Jun 5, 2025
While Washington implodes and other cities resist, Riverside, CA Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson is moving ahead with an ambitious tech agenda — and battling youth homelessness in her city.
“I feel positive about the direction California is taking,” says Riverside, CA Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson, our guest this week on How To Really Run A City. In the wake of reduced support from Washington, D.C., she optimistically declares, “We’ll find our way forward. We’ll keep fighting.”
In this episode, former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed joins guest host Scranton, PA Mayor Paige Cognetti, fresh off a stunning primary win.
“I think a local leader’s superpower is empathy,” Reed says. “You have to feel what they feel.”
“You can’t ever lose that feeling of being a constituent yourself,” Lock Dawson concurred.
Join us for a special episode about being a woman in office, mirroring the best qualities of your citizens and building a vibrant, growing city despite the politics in Washington. Remember to subscribe to the podcast to keep up on all the latest episodes. You can even watch the conversation play out on YouTube.
As cities go, so goes the nation!