Photo: Getty Images
Photos: Getty Images
This past week, Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti, was appointed by President Biden to serve as U.S. Ambassador to India. After weeks of speculation that Garcetti was being considered to serve as a U.S. Ambassador in India, the White House confirmed the news this past week. If Garcetti gets confirmed by Congress, he would be heading to India. As this is great news for Garcetti, this would leave a lot up in the air for the city of Los Angeles. Angelenos are now left looking into the future to see who will most likely serve as the next Mayor of Los Angeles if Garcetti ends up vacating his role prematurely and who would be addressing the issues Los Angeles has been faced with for a while.
After the announcement from the White House, Garcetti took to Twitter to acknowledge the news:
"...I am honored to accept his nomination to serve in this role."
In a statement from the White House discussing Garcetti's nomination, they said
"[Garcetti] oversees the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, the largest municipal utility in the country, and one of the busiest airports in the world."
They also acknowledged his efforts for a successful bid to have Los Angeles host the 2028 Olympics.
The economy of Los Angeles is not in the best shape, crime rates are going up, the homelessness crisis is increasingly getting worse, many families around Los Angeles are on the verge of eviction due to rising housing costs and Los Angeles is still trying to rebuild after the Covid-19 pandemic... amongst other issues plaguing the city.
Angelenos are hoping the next Mayor of Los Angeles will step into office with a solid plan to address all issues, as well as, take over where Garcetti left off. Many believe there is a lot to fix in the City of Los Angeles and the next elected official needs to take the initiative to address all the issues that have been plaguing the city. The stakes are high and there is a lot that needs to be addressed.
City Council President Nury Martinez is most likely the person who will take over as acting Mayor of Los Angeles when Garcetti does end up stepping down to fulfill his new duties in India. The city charter appoints the President of the City Council to serve as the acting Mayor until an interim Mayor is appointed by the Los Angeles City Council or when a special election to fill the position takes place. Nury Martinez is currently the Los Angeles City Council President and would most likely become the acting mayor. This is interesting and remarkable as a woman has yet to hold the office of Mayor of Los Angeles. Nury Martinez currently serves the 6th District of Los Angeles and is the current Los Angeles City Council President. In January 2020, Martinez became the first Latina City Council President in the City Council's 170-year history. She led the effort to raise the minimum wage of Los Angeles to $15, created a task force, and increased effort to help women, who are victims of human trafficking, to escape and get the assistance that's needed, amongst other notable efforts in the city.
Nury Martinez made a statement after Garcetti received the nomination from Biden:
"Mayor Garcetti has served the city of Los Angeles for more than two decades, eight of those as mayor ... From raising the minimum wage to managing the COVID-19 crisis, I have always been grateful for our partnership and I have no doubt he'll do amazing things in this new role. The city is designed to adapt and sustain change and we will press on, laser focused on delivering on our promise to rebuild a more resilient Los Angeles."
With Garcetti leaving the city of Los Angeles, he is leaving Angelenos in the wreckage of various issues that he will not have to take accountability for. The Tongue-Mouth desk will definitely sound off about this.