We'll have to marshal our forces in Washington. It won't be easy. That doesn't mean it can't be done.

He and his older sister Shimona (married name: Kushner) were the children of Jewish immigrants from Russia and grew up in a Zionist household in Boyle Heights. Yaroslavsky’s 1975 election to the City Council’s 5th District on Los Angeles’ Westside stunned the city’s political establishment which had supported his opponent Frances M.

Yaroslavsky served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 to 1994. He has been active in the areas of transportation the environment health care and cultural affairs. He was first elected to the board in 1994.