Felicia Marcus is the chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board. Before participating in a panel on bringing clean water to communities around the world, she talked Star Trek, her talent for identifying background noise over the phone, and why she keeps a wooden baseball bat in her car in the Zócalo green room.
What’s your hidden talent?
When I’m talking to people on the phone and there’s noise behind them, I can tell what it is, what’s happening, and where they are.
What comforts you?
My husband.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Star Trek. “The Next Generation,” to be precise. But almost all of it will do.
If you were going to be on a reality TV show, which would you choose?
The Voice. I wouldn’t do very well, but that’s my favorite one.
Where do you come up with your best ideas?
Driving.
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
Rude people.
What’s your favorite night of the week?
Thursday.
What’s your favorite off-the-beaten-path spot in L.A.?
The batting cages up at Colorado, and I think it’s Glendale. I’m just selling my car, it’s from 1987, and I hadn’t been in it in a long time, and it still had my wooden bat because I like wooden bats better than metal bats. If you have a wooden bat in your car you can go to a batting cage any time, and you have a good time.
When did you last get a traffic ticket?
Speeding in Iowa or Nebraska, going cross-country. Probably 35 years ago.
What word or phrase do you use most often?
Help me understand that.
