What's Up In CD 13?
A fourth-generation Angeleno, Eric Garcetti grew up in Los Angeles and was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2001, becoming one of the youngest city councilmembers elected in the city's history. He represents the neighborhoods of the Thirteenth District, the heart of Los Angeles that stretches between Hollywood and Downtown and across the Los Angeles River. Councilmember Garcetti chairs the Housing, Community, and Economic Development Committee, and is the Vice-Chair of the Personnel Committee and the Ad Hoc River Committee. He also serves on the Arts and Parks Committee, the Ad Hoc Stadium Committee, and the Ad Hoc Committee for the Selection of a Chief Legislative Analyst. He was unopposed for re-election and began his second term in office in July 2005.In 2006, Garcetti took over the reins from Alex Padilla as President of the Council.
Prior to his election, Garcetti taught public policy, diplomacy and world affairs at Occidental College and the University of Southern California. In 1998, the Rockefeller Foundation selected him as a Next Generation Leadership Fellow. Garcetti studied urban planning and political science at Columbia University, where he received his B.A. and M.A. in International Relations. He studied as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and the London School of Economics. He is an avid photographer, jazz pianist and composer. He lives in Echo Park with his partner of ten years, Amy Elaine Wakeland.
So, what's Up In CD 13?
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 1/25/2006 07:46:00 AM
15 Comments:
Come on Mayor Sam, give us the real history. Granted, Eric is a good guy, but his grandfather was an even better guy. After migrating from Mexico - I don't know where you get this 4th generation stuff, according to my count Eric is only 3rd generation - Eric's grandfather was running moonshine out of East L.A. during prohibition. Being born in Mexico, he had a ready made clientele. With an Italian surname, he easily stepped into the mafia's domain which controlled the liquor market in L.A. in the 20's and 30's.
Likewise, Eric has inherited his grandfather's prowess for easily mingling among different cultures. Hey, it worked for the Kennedys in Boston, why not the Garcettis in L.A. - or East L.A. to be exact.
I agree with Mack. I would love to live in Garcetti's district. I don't care if he's 2nd, 3rd, OR 4th generation.
Moonshine - smart guy.
I bet CD 13 has very few complaints.
But what's up with Amy? Ick... Is this a convenience thing? Maybe for both of them?
Let me first say that I think Eric is a likeable guy.
However, I would much prefer to have someone represent this area who is from here and understand the struggles that many here face. Eric, for all his good intentions, just can't begin to comprehend the problems that face this community because, quite frankly, he is the proverbial silver spoon child.
Recently, someone pointed his house out to me and the first thing I thought is that the rapid gentrification of Echo Park is being fulled by guys like Eric. Eric is a symbol of the suburban, I-want-to-be-cool-and-live-in-the hood, hipster, that is harming this community.
He has done nothing to stem the tide of gentrification, but rather has contributed to it. Let's hope his sucessor has the sensativity and personal experience to understand such issues.
To Anon re: gentrification:
It's easy to blame people for their background and taste, but you should better judge them by their actions.
The quickest way to gentrify a neighborhood is to let landlords evict existing (less likely to be rich, less likely to be white) tenants so they can raise the rent (and get better off, younger, whiter tenants). Eric has done what he can to prevent landlords from doing this.
When my landlord tried to evict me for frivolous reasons a year ago (my unit rents for significantly less than those of my neighbors), Eric's staff was very helpful. I ultimately had to go to court to win, but once that process was over, and with Eric's help navigating the Housing Department, my landlord was forced to make significant repairs to my Koreatown apartment.
More importantly, he got a law passed that made it impossible for landlords to evict people just to do
rehab work. So he makes people take care of their buildings for the people who live in them now, but
doesn't let them kick tenants out so they can spiff up and market to yuppies.
These are all very significant pieces of a plan to keep a neighborhood intact, with its current face & complexion. I think it's hard to discount these contributions-- both on the macro and (as I can attest) micro levels.
Silver Lake is so over it hurts. A bunch of white people, property-rich wage-slaves, pretending they're living in aristocratic diversity. It's like the West Side but with shabbier retailers. No Metro stops in Silver Lake either, you'll note.
People out of Silver Lake see Sunset Boulevard, Glendale Boulevard. Those are tiny, shitty commercial strips that stand for what Silver Lake represents to the City. Silver Lake in reality is mortgaged-to-the-hilt bedroom community where everyone works eightteen hours a day, except for seven heroin addicts at Millie's. I hate it here. I wish I were in Italy.
