Eric Garcetti

Eric Garcetti's Council District Falls from First to 11th In New Jobs Report

L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti has been patching up some old wounds from the campaign recently. First, he sat down to lunch with Maria Elena Durazo, the head of the L.A. County Federation of Labor. Then yesterday, he had breakfast with the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce. Both had backed Wendy Greuel d ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Wants "Transformational Executive" To Run Economic Policy, Confidential Job Description Reveals

Mayor Eric Garcetti is almost 100 days into his administration, but he has yet to fill one of the most important jobs in his cabinet -- deputy mayor for economic development. Job creation is the top item on Garcetti's agenda, and so his office has hired a headhunter to do a global search for the per ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Wants To Make DWP Training Institute Records Public, But Can He?

Mayor Eric Garcetti said he was shocked last week after learning that the L.A. Department of Water and Power cannot account for $40 million it has spent on two labor-management training institutes.Though Garcetti voted to fund the trusts while on the city council -- and probably should have known ab ... More >>

Mayor Garcetti to Set Up Shop on an Eastside Sidewalk (Really)

After his first summer in office, it has become clear that Eric Garcetti is a different kind of municipal leader. He actually uses Twitter (and, guys, KPCC is on it). He once tried out Google Glass (and wisely refused to be photographed while wearing the device -- too cool). He established the mayo ... More >>

Eric Garcetti And Labor Leader Maria Elena Durazo Patch Up Old Wounds Over Lunch

Mayor Eric Garcetti and Maria Elena Durazo had their differences during the recent campaign. Durazo, the head of the L.A. County Federation of Labor, blasted "Garcetti's dishonesty" on pensions, and attacked him for refusing to back a $15 minimum wage for hotel workers.But now that the campaign ... More >>

Mayor Garcetti Reports For Jury Duty

Updated at the bottom: Garcetti came, he saw, he conquered. First posted at 11:59 a.m. Last month Mayor Eric Garcetti said he'd be quitting his active service in the U.S. Naval Reserve by the end of the year. See also: Mayor Eric Garcetti To End Active Service in U.S. Naval Reserve. Turns out lea ... More >>

NFL Team "Not A Priority," Adviser To L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti Says

Rick Jacobs, Mayor Eric Garcetti's deputy chief of staff, is on vacation in Croatia. But that doesn't mean he's not interested in making a little news.In an interview with Dalmatia News, Jacobs got on the topic of L.A.'s never-ending quest for an NFL team. According to Jacobs, landing a team is ... More >>

Brian D'Arcy Is the Worst Political Strategist In Los Angeles

Brian D'Arcy is the worst political strategist in Los Angeles. D'Arcy is the head of IBEW Local 18, the once-formidable union that represents 90 percent of the employees at the L.A. Department of Water and Power. Those employees are taking it on the chin this week, thanks largely to D'Arcy's politic ... More >>

Mayor Eric Garcetti Trumpets Victory On New Contract With DWP Workers

Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced the first significant accomplishment of his young administration, a new contract with the Department of Water and Power union. The deal, which was largely worked out before Garcetti took office in July, freezes utility workers' salaries for three years and establi ... More >>

Mayor Eric Garcetti Vowed Transparency, But Withholds Candid Assessments Of City Operations

Mayor Eric Garcetti has been in office for little more than a month, and already he's starting to lose some of that new-mayor glow. One of his first acts in office was to undertake a review of the city's departments, asking all general managers to reapply for their jobs and submit memos detailing th ... More >>

L.A. Pothole Repair "Blitz" For Nation's Worst Roads

Our relationship with City Hall often comes down to the little things. The things that affect us everyday. Like potholes. They're a perennial top pick for voters' biggest beef with local government. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa once vowed to fill a million potholes and surpassed that, but L.A. still ... More >>

Al Sharpton's Trayvon Martin Protest May Wreck Eric Garcetti's Plan to Leave Town

Today, Mayor Eric Garcetti called for Trayvon Martin demonstrators to "practice peace," with LAPD chief Charlie Beck and numerous African American leaders joining Garcetti at a press conference in South Los Angeles. The mayor is hoping that street protests will calm in the coming days, but the Rev ... More >>

Economist Tells Eric Garcetti That Much Of His Jobs Agenda Is Misguided

Because he can read polls, new Mayor Eric Garcetti has made jobs his top priority. So it must have been dispiriting to get a briefing Wednesday from an economist who told him that the key elements of his economic agenda are misguided.Garcetti asked for the briefing from Christopher Thornberg of Beac ... More >>

