Mayor Garcetti Wants Innovation For L.A.
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Live audience at KPCC (Ashley Riegle/NeonTommy)
Before a live audience at the Crawford Family Forum in KPCC's Pasadena studios, Mayor Garcetti gave a live radio address Monday evening. Themed "Los Angeles Moves Forward", the discussion was led by journalist Frank Stoltze and broadcast on KPCC 89.3 FM.
Stoltze introduced the mayor by calling out several of his distinguishing features. Number one, he is very young. Only 42, Garcetti is the youngest mayor of Los Angeles in 100 years. Second, he is Jewish. Stoltze also noted Mayor Garcetti's reputation for being good on his feet, sometimes almost too good. Stoltze appeared to try his journalistic best to knock Garcetti off his talking points. That was hard to do.
"I think a lot of things throw me, but that's okay," replied Garcetti in his typically gentle-voice and mild manner.
Garcetti spoke about his twelve years in City Hall, acknowledging that one of his priorities as mayor will be to change the culture of city government.
What Sets Him Apart
"As the city charter says, the mayor is the CEO of the city, and we haven't had that culture before," Garcetti said.
Mayor Garcetti identified three key traits he said he feels separate him from previous mayors. First, he said he wants to open the doors to the mayor's office- both literally and figuratively. He shared with the audience how many doors lead to the mayor's personal office within City Hall- he said he has counted eight doors. He said he doesn't want these to be a barrier between he and the public. Secondly, he stressed the significance of having social organizers on his staff, including his chief of staff.
When questioned about LA's increasingly dismal voter turnout rates, Mayor Garcetti tried to make a comparison to a decline in civic engagement nationally. Stoltze wasn't interested in discussing that parallel noting, "Fewer people than ever voted for you for mayor". Garcetti acknowledged the problem of voter turnout in the city. He said that by the time today's youth can vote, he is confident the entire process will be conducted online. Garcetti stated that a general goal of his administration is to put as much information (about everything) online as possible.
Stoltze teased Garcetti slightly when talking about the mayor's habit of holding public office hours. Recently the mayor set up a folding table in Boyle Heights and invited constituents to come out and meet with him.
"Why do you do that? Isn't it just a little bit for show?" asked Stoltze.
Listen to the full KPCC "Los Angeles Moves Forward" dialogue
Frank Stoltze and Mayor Garcetti (Grant Slater/KPCC)
When asked what moment in his life made him want to serve as a public official, Garcetti said it was the two summers he spent doing human rights work in Burma. He also mentioned that time as a motivator for him joining the Navy.
In regards to the here and now, Garcetti said he is working to help rebrand Los Angeles as the world's hub of creativity. As he explained, LA should be a known as home for innovation, a concept that has rarely been embraced in local politics.
The Environment
Earthquakes were a significant point of discussion during the live hour. Stoltze pressed Garcetti on LA's dire infrastructure problems that remain unsecured though an earthquake is overdue in the region. The large amount of "unreinforced concrete buildings" were the focus of Stoltze's questioning, as these buildings he asserted are the most prevalent and most likely to collapse.
Garcetti acknowledged that earthquake preparedness has declined overtime. He stated that he is working to learn as much about the threats and infrastructure issues as quickly as possible. When asked specifically what he plans to do regarding earthquake preparedness he declined to make any immediate promises.
Toward the end of the discussion, Garcetti commented on his friendship with President Obama. "He is someone I've admired as a mentor and a friend, not just someone I voted for."
Garcetti said that the top two things he wants support on from President Obama are funding for public transportation and the LA River.
Revitalization of the LA River was a big topic of discussion in fact. Garcetti said he kayaked the LA River this summer, and that he views the waterway as "the backbone" of this city. He said he believes the LA River to have "a lot of potential" and be a "critical part of our city".
Crumbling roads and potholes were another serious point of discussion. Unlike freeways, which fall under the state's purview, all local streets and boulevards fall under the mayor's mandate. This is something he says he's focused on.
Hopefully Wilshire Boulevard is at the top of the pothole priority list.
To listen to the full interview, click here.
Broadcast package including interviews with L.A. County Democratic and Republican party chairmen.
Reach Arts and Culture Editor Ashley Riegle here. Follow her on Twitter here.
