On Thursday evening, the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs took part in a celebration of Ed Edelman, a former leader on the Los Angeles City Council and the County Board of Supervisors.

The evening featured the upcoming documentary on Edelman – "The Passion and Politics of Ed Edelman: An Untold Story of Leadership in Los Angeles" – and a panel discussion led by Public Policy faculty member, Governor Michael Dukakis. Luskin School Associate Dean, Bill Parent, also was a featured speaker during the evening in front of a standing-room only crowd on campus.

Edelman, according to his website biography, "represented a culturally, ethnically and economically diverse constituency—Jewish, Hispanic, Asian, Korean, Filipino, African-American, as well as the gay community of West Hollywood. An empathic individual, he had a rare ability to understand and speak to these constituencies; as a result, he enjoyed remarkable popularity in each of the communities" over his 20-year term as Supervisor.

The documentary, narrated by Tom Brokaw, will air in full on PBS on Sunday at 5 p.m.

Edelman's wife, Mari, speaks with PBS before the event.

From left: Mel Rogers, President, PBS SoCal; Public Policy professor Governor Michael Dukakis; Mari Edelamn; Luskin School Associate Dean, Bill Parent.

Bill Parent speaks to the audience prior to the Ed Edelman documentary screening.

Governor Michael Dukakis led a panel discussion.

A standing-room only crowd honored Ed Edelman.

All photos by Reed Hutchinson.