Eric Garcetti Sworn In As LA's 42nd Mayor
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Eric Garcetti is now Mayor Eric Garcetti.
The former City Council member took his public oath of office as the 42nd mayor of the city of Los Angeles on the steps of City Hall. Ceremonial swearing-ins also took place for Ron Galperin as controller, Mike Feuer as city attorney, and eight members of the City Council, including six newcomers.
The swearing-in ceremony was followed by an outdoor inaugural party described by 42-year-old Garcetti as a "party in the park" at Grand Park where he is expected to join supporters. Those festivities will kick off at 7 p.m. with a performance by Moby.
Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was also master of ceremonies.
Garcetti's teams discusses Inaugural Events
"There's no black-tie gala tonight. We're having a party in the park with carnival games. We want this to be a day to celebrate LA, not a bunch of politicians," Yusef Robb, Garcetti's spokesman, told KNX 1070's Bob Brill.
The public is invited to both the inauguration and after-party. Admission is free. Those who cannot attend the swearing-in ceremony may view it online.
Garcetti is succeeding two-term mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who posted a farewell message on YouTube on Saturday looking back on his eight years in office.
Garcetti gave a generous acceptance speech and praised Villaraigosa for doing the hard work to get Los Angeles back on track.
"What I feel grateful and thankful for is that LA feels comfortable with its diversity. They feel comfortable with the fact that we come from every corner of the earth," Villaraigosa said. "When I said I wanted to be a mayor for everyone, I did and I tried to be that mayor."
Villaraigosa Posts Farewell Message on YouTube
During his inaugural speech, Garcetti pledged an agenda of "getting back to basics." He vowed to make the city more business-friendly and said his administration would focus on job creation. He also spoke directly to the Hollywood community by saying he would work to stop run-away production.
Garcetti's term officially begins at midnight.
Mayor Garcetti enters offers with a majority of people favoring him. A new poll shows that voters believe in him.
According to a new USC/LA Times Poll, 53 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Garcetti, compared to only 17 percent who view him unfavorably. A larger number, 62 percent, believe the city will be better off in four years with Garcetti at the helm. Eleven percent think the city will be worse off under a Garcetti administration.
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