Something remarkable is unfolding in the mountains above our urban sprawl—something for the ages. Parcel by parcel, acre by acre, we have amassed the largest swath of protected open space of any major metropolis in the nation. Its a text-book example of collaboration between federal, state and local officials who worked hand-in-hand with grass roots groups dedicated to protecting the area from the kind of development that overtook the Hollywood Hills. For Zev Yaroslavsky, the preservation of the Santa Monica Mountains is both political and personal.

Video by John Vande Wege

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky sat down with Placido Domingo for a very special interview at the Hollywood Bowl.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky challenges us and our congressional delegation to “go to the mountain” for health care just as we’ve done for education and voting rights, which he declares a fundamental human right. Video clip is one of a series of the Sept. 3, 2009 Organizing for America event shot by Doug Drenkow, reporting for OpEdNews.

In November 2008, Measure R was approved by an amazing two-thirds majority, committing a projected $40 billion to traffic relief and transportation upgrades. The passage of Measure R was a strong sign from L.A.’s voters that they wanted to change the tenor of mobility in their region and radically improve public transportation.