As emergency manager of the City of Detroit from March 2013 to December of 2014, Orr oversaw the largest and most complicated municipal bankruptcy proceeding in the nation’s history. He helped the city restructure $18 billion in debt, reduce overall debt by $7 billion, as well as implement a $1.7 billion revitalization plan for city services.

Raphael Bostic, director of the USC Bedrosian Center who led the discussion with Orr, noted that many cities – including Los Angeles – should heed the warning and example set by Detroit.