Everything is uncertain at LA City Hall. LA’s Mayor Eric Michael Garcetti is competing again for an administerial post in Joe Biden’s government, this time around as ambassador of the US to India. So, bureaucrats, activists, politicians and the like are wondering what the mayor’s exit possibly means for LA and the city’s most pressing problems.
A premature departure could put the race for Garcetti’s replacement election in 2022 in a new order. It may trigger one more race out of the public’s view for the interim mayor’s post, which would be the Los Angeles Council’s decision.
An official from the White House told the LA Times that Eric Garcetti is shortlisted for the administerial post. President Joe Biden’s next set of US ambassador nominees will come soon, said a press officer recently.
The mayoral situation has infused a fresh source of uncertainty into an administration that was becoming stable after a COVID-19-induced upheaval year. Many of Los Angeles’s natives have been receiving vaccinations, plus a big federal funding infusion retrieved LA from the edge of financial collapse.
There are still many issues. Activists hell-bent on addressing police brutality still press LA’s leaders to move money from the LAPD to US social services. Meanwhile, a judge in a big case about the LAC and the city’s handling of the homelessness issue ordered elected officials to provide housing or shelter to all homeless people by mid-October.
The present mayor may be exiting, so a few of the toughest decisions could be postponed, said political commentator Eric Hacopian. As for Hacopian, it is a destabilizing situation up to the time Garcetti clarifies whether or not he is leaving the city mayor’s post.
Garcetti, with a term until December next year, was among the Joe Biden supporters in the 2020 US Presidential Election. Some months before, he said that he chose against taking an unspecified administerial post, and that staying as LA’s mayor was more important in the peak-pandemic period.
Anyhow, of late, he has not openly eliminated the idea. On the other hand, Garcetti’s administration is going through major changes.
Rich Llewellyn, Los Angeles’s City Administrative Officer and one of Garcetti’s long-time advisors, disclosed her intention to retire. Eric Garcetti chose a highly-ranked aide, his former spokesperson Matt Szabo as Llewellyn’s replacement. Simultaneously, some of his city commission members have been considering whether a mayoral exit could cause their ouster.
Beyond City Hall, a few critics have indicated that the situation of the LA mayor moving on would not make them unhappy.
Matthew Umhofer, the complainant in the recent federal lawsuit over homelessness, stated that his clientele regards Garcetti as someone who supports their objectives less than a few of the city’s councilors.
In the event an executive void exists, then the US legislative side is highly likely to step in, said Umhofer.
If Eric Garcetti is chosen for an ambassadorial post, then he would become the first Los Angeles mayor in over 100 years to leave before his term completes. Charles Sebastian was the one who did it before as a newspaper featured the letters that expressed the love for his mistress.
Angelinos elected Garcetti as the city mayor for the first time in 2013 following years of service as a city councilor. Former LAC District Attorney Gil Garcetti’s son was elected again four years later to serve 1½ years more than the standard 4 due to an election date change.
If Garcetti exits before his term’s completion, the Los Angeles City Council would be authorized to appoint a replacement for the days remaining in his mayoral term. The city council’s president would be that acting mayor up to the time that interim choice is made.
Besides, the Los Angeles City Charter also offers the city council the capability of calling a snap election. Anyhow, it is likely to be an expensive election if it is not combined with other races, like the Gavin Newsom recall election.
To further complicate matters, the usually scheduled US city election, in this case, the one in June next year, would possibly come months after any snap election.
Behind closed doors, a candidate member list has come out for the interim mayor’s post, including Councilperson Paul Krekorian and the President of the city council Nury Martinez. LA’s councilors might be reluctant to add somebody to the interim candidate list if they feel that that individual would utilize it for help with a new mayoral campaign.
LA councilor Joe Buscaino and attorney Mike Feuer have already got into next year’s mayoral race. Meanwhile, at least 4 other councilors, including Nury Martinez, are considering the idea.
An aide stated that Nury Martinez plans on governing, instead of speculating regarding the future. As per the LA City Council’s Sophie Gilchrist, Martinez is concentrating on ensuring a leadership that our communities deserve – no matter what her role is.
Further, one of Paul Krekorian’s spokesmen, Tom Waldman, stated that speculating about a non-existent political vacancy is slightly premature.
When the need arises, Waldman is certain that the councilor would be open to serving in any capacity that best allows LA to do the following things.
- Come out of the epidemic
- Turn the economy around
- Make opportunity for everyone
- Tackle homelessness
- Bring back those core services that Angelinos deserve
If President Biden chooses LA’s present mayor for that post, then there would be no need for the council to discover an immediate replacement. Garcetti’s appointment confirmation would have to come from the Senate first, which possibly takes weeks or even months to happen.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations would accept and send the nomination to the Senate, where there would be a need for over half of the senators’ votes for approval. Anyhow, even one senate member is likely to put the vote on hold, thus blocking a confirmation in effect.
If the individual is competent enough or a careers officer, then they would usually be officially approved, said the American Academy of Diplomacy’s president Ronald Neumann.