LABJ FORUM – Out on the Street

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LABJ FORUM – Out on the Street

The state’s best-known out-of-work citizen has a pretty good resume: a Stanford undergraduate with a law degree from Columbia, top aide to chief executive, chief fiscal officer of a multi-billion dollar operation and chief executive of the fifth-largest economy in the world. But many employers look at a prospective hire’s most recent experience, which for Gray Davis, would be his defeat in the Oct. 7 recall election. So the Business Journal asks:

Now that he’s unemployed, would you hire Gray Davis?

Sean McCarthy

President

Jackson McCarthy & Associates Inc.

I would. Forget what he did in Sacramento. He knows people and is familiar with the way California operates and he has an understanding that very few people have. I would consider him to be a very good candidate. From Tom Bradley to Dick Riordan to Al Gore, firms have found places for them to contribute. I would hope he could still continue to be able to use his expertise to benefit his clients.

Richard Perris

Owner

Crown City Hardware Co.

No. I don’t think he’d be competent running a company when he wasn’t competent in running the government, which is essentially a huge company. I understand his management of his own people was very poor and that too would be required to work for me. That doesn’t mean he isn’t good at other things. But he is someone who needs to be supervised and I do not want to be that person. There are very few people that I would hire that haven’t worked in the private sector.

Darius Sankey

Partner

Zone Ventures

He’s someone who had to deal with a lot of regulatory issues regarding energy and telecom. In this day and age, that means he would bring a valuable skill set to the table. And he’s had to deal with lots of governance issues, and any company that has to deal with this would find him valuable.

Lisa Hughes

Partner

Steinbrun Hughes Executive Search

He’s definitely place-able. The biggest obstacle is getting clarity around what he wants to do. Anyone who wants to get government contracts would hire him. After managing the fifth-largest economy in the world, he should be able to get a job in management. I would say the world is his oyster. I think he’ll have some obstacles, but as a political master, he should be able to find a way to spin this.

Jessie Singh

Owner and Manager

Electric Lotus Restaurant

No. He failed the economy of California and brought it down to the ground. Why would I hire him to do the same for my business?

Vic Pallos

Spokesman

Glendale Unified School District

If Gray Davis were to get a teaching credential, we would certainly look at him and assess his qualifications, particularly as a high school history or government teacher. To have somebody of Davis’ stature in the classroom as living history, our students would have an opportunity that few students have.

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