Mayor-Elect Eric Garcetti Attends Memorial Day Tribute In Boyle Heights
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti Monday attended a Memorial Day event in the heart of East Los Angeles.
The 24-hour patriotic vigil -- now in its 66th year -- began at 10 a.m. on Sunday at the Cinco Puntos All Wars Memorial.
As a reservist in the Navy, Garcetti attended in full uniform. He told CBS2's Dave Lopez that he has attended the vigil for years in honor of his grandfather who served in World War II.
Garcetti took the occasion to say that it's time Los Angeles treat returning veterans with more respect and make it easier for them to acclimate back into society.
"This is not a city that should allow a veteran to come home from war and sleep under a bridge. This is not a city that should allow a veteran to come home and not be able to get into classes,"
he said.
Garcetti said he planned to implement a veteran's affairs office to offer assistance. He said the plan has already been approved by the city council.
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