Politics Riordan Runs With Enthusiasm, CandorĮlection: Despite serving two terms as Los Angeles mayor, he remains something of an anti-politician.īut the affable, impatient Riordan never quite figured out how to work within the bureaucracy’s channels, and his frequent clashes with council members, who said he excluded and disrespected them, left both sides frustrated. Similar efforts raised millions to computerize police stations and patrol cars and helped finance the successful 1999 campaign for charter reform against City Council opposition. Early in his first term, he tapped longtime friend and philanthropist Eli Broad to raise money to get the stalled Walt Disney Concert Hall project back on track. Justice Department in the form of a federal consent decree.Ī self-proclaimed “problem solver,” Riordan liked to gather people outside government to come up with solutions.

Critics accused him of failing to act quickly enough on reform, and Riordan later reluctantly ceded control of the LAPD to the U.S. He also played a key role in revamping the City Charter to require more accountability from department heads and give residents more voice in city government through a new system of neighborhood councils, helping defuse efforts by San Fernando Valley activists to split from the city.īut also on Riordan’s watch, the Rampart police corruption scandal surfaced in late 1999. Riordan shepherded L.A.’s rebound from the 1992 riots, expanded its police force and led its recovery from the Northridge earthquake. This novel is approximately 89,000 words long.California Photos: Former L.A. But is the connection between them simple chemistry? Kindred spirits? Or just a pair of lonely hearts looking for a hot distraction?Īnd even if it’s more than physical, is there really a future for two men from such vastly different worlds? Especially when the past comes knocking?

One call to the cops, and suddenly Geoff and Asher’s paths cross. Behind closed doors, he’s been living in a private hell, and when he finally works up the courage to end things, his boyfriend refuses to go quietly. A stable, loving relationship with an amazing boyfriend. Seattle Steelheads center Asher Crowe has it all. His teenagers are, well, teenagers, plus they’re pissed that he left the boyfriend they loved. He’s got war wounds and demons that are in it for the long haul. His cop’s salary and Marine retirement aren’t enough to make ends meet. No, this couldn’t possibly blow up in their faces. A forty-something single dad, a twenty-something hockey star, and a whole lot of baggage.

Rebound by L.A. Witt