The mayor : how I turned around Los Angeles after riots, an earthquake and the O.J. Simpson murder trial / Richard J. Riordan, with Patrick Range McDonald.

Tough enough to turn L.A. around? -- Why I am who I am -- The great adventure -- Success, tragedy, and politics -- L.A. nears the brink -- Running to save L.A. -- Winning -- Empowering Los Angeles -- Getting things done -- Chaos before order -- Shaking up the status quo -- The reform mayor -- L.A. turns around -- "If not me, who? If not now, when?" -- Epilogue.

Elected with the campaign slogan "Tough enough to turn L.A. around," Richard J. Riordan made good on his promise to voters and returned Los Angeles to its former glory. In this thought-provoking memoir, Riordan reveals the personal tragedies and life events that informed him as a visionary leader, and how policies of empowerment and compassionate pragmatism can lead the United States into a brighter future.