Reflections on 25 Years of Public Service

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25-years-of-service Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas sat down with ABC 7 Eyewitness News anchor Marc Brown to reflect on his 25 years in public service, vowing to continue working to address homelessness and other issues affecting the people of Los Angeles County.

img_2895About 300 people attended the event hosted by the University of Southern California, in partnership with the Empowerment Congress, at Town and Gown. LA City Councilman Curren Price, Inglewood Mayor James Butts and Compton Mayor Aja Brown were among the guests, along with former Mayor Richard Riordan and former LA City Council members Mike Woo and Wendy Greuel.

Also in attendance were civic and community leaders who have worked with the Supervisor over the decades on a variety of projects, including the opening of the Martin Luther King. Jr. Community Hospital, the return of the Rams to Los Angeles, and the creation of a Civilian Oversight Commission for the Sheriff’s Department.

USC President C.L. Max Nikias and Cassandra Chase  of the Empowerment Congress paid tribute to the Supervisor in their remarks, and the Reverent Cecil “Chip” Murray delivered the invocation.

25-years-of-service-2Mark Ridley-Thomas was first elected to public office in 1991 and served on the Los Angeles City Council for nearly a dozen years, departing as Council President pro Tempore. He later served two terms in the California State Assembly, where he chaired the Assembly Democratic Caucus. Afterwards, he  served the 26th District in the California State Senate where he chaired the Senate’s Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development. In 2008, he was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

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