As He Is Sworn In, Mayor Eric Garcetti Is Still Trying To Discover Himself

As Mayor Eric Garcetti comes into office today, most Angelenos are still getting to know him. Despite nearly two years of campaigning, his public image remains indistinct. In part, that's because voters aren't paying close attention. But it's also because Garcetti hasn't really decided who he i ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Will Be the Boy Scout Mayor: No Limos or $500 Wine

Antonio Villaraigosa's Staff Down To A Skeleton Crew As Garcetti Seeks Near-Total Turnover

Outgoing mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has kept up a full schedule in the waning days of his administration. He has repeatedly said that he will keep working until his term ends at 11:59 and 59 seconds on the night of Sunday, June 30.The same, however, cannot be said for his staff. The mayor's people h ... More >>

Eric Garcetti's Chief of Staff Has Organizing Background, Longstanding Link To His Wife

Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti has selected Ana Guerrero, a former community organizer who has worked in his council office for the last dozen years, to be his chief of staff.Guerrero's history with Garcetti dates back to 1999, when she worked alongside his wife (then partner), Amy Wakeland. Guerrero and ... More >>

Raves Should Be Able to Return to L.A. Coliseum, Garcetti Says

When he takes office in a few weeks, Eric Garcetti will become L.A.'s first EDM mayor. EDM stands for electronic dance music, for those of you who don't know. You see, Garcetti is hip. He's the only mayoral candidate in our memory to hold a fund-raiser in a superclub (Avalon Hollywood) with a super ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Does 'Ask Me Anything' on Reddit Tonight

There are still a few weeks until Eric Garcetti takes office as the top dog in City Hall. And still, he's an eager and brave man, willing to put his feet to the fire and face his toughest critics. Journalists? you ask. No. Union leaders? Nope. The abuelitas of the Eastside? No, señor. Garcetti wil ... More >>

Transition Drama: After Delay, Eric Garcetti Confirms He Will Attend Antonio Villaraigosa's Goodbye Party

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's goodbye party has sparked some transition drama this week with Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti.As we reported last week, Villaraigosa is throwing himself a big, $265,000 bash at Grand Park on Friday night, with special guests Ryan Seacrest, Wanda Sykes and Bill Clinton, and wi ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Won Westchester In A Landslide, Now LAX Neighbors Want Action To Stop Runway Move

Eric Garcetti did poorly in Westchester in the March primary, finishing third behind Kevin James and Wendy Greuel. But in the runoff, he came out against moving the LAX north runway. That changed everything.Garcetti won 69% of the Westchester vote last Tuesday -- far outpacing his 54% showing citywi ... More >>

Attention City Hall Job-Seekers: Eric Garcetti Appoints Transition Chief, Sets Up Job Application Web Form

So you want to work in Eric Garcetti's administration, but you don't know who to talk to? We're here to help. Today, the mayor-elect announced that his transition team will be led by Rich Llewellyn, a longtime adviser.Llewellyn is a City Hall veteran who served as Garcetti's first chief of staff at ... More >>

Eric Garcetti, The Boy Mayor of Los Angeles

Eric Garcetti, 42, will be the youngest mayor of Los Angeles in 100 years. At 42, he's not quite as fresh-faced as he was when he ran for City Council at the ripe age of 29. But he's still young enough to pop-and-lock and play keyboards with Moby.The "boy mayor" has a long history in urban poli ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Poised For Victory In L.A. Mayor's Race

After nearly two years of campaigning, Councilman Eric Garcetti is poised for victory in the race for L.A. mayor. Just before midnight Tuesday, Garcetti addressed a cheering crowd of at least 2,000 supporters at the Hollywood Palladium, saying that while the final tally was not yet known, "this is s ... More >>

Why Laura Chick -- Not Wendy Greuel -- Would Have Beaten Eric Garcetti for Mayor

The wrong city controller ran against Eric Garcetti. As current Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel's run for mayor ended in defeat, one can't help but think that Laura Chick, the hard-charging, plainspoken controller between 2001 and 2009, would have mopped the floor with Garcetti. "There is ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Wins Mayor's Race By Rebuilding The Villaraigosa Coalition, Plus San Fernando Valley Republicans

