Why Ed Reyes Loves the L.A. River and Affordable Housing

A kid from Cypress Park. The son of a janitor. What surprises Ed Reyes about himself and other people such as him is the possibility that anyone with humble beginnings can work hard and rise to one of the nation's highest and most well-paid offices.

In a recent interview with Jon Regardie, the Highland Park-based editor of Los Angeles Downtown News, Ed Reyes reflects on a dozen years as a member of the City Council—the "projects, programs, people and policy" he was part of and is now leaving behind. Among the issues Reyes talks about is why he made it his priority to help clean up the Los Angeles River—and change the public mindset about a resource that was once viewed as a trash dump. Reyes also discusses why he fought for a "mixed-income environment" in his council district—and why "the players of the theater," as he calls city politicians, "are not in the most timely position to take on these kinds of policies because it hurts them and their careers."

Click here to read "The Ed Reyes Exit Interview".