Los Angeles

LA Mayor Eric Garcetti Sworn in for Second Term

Garcetti won in a landslide in March.

Mayor Eric Garcetti was sworn in for a second term Saturday during a ceremony outside City Hall, along with other city officials also victorious in recent elections.

Also sworn in with Garcetti were City Attorney Mike Feuer, City Controller Ron Galperin and City Council members Gil Cedillo, Bob Blumenfield, Paul Koretz, Monica Rodriguez, Curren Price, Mike Bonin, Mitch O'Farrell and Joe Buscaino.

A crowd estimated at about 2,500 people attended the ceremony, preceded in the late afternoon by "L.A.-centric performances'' featuring actor George Takei, radio music director and host Jason Bentley, opera and concert singer Angel Joy Blue, UCLA's Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance and the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

In his inauguration speech, Garcetti outlined his first-term efforts to battle crime, upgrade public transportation, raise graduation rates, aid the homeless, encourage the arts, attract more conventions, improve the business climate, repair crumbling neighborhoods and infrastructure and push to bring the 2024 or 2028 Summer Olympics to Los Angeles.

"Most days of most weeks, we toil away inside this hall behind me,'' Garcetti said from a lecturn in front of the City Hall steps. "We count our progress in tallied votes and measured gains. We mark our plans by the week and the month.

"But the gardener takes a longer view at the start of the year than in the days of the harvest," Garcetti said. "So today, let us set our eyes on a farther horizon. Today, we stand outside the hall. We can see a good deal more. We can see our city.''

Garcetti's oath of office was administered by his mother, Sukey Garcetti, who was introduced by his wife, Amy Elaine Wakeland.

Garcetti's father -- former Los Angeles County District Attorney Gil Garcetti -- was in the audience, camera in hand.

Garcetti faced 10 opponents in his re-election bid, but none with any significant name recognition or financial resources, and he won in a March primary landslide.

Incumbents Feuer, Galperin and Blumenfield ran unopposed as well, while Koretz, Price, Buscaino and O'Farrell bested challengers in the March primary election.

Cedillo was forced into a May runoff but easily defeated challenger Joe Bray-Ali.

Rodriguez, a former member of the Board of Public Works, beat Karo Torossian, a staffer for Councilman Paul Krekorian, in the 7th Council District election in the May runoff.

The 7th District has been unrepresented since former Councilman Felipe Fuentes stepped down in September to become a lobbyist, but Rodriguez will not get a chance to cast any votes for her district for a few weeks because the City Council is on a recess through July 21.

Garcetti's term is for 5 1/2 years instead of the standard four years because of a change in election dates approved by voters in 2015.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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