Eric Garcetti was elected mayor of Los Angeles on Tuesday, reassembling the coalition of Westsiders and Latinos that carried Antonio Villaraigosa into office eight years ago.But as this L.A. Times map shows, Garcetti also carried the northwest San Fernando Valley, a largely Republican area that Vill ... More >>

5 Interesting Reasons People at Eric Garcetti's Victory Party Voted for Him

By Kate Stephanus Eric Garcetti's victory party last night at the Hollywood Palladium drew hipsters, activists and campaign pros -- along with a few people who had, shall we say, more unusual reasons for lending their support. Some of these partygoers had a lot to say about the issues they were c ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Wendy Greuel Early Election Results: Greuel Ahead for L.A. Mayor

Update at 11 p.m.: Eric Garcetti pulls ahead in the count. Details at bottom. Update: Wendy Greuel clings to tiniest of leads at 10:30 pm. Updated at bottom. Updated at bottom to explain that the city election web site's confusing "7.52 percent reporting" is wildly misleading. Far far more vote ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Leads Wendy Greuel in L.A. Mayoral Election, Exit Poll Predicts Garcetti

With inexorably slow vote-counting underway by Los Angeles city officials, Eric Garcetti has pulled in front of Wendy Greuel and a local college exit polls is predicting a Garcetti win. Garcetti's lead is not huge, but the all-important "trend" of the count tonight has benefited Garcetti with each ... More >>

Decrying TV Attacks, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Gives A Boost To Wendy Greuel

So much for staying neutral. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has said that he would not get involved in the campaign to succeed him, saying he wants to maintain good relations with both Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti.But if we know one thing about this guy, it's that he's constitutionally incapable of st ... More >>

Wendy Greuel Heads To Hollywood To Challenge Eric Garcetti's Turnaround Claim

Wendy Greuel attacked Eric Garcetti on his home turf today, challenging his jobs figures and blaming him for a recent spike in rapes, which she called the "dirty little secret" of Hollywood."It's one of the most dangerous places for women in the city, something Mr. Garcetti seems to be ignoring," Gr ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Up 7 Points In New Mayoral Poll; Mike Feuer Has Commanding Advantage In City Attorney Race

Eric Garcetti has a 7-point lead over Wendy Greuel in the race for L.A. mayor with just four days to go before the runoff election, according to a new USC/L.A. Times poll out this evening. The results:Garcetti 48Greuel 41The margin of error is 4.4%, and 11% remain undecided.The poll also gives Mike ... More >>

Dead Heat: Wendy Greuel Up By One Point In New Mayoral Poll

Updated below. Campaign finance figures show Greuel is running on empty. A new poll in the L.A. mayor's race shows Wendy Greuel up by one point over Eric Garcetti, a sign that her campaign's decision to spend $1.4 million on an unusually early TV ad blitz may have paid off.The poll, by the Pat ... More >>

Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti Stop Hesitating and Support Parent Trigger

It took a while, but Los Angeles mayoral hopefuls Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel finally met with parents and students on Monday at Los Angeles Unified's chronically failing 24th Street Elementary School, where the district's first "Parent Trigger" took place. The Parent Trigger, which is viewed as ... More >>

Eric Garcetti's Solyndra: As CODA Declares Bankruptcy, Little Hope Seen Of Recouping L.A.'s Investment

CODA Automotive filed for bankruptcy this week, reigniting a controversy over whether the City of Los Angeles should have pledged $1 million to lure the electric car-maker from Santa Monica.Councilman Eric Garcetti, a candidate for mayor, spearheaded the relocation in 2011, saying it would bring 500 ... More >>

Eric Garcetti Has One-Point Lead in Mayor's Race, According To DWP Union's New Poll

Eric Garcetti has a one-point lead in the race for L.A. mayor, according to a new poll issued by Working Californians, the DWP union-backed campaign supporting Wendy Greuel.The poll found Garcetti leading 39% to Greuel's 38%, with 23% still undecided. The margin of error is 3.7%.The Greuel campaign ... More >>

Sexism in L.A. Mayor's Race? EMILY's List Accused of Demeaning Women

When Wendy Greuel launched her bid to become the first female mayor of Los Angeles, it was probably inevitable that charges of sexism would arise during the campaign. What would have been harder to predict is that those allegations would come from Greuel's opponent. But in the last week, allies of ... More >>

