Ms. Rice packed hundreds of skyscraper statistics — she calls herself a dedicated devotee, not to mention diva, of data — into a half-hour power-power presentation. Judging by the call-outs from the dozens of jammed meal tables covering most inches of the large, high-ceilinged room, she attained her goal of stimulating the crowd.

Ganging up on Gangs

The enormously energized and charismatic Ms. Rice has been in the news this month. Her 14-member research team recently produced a 1,000-page solution to presumably permanently curing the ubiquitous gang problem in America’s second largest city. Slightly more complicated than nose-pushing a peanut from Tarzana to Beijing, the plan relies on utilizing every level of local, regional and state government to work in hairsplitting coordination with each other.

Starting Out Speedily

Regarding Mr. Ridley-Thomas — speaking of charisma — he is off to a lightning start in his first term in the Sacramento Senate. Climbing from the regional leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to the Los Angeles City Council to the state Assembly to the upper chamber of the California legislature, Mr. Ridley-Thomas is making a larger splash in his backyard than a team bus full of Shamu’s. If he can gain the media coverage that often eludes first-term legislators, he may vault immediately to Sacramento’s top tier. He is a spirited, inspiring orator — sometimes preacher-style — and he has proven in the past week he is better than most at turning out tons of believing people. Following his localized version of a glamourous swearing-in ceremony last Friday morning at City Hall, he has channeled his considerable energies into sending his 6000-member Empowerment Congress soaring into the neighborhoods for a new season of tightly focused activism. Regarding Mr. Ridley-Thomas — speaking of charisma — he is off to a lightning start in his first term in the Sacramento Senate. Climbing from the regional leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to the Los Angeles City Council to the state Assembly to the upper chamber of the California legislature, Mr. Ridley-Thomas is making a larger splash in his backyard than a team bus full of Shamu’s. If he can gain the media coverage that often eludes first-term legislators, he may vault immediately to Sacramento’s top tier. He is a spirited, inspiring orator — sometimes preacher-style — and he has proven in the past week he is better than most at turning out tons of believing people. Following his localized version of a glamourous swearing-in ceremony last Friday morning at City Hall, he has channeled his considerable energies into sending his 6000-member Empowerment Congress soaring into the neighborhoods for a new season of tightly focused activism.