4. The first and second, which aired earlier this month, are "California's 'Lost' Tribes" and "The Price of Renewal," respectively.

Goldfarb said her film will be available for public showings.

"The New Los Angeles" premiered at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood April 19 and also was shown April 24 at the First A.M.E. Church in Los Angeles. Villaraigosa, who attended both screenings, said Los Angeles "is a city where the world comes together."

"This city will go through many changes," he said, adding that building coalitions by making connections with people of all backgrounds is the key to the growth and prosperity of Los Angeles and its residents. "I believe this city really is the city of hope and promise."

For more information about this PBS documentary, visit: http://www.pbs.org/california/

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