There are so many community members citywide who would love Eric in their district. He is proactive and I can't say enough about what a nice, down to earth, appreciative Cm he is. Everyone loves Eric. The police officers in his district wish their buddies would have CM's who appreciate their hard work the way Eric does. Look how successful his UNTAG has been, getting community to help with issues in the neighborhoods where they live. Gee, wonder if the other CM's would know how to do that. WE LOVE YOU ERIC. NOT FROM YOUR AREA THOUGH BUT SUPPORT YOU NONE THE LESS.
Let's face it: Eric is a demogogue who would sell his butt on Santa Monica to get elected.
Normally, a gay candidate goes out of his way to show how mainstream and stable his relationship is.
Only in LA would a straight guy like Garcetti insist on calling his girlfriend/fiancee/wife/whatever his "partner" to appeal to build his gay creds.
Unbelievable.
Ditto.
Eric should start to call Amy his "life partner" to cultivate the gay empathy even further.
Or he could tie the knot and become Eric Garcettland. Eric Waketti? Worked for Tony Villar.
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Another example of Garcetti's pandering is how he becomes Italian when speaking before Italians, Mexican when speaking before Mexicans and Jewish when speaking before Jews.
Like the song they all like, these LA liberals are "blowing in the wind." Unfortunately, they change direction, mores, sexuality, ethnicity, you name it, with whatever direction said wind blows.
Oh, give me a fucking break. So he's bi-cultural - so what? That means he DOES get to be Italian and Mexican and Jewish. Welcome to the 21st Century, you small-minded idiot. Is that critique the best you can do? Eric isn't perfect - who the hell is? - but he works harder than most of his colleagues, acts according to his well-thought out principles and has a pretty good brain in his head. I'm with the rest of you all - not in his district but wish I was so he could be my CM.
To Mack re: Garcetti not being "power-greedy," didn't he screw over Padilla to become Council President?????
What a bunch of fools you guys are.
Of course he is fourth generation; did it occur to you that he also has a mother??? It is on her side. In fact, I grew up with her and she is one of the finest women I have ever met. Gil was damn lucky to marry her.
Oh, and about Eric talking Jewish when he talks to the Jews, well, he does so legitimately, because on his mother's side (and that's the part that counts in the Jewish religion) he IS Jewish. And, he is Italian (1/4) and Mexican (1/4), so, where's the beef?
But Hell, don't let a few facts change your thinking.
Bye the bye, Padilla screwed himself out of the Presidency by running for another office. The time away did not allow him to do all that he needed to stay in that office, and it was time for a change. It was just a question of who, not when.
Right Phil. Alex's days were over. I think it's abhorrent the way they try to trace someone's heritage back by generations. Ridiculous. Eric very well may be the best thing to happen to us!
Why can't you guys give credit where credit is due and stop the personal attacks. I don't care if Eric was a space alien we should all be so lucky to have a CM who is always out at community meetings, takes the time to sit and talk with constituents, goes after the big issues in this district and is well respected citywide. HE's one of the few CM's that actually earns his pay. Why do you always have to play the race card? Many Latinos in LA are 4th generation morons.
Eric sems like a good guy and a smart guy. His 'partner' is a Hillary wanna be, but so what?
The problem for me is that in order to spur development in H'wood he has sold out to developers like CIM. They are big contributors, have alot of consultants, seem to do good work, but...when ever you are too cozy with developers, it cant be too good a thing.
But what else could he do? To get developers to come in, you have to sweeten the pot for them.
I just hope he works on the big issues. While individual councilmen can be 'pothole fixers', the Council president should be a big picture guy. Especially now, when LA has so many critical needs.
lets see how he does. he is bound to be better than Padilla, who turned out to be abig dissapointment, who quickly warmed up to the idea of staying in power and in elective office, and stopped doing his jonb a long time ago.
Eric Garcetti:
Help make the Jiffy Lube at Sunset Junction into a park!
We'll use Measure O money from the Bureau of Sanitation for acquisition and construction.
$15 million, 3 years, let's do this.
ubrayj02@yahoo.com
(The Jiffy Lube at 4020 W. Sunset Blvd. & 4019 Santa Monica Blvd.)
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