Eric Garcetti, Wonky Idealist, Vows To Get "Back To Basics" In New TV Ad

One of the continuing wonders of the L.A. mayor's race is watching Eric Garcetti -- the silicon-coated, Donald Shoup-reading, fair-trade-smartphone-toting utopian -- recasting himself as the "back to basics" candidate. What's even more amazing is that Wendy Greuel -- who built a career on potho ... More >>

A Mayor Spying for the Military? Why Eric Garcetti Should Not Reenlist in the Navy

Updated at the bottom: A government ethics expert has tough questions about how Lieutenant Mayor Eric Garcetti could wear two hats. What is Los Angeles mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti thinking? Garcetti says that if elected mayor of the country's second largest city -- which is broke, has crumblin ... More >>

Eric Garcetti's 2009 E-mail To Union Boss Brian D'Arcy Shows Cozier Relationship

In his campaign for L.A. mayor, Councilman Eric Garcetti has made a lot of hay out of his opponent's labor allies. Brian D'Arcy, the head of the DWP union, has raised $2.7 million to support Controller Wendy Greuel and run attack ads against Garcetti."This is a record for a mayor's race," Garcetti s ... More >>

Wendy Greuel TV Ad Attacks Eric Garcetti's Support For Digital Billboards, Which She Also Voted For

Wendy Greuel launched a TV attack ad this morning, faulting her rival in the race for L.A. mayor for his support for a controversial settlement allowing hundreds of digital billboards.However, Greuel also voted for the 2006 settlement with Clear Channel Outdoor and CBS Outdoor when the issue came be ... More >>

Traffic Experts Crap All Over Eric Garcetti's Million-Dollar Gridlock Prize

At Thursday's mayoral debate, Councilman Eric Garcetti suggested offering a $1 million prize to whoever can solve L.A.'s traffic problems.You might think that traffic experts would be excited about that. But you would be wrong."The solution to L.A.'s traffic problem is a political issue," said Marti ... More >>

Wendy Greuel And Eric Garcetti Debate, But Expected Fight On Education Fizzles

Mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti met on Thursday night for their first one-on-one debate. But on the hot topic of the week -- education reform -- an expected confrontation fizzled.Greuel did challenge Garcetti on the issue, but she passed up an opportunity to put Garcetti on the def ... More >>

24th Street Elementary Pulling Parent Trigger, Despite Eric Garcetti's Condescending Attitude

The Parent Trigger at 24th Street Elementary School in West Adams keeps chugging along -- despite what L.A. mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti thinks about it. Today, Latino and African American parents at 24th Street Elementary will vote to ratify who will operate their kids' school next year. They h ... More >>

Street Artist Bubblehead Says L.A. Mayoral Election Matters, Makes Art to Inspire Voting

About one in five of you typically votes in a city election like the one coming May 21. It's kind of not a big deal, at least to y'all. One street artist, Bubblehead, is hoping to change your minds about that with a series of pieces put up around town this month:

Two New Polls Show Dead Heat In Mayor's Race; But Are They Believable?

Today we have two new polls in the L.A. mayor's race, and both show Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel in a statistical dead heat.The Garcetti campaign dismissed the numbers, while the Greuel campaign embraced them as a sign that she has "momentum" following her second-place finish in the March 5 primar ... More >>

New Eric Garcetti Super PAC May Not Be So Super: Committee Has Modest Fundraising Goals

A new super PAC has formed to support Eric Garcetti in the May 21 mayoral runoff. The Committee for a Safer Los Angeles filed paperwork this week to start raising money.The committee is being organized by Brian Van Riper, the consultant who ran Joe Buscaino's San Pedro-area City Council campaign. So ... More >>

Herb Wesson's Fiscal Commission Stacked With Wendy Greuel Supporters

L.A. Council President Herb Wesson today officially unveiled a new "L.A. 2020" Commission tasked with wading through L.A.'s finances and developing some recommendations to keep the city out of bankruptcy court.Though the commission's chair, Mickey Kantor, has said repeatedly that the commission will ... More >>

L.A. County Labor Fed Backs Wendy Greuel, Asks Eric Garcetti To Lay Off Anti-Union Remarks

The L.A. County Federation of Labor today officially threw its support behind Controller Wendy Greuel in the race for L.A. mayor. The Fed's endorsement -- a foregone conclusion since last week's political committee vote -- should provide Greuel a strong get-out-the-vote operation, which could b ... More >>