Eric Garcetti Elected As Los Angeles Mayor
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Garcetti won a mayoral race that ended up being the most expensive one in the history of Los Angeles. (Gary Leonard)
City Councilman Eric Garcetti won the Los Angeles mayoral race as he received 54 percent of the 337,000 votes that were cast. He defeated Controller and fellow Democrat Wendy Greuel who grabbed 46 percent of the vote.
“You did a great job,” Gruel told her rival according to a source at the Los Angeles Times. “I'll officially concede tomorrow, but it looks like the results are in."
About an hour later, with all of the votes counted, Garcetti became L.A.'s first-ever elected Jewish mayor and the youngest mayor of Los Angeles in more than 100 years.
"Thank you, Los Angeles," Garcetti tweeted at 2:52 this morning upon learning of his victory. "The hard work begins but I am honored to lead this city for the next four years. Let's make this a great city again."
MORE: Why LA Voters Are Staying Home
Garcetti will succeed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has been the mayor for the past eight years. Villaraigosa in a statement said that Garcetti will "Guide our city into its bright future. I know I am leaving Los Angeles in good hands."
While Garcetti and Greuel fought fiercely in this tight election, there are a few other things that this mayoral race will be remembered for. The combined election funds in the mayoral reached a record $33 million. Additionally, only one of four voters in the city were projected to cast a ballot, which could potentially be a historic low.
Garcetti will take office on July 1, thanks in part to the endorsement he received from all three major contenders in the mayoral primary: Republican radio host Kevin James, fellow councilwoman Jan Perry, and technology executive Emanuel Pleitz.
Reach Executive Producer Max Meyer by email.
Follow Neon Tommy's Coverage of the 2013 L.A. Mayoral Election
