Mayor Moonbeam? (The LABJ's L.A. Stories).

Jerry Brown still sees things a little differently.

The Oakland mayor, who appeared with L.A. Mayor James Hahn and Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams at the Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton, gave the type of responses to questions from Milken Institute Director Ross DeVol that earned him the nickname "Governor Moonbeam" when he served as governor in the 1970s.

When Hahn and Williams each diplomatically responded to a question regarding how to encourage housing development in the urban core of their respective cities, Brown was a little more blunt in his explanation.

"First, you get gentrification, or yuppies" said Brown, who was elected to his second term as mayor last year. "Then, you get reaction to gentrification, or yuppie scum."

Later in the discussion, DeVol asked each of the mayors what they would do with $1 billion if given the opportunity to spend it on their respective cities.

"It's only a one-time thing?" asked Brown.