Saturday 1.17.09

Today was my first day in DC and you can feel the electricity and excitement in the air. As the city readies itself for this historic occasion and incredible event, people are beginning to stream into the nation’s capital. I attended the US Conference of Mayors and the highlight was listening to Rahm Emanuel. He issued a challenge to us Mayors. His most poignant comment was when he said, “We are currently facing the most difficult times our generation has seen. We cannot squander this opportunity.” He went on to talk about the stimulus package and how they were going to act fast, bring transparency to government and hold us all accountable. I completely understood what he meant. Too often, government funding is spent with no results. We, as Mayors, have to have meaningful, shovel-ready projects lined up to create real jobs, real infrastructure and real change in our cities.

I had the good fortune of attending a small dinner hosted by NYC Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. Chancellor Klein has been a friend since St. HOPE decided to expand into Harlem, and is a force in the Democratic Party. Attending the dinner were Katharine Weymouth (the new publisher of the Washington Post) and Mort Zuckerman (Chairman and CEO of US News and World Report). The conversation of the evening centered around education, of course. The most interesting thing to me was hearing from these two incredibly impressive media moguls how they see the role of the press in education reform. We spoke about the need for print media, editorial boards, etc. to help push important policy agendas to educate and enlighten the general public. Even when (or perhaps especially when) the policy stance might be controversial.

It was refreshing to hear how these two wanted to ensure that their news outlets were actively engaged in a positive way around the right kinds of changes in their communities!

Sunday 1.18.09

Today was the first day where I could feel the whirlwind of activities in a real way. I started off at an inaugural event hosted at the Kuwaiti Embassy by Mayor Adrian Fenty’s wife, Michelle. There, I was able to chat with legends like Don Graham, Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn (of the Washington Post), Herb Allison (the CEO of Fannie Mae), and George Stephanopoulos. Next, I went to another event hosted this time by Mayor Fenty himself to benefit the DC Public Schools. Usher, TI, Akon, Fallout Boy and a whole lot of other entertainers that I’m too old to know were there in support of the schools. It was truly inspiring to see!

After that, I headed off to Larry King, where I was asked to sit on a panel with James Carville and Kal Penn. It was a bit surreal to sit in the green room and watch Stevie Wonder, Ashford and Simpson and others walk by! The panel was lively. As Carville commented, “We’d be the beginning of a great joke… What happens when a Jew, a Cajun, and Black and an Indian all get together?” It was most interesting to hear from such a variety of perspectives what the impending inauguration meant to different people. On the way out of the studio, I had the chance to speak with Jesse Jackson and David Paterson, the Governor of NY, who both gave some sage advice on politics.

The last event of the evening was the Root Ball where I had the chance to chat briefly with Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson. The excitement emanating from both of them was palpable, and while they were both in such great spirits, I took the opportunity to extract promises from them to visit Sac!

Monday 1.19.09

My day started with the “Refresh” conference hosted by Spike Lee to focus on how to bring measurable change in the new administration. After that I headed to the Capitol for a couple of interviews including one with Bloomberg News where I talked about the economy in Sacramento and what we need to do to turn things around in the city.

I had dinner at the Phillips Collection that was hosted by Alice Waters (part of a project to have high profile chefs from around the country to celebrate the inauguration). I had the chance to meet Ms. Waters and hear about her passion for bringing great food to communities in sustainable ways. We also were entertained by poetry from Calvin Trillin who shared some of his writings on the Obama campaign.

I guess I did a decent job on Larry King because I was I was invited back again, but this time with a very different panel (Sean Combs, Seal, and Hill Harper). Before going on, I had the incredible honor of chatting with Martin Luther King III. Given the holiday, I asked him about his thoughts on the new administration. He spoke compellingly about the fact that Obama being elected was certainly a massive step forward but that the issues of race and poverty in America are far from being solved.

The last stop of the night was at the Huffington Post Party that was held at the Newseum. Folks were packed in wall to wall so it was tough to get around. I had a hilarious interview with D.L. Hughley and spoke with MC Hammer (yes, that’s right folks, the Hammer is still around!).

Tuesday 1.20.09

Inauguration Day was everything I thought and hoped it would be. Thanks to the generosity of Senator Feinstein, I had wonderful tickets to the swearing-in right on the platform. We had a heck of a time getting up to the Capitol with Secret Service having blocked off all of the roads. I was fortunate enough to have an undercover police officer recognize me and arrange for a police escort to the Senate Hart Building where I met up with other CA mayors, including Antonio Villaraigosa and Gavin Newsom. Speaker Karen Bass, Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Governor Schwarzenegger were also in attendance. Rounding out the CA contingent were Magic Johnson, Steven Spielberg, John and Sandi Thompson, Ben Jealous (new CEO of the NAACP) and Leonardo DiCaprio. I also shared a few high fives with John Cusack who, being from Chicago, was particularly invested in Obama’s campaign.

What a moving event. From where I was perched, we had a view onto the entire mall where there were people as far as the eye could see. From the Capitol all the way to the Washington Monument. It was truly astonishing. The actual ceremony was rich with tradition and ritual. It was moving to see this all happen for America’s first African-American President.

After viewing the parade, I attended a dinner hosted by Eli and Edythe Broad. Incredible speakers like Bill and Hillary Clinton, Larry Summers, Arne Duncan and others kept the evening very interesting. Everyone is focused on the gravity of the situation that President Obama has inherited and the need to move decisively but thoughtfully.

The final stop tonight was the Washington Convention Center where I attended the Neighborhood Ball, the Home State Ball and the Western Ball. All were extremely high energy. It was great to feel people from various parts of the country who had invested so much in this election to finally be able truly celebrate this victory. The camaraderie was inspiring! 

Add Comment