Ask A Genius 1221: Rick’s Trump Distraction
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/12/22
Rick Rosner: Eight years ago, Trump got elected, and I thought that sucked, so I wanted to do something. I wanted to get involved in some way with politics, even though I’ve sucked at politics before. Also, sometime during the Trump administration, I hooked up with this Kevin guy who was pitching a series about the highest scorers on the Mega Test. Among the people he was looking at, I was probably the least insane, but I’d also been pretty boring lately. So, I needed something to do to add some interest.
I thought I’d kill two birds: try to get involved with politics on a tiny level and have something to do for documentary purposes. So, I ran for the Studio City Neighborhood Council. About 20 years ago, the San Fernando Valley, which is half of Los Angeles, was threatening to secede because they felt like they weren’t getting enough attention from the city. In order to mollify the various parts of LA, the city formed 99 neighborhoods, each with its own neighborhood council.
The councils don’t have much power—they’re mostly advisory. But I got elected with, like, 60 or 70 votes to my neighborhood council. I served for a couple of years. Then the next time I ran, I didn’t get re-elected, which is fine. I stayed on a committee, which is also fine, because we meet once a month for an hour. We vote on some stuff, and it lets me stay a little involved. I get to hear some inside scoop about what’s happening with the city.
So that’s the deal. The documentary still hasn’t come to fruition, but it might someday.
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