Nearly 30 years after the Northridge earthquake led to the collapse of a portion of the Santa Monica (10) Freeway, Angelenos again find themselves dealing with detours, alternative transportation options and headache-inducing longer commutes, as another section of the 10 Freeway is shut down indefinitely after sustaining significant damages from a probable arson fire.
Just as in 1994, when Angelenos watched to see if then-Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan would get the collapsed freeway rebuilt quickly, residents of greater L.A. are looking to Mayor Karen Bass to demonstrate leadership in getting the 10 Freeway near downtown L.A. reopened as soon as possible.
An estimated 300,000 people use the 10 Freeway daily, relying on it to get to and from work and school, and to help transport goods to and from the ports of L.A. and Long Beach to the rest of the country.
How Bass responds to this moment could potentially become a defining moment of her administration.
“Isn’t this a wonderful test for her? We’re all going to find out her ability as a leader. … This is a great opportunity for her to show leadership and to rise to the occasion,” said veteran political consultant Joel Fox.
Many credited Riordan for getting the collapsed 10 Freeway near Culver City rebuilt in record time after the Northridge earthquake – a feat which even Bass alluded to after fire damaged the freeway over the weekend.
Under Riordan, the destroyed part of the 10 Freeway was rebuilt in 66 days.
Fox, who was policy director during Riordan’s gubernatorial campaign in 2001, recalled his former boss using the earthquake recovery effort as a major talking point while on the campaign trail.
“He used his leadership role in fixing up the freeway as a prime example of his effectiveness,” said Fox, adding that how Bass handles the current Freeway 10 closure could become a campaign talking point – good or bad – should she decide to run for reelection or any other office in the future.
In remarks over the past few days, Bass has suggested she understands the gravity of the situation and the urgency the moment demands – while not compromising on safety.
“Losing this stretch of the 10 Freeway will take time and money from people’s lives and businesses,” Bass said during a late afternoon press conference on Monday.
“Whether you are talking about traveling to and from work, or your child-care plans and the flow of goods of commerce, we know that this will disrupt the lives of Angelenos,” she continued. “But we will not settle for anything other than a rebuilding, a repairing plan, that prioritizes safety and gets our freeways up and running.”
Robin Kramer, who served as a deputy mayor under Riordan during the 1994 Northridge earthquake, said one similarity between her former boss and the current mayor is their willingness to dive in to respond to a crisis.
In a situation such as a longterm freeway closure, Kramer said, it’s important to ascertain not just the impact on commuters, but to local businesses and residents.
“The way that Mayor Riordan got at this was to listen, was to go and hear and listen. From what I’ve observed of Mayor Bass, this is her natural way – to go and listen and observe on the ground. She goes and gets into it,” Kramer said.
Persistence, focus and the ability to come up with new ways of doing business to cut through red tape are also critical qualities to have in a leader at moments of crises, Kramer said.
She recalled how, after the Northridge earthquake, Riordan recommended a more efficient and cost-effective way to expedite review processes for construction projects and advocated to give bonuses to contractors who finished jobs on time or early, and on budget or under budget.
Many who knew Riordan described him as someone with little tolerance for bureaucracy – a leader who would ignore normal protocols to get things done more expeditiously. And if that meant ruffling some feathers and seeking forgiveness after the fact, so be it.
Compare that to L.A.’s current mayor, who is known as a consensus-builder and whose rallying cry involves “locking arms” with people.
Fox, who said he’s spoken to Bass a couple of times, said the current mayor “doesn’t have the same personality as (Mayor) Riordan.”
But as far as leading Angelenos through this latest crisis?
“She has a tough enough personality to get the job done,” Fox said.