Eric Garcetti: Can He Keep Up The Momentum in the Race for Los Angeles Mayor?

Impact

City Councilman Eric Garcetti is widely assumed to be the frontrunner in the Los Angeles mayoral race, as he heads into Tuesday’s election.

A university professor, Garcetti taught at both the University of South California and at Occidental College before moving into politics. He was elected to the LA City Council in 2001 and has been reelected twice since then, reaching the position of President of the City Council in 2006 and been reelected twice to that position as well.

On the city council Garcetti supported crime prevention programs and founded The Park After Dark program an anti-gang program that combatted the problem by keeping parks open late at night during the summer. Mayor Vilaraigosa would copy the program citywide and call it the Summer Night Lights program.

Garcetti also worked to create a 100 million housing trust fund and to revitalize the Hollywood area. He was one of the first official to hold “office hours,” harking back to his days as a professor.

Garcetti is ahead by 5 points but the low turnout from the lack of enthusiasm combined with this being an off-year municipal election may cause some problems for him. But he still is the favorite up until the votes get counted.