Dennis RomeroAh, President's Day.
A time to celebrate our favorite dead guys (at least the ones we can remember), bask in the glow of our empty mailboxes, and congratulate our overpaid, federal-job-having relatives for finagling yet another day without work at our expense.
But what it's really about is history: Recognizing American leadership. To that end, we bring you the most-L.A. presidents of modern times:
Nixon hits those white keys in Beverly Hills in 1962.
Richard Nixon was an Orange County boy — and the only president we know of born in California — and he owed much of his political rise to the good ole' Los Angeles Times, which threw its clout his way, without shame, until Otis Chanlder rose to become publisher and helped the paper pile on during Watergate. After that the Times wouldn't have him to kick around (or prop up) anymore.
Nixon also called his home-away-from-the-Whitehouse the Western Whitehouse, or more regionally appropriate, La Casa Pacifica, a residence by the sea in modern day San Clemente.
Of course, Nixon wasn't quite as L.A. as …
This photo comes with its own bell bottoms and Rhodes organ soundtrack.; Credit: Occidental College
Barack Obama. That's right, our current POTUS is a product of Occidental College in Eagle Rock. It would be fitting that this most diverse city in the nation would produce a president with an African, white, Indonesian and Hawaiian background. But that's not as L.A. as …
Yep, L.A. was this white not so long ago. Ronnie and Nancy on a boat in '64.
Ronald Reagan, who, of course, was an Angeleno through-and-through. A former Screen Actors Guild president, Reagan was arguably history's only true Los Angeles resident-turned-president. Now his library is right in Semi Valley, where half the LAPD lives.
After he left Washington Reagan even kept an office in Century City.
And remember, Reagan gave us free “government cheese” — the yellow variety — perfect for melting over chips and creating that most-L.A. of snacks, nachos. What could be more L.A. than that?
Bill Clinton and his predecessor.
Bill Clinton. Now we know that Clinton is not from L.A., nor has he even lived in L.A. But hear us out: First of all, Clinton was called “the first black president” for his soulful, saxophone-playing ways. How very Hollywood to have a white guy masquerading as anything else. But wait, there's more:
Tabloid scandal! Come on, getting your DNA stains all over the Oval Office? Very L.A. (right, Charlie Sheen?).
He had Mr. L.A. Warren Christopher as his Secretary of State. And he appointed all kinds of Latinos — Henry Cisneros, Federico Pena, Bill Richardson — to high-ranking jobs. Orale, Senor Presidente.
But here's the kicker:
Clinton partied like a rock star with L.A. billionaire Rob Burkle. The prez was known as a frequent flier on the Ralph's magnate's private jet. That rockets Bill to the top of the most-L.A. presidents list if you ask us.
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