Through the lens of Glen Cove and Agoura Hills, two cities facing social crisis revolving around a shaping point, this article addresses the importance of government and key interest groups developing approaches to conflict that will best move society forward while limiting the danger and costs of discord. This "tale of two cities" describes two remarkably similar situations involving day laborers and argues that one community’s choice of mediation after the commencement of litigation resulted in outcomes that addressed and satisfied a wider range of constituency interests than those realized by the community that chose litigation alone.