He took the bar exam 4 times, flunked all of them.
He is past prez of the CA ACLU
He is a former union activist.
This is merely a stepping stone.
I live in LA, fortunately(unfortunately during Riordan's 8 years) the Mayor in LA has very little power.
Didn't graduate from UCLA either, from what I have read.
The guy was wallpaper for 4 years, serving nobody.