DIALOGUE : Next L.A. / A look at issues, people and ideas helping to shape the emerging metropolis

Will the next Los Angeles be an even bigger player on the world stage, both culturally and economically? According to Eli Broad, chairman and CEO of SunAmerica Inc., Los Angeles is poised to become “the premier city of the 21st century.” Here are excerpts of his Oct. 18 speech to members of the Urban Land Institute.

At the end of the century, we are at the cusp of dramatic cultural and economic change.

Employment at huge corporations and within the military industrial complex will play a smaller role in the Los Angeles economy. New economic drivers, including domestic and international trade and clean industries such as entertainment, high-tech and tourism, will fill the gap with high-skill, high-paying jobs. It is Los Angeles that is most capable of becoming the world hub for Pacific Rim trade. I think it’s even possible for L.A. to become the home of a national stock exchange.

Film and television have always held a very special place in Southern California culture. However, technological advances, along with changes in the regulatory environment and in the global economy, will enable the L.A-based entertainment industry to transform itself. What once was a lucrative, if eccentric, “hometown” business will become a multibillion-dollar powerhouse that will dominate the international market.

The city is home to more than 90% of workers directly or indirectly employed by the California entertainment industry. This provides a consistent, centralized source of experienced, highly skilled workers. And contrary to the belief that many of these entertainment workers are low-paid assistants, the L.A. film industry is a primary source of high-paying jobs. Wages are typically 40% higher than state averages.

The proximity of the L.A. entertainment industry to the Silicon Valley also gives it the opportunity to look beyond movies and TV to multimedia. The potential for growth in the multimedia industry is almost unlimited as more of the world gains access to personal entertainment systems.

California has more producers of electronic software, computer networking, biotechnology and advanced scientific goods and services than any other state. Developing this technology are some of the smartest, best educated workers this country has to offer. And again, many of these people live in and around our city. For example, greater Los Angeles has one of the highest concentrations of college graduates in the country.

We cannot contemplate L.A.’s past or future economy without including tourism. California is the top tourist destination in the country, and Los Angeles is the top tourist destination in the state. I would propose, however, that tourism needs to represent more than a day at Disneyland or a visit to the Venice boardwalk. To be the city of the 21st century, Los Angeles needs to develop and promote what I call “cultural tourism.”

Los Angeles needs to follow the example of New York and Paris. Cities are nothing without their culture. It is what defines our society and our future. It is said that cultural growth follows economic growth by about one or two decades. If my vision for L.A.’s economic future is accurate, it means our cultural renaissance is not far off.

However, I think we still undervalue culture in Los Angeles. There was an outpouring of public dismay when Al Davis shipped the Raiders back to Oakland. Consider, however, that a full season of professional football games at the L.A. Coliseum attracts 500,000 people. In comparison, the “American Smithsonian” traveling exhibition, which will premiere at the L.A. Convention Center in February, will likely attract more than one million people in just two weeks.

I would propose that a world-recognized urban design visionary be brought to Los Angeles to develop ideas for linking our various economic and cultural assets. It is one thing to sell ourselves on the idea that Los Angeles can be the city of the 21st century. What we need to do is develop a forum in which we can sell the idea to the rest of the world. I would propose an international exposition similar to a world’s fair, which could be held in Exposition Park. An international exhibition held near our downtown would enable us to show visitors from around the world, including business leaders, educators and international politicians, everything L.A. has to offer.

What we need to add is a kind of culture czar. This person must be able to link all of our great assets and showcase them, such as was done in New York during the 1986 Liberty Weekend, or as we did here during the Olympics. Finally, our culture czar must be able to direct the world’s attention our way, and tell our story convincingly on the world stage. Mickey Kantor, Lee Iacocca and Michael Eisner are only a few of the many capable people in the Los Angeles area who have the vision and the skills to succeed in such a role.

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