|
Los Angeles councilman Eric Garcetti was elected as the US city’s first Jewish mayor yesterday, after a hard-fought run-off race to succeed Antonio Villaraigosa, full results showed. |
Garcetti won 54% of the vote in Tuesday’s election, against 46% for City Controller Wendy Greuel, who would have been LA’s first woman mayor. The result, which was expected to be tight, was initially too close to call.
At an election party which went into the small hours to await the final tally, Garcetti said he plans to build on the West Coast’ metropolis’s emerging recovery from the global downturn.
“We have sent a message ... and that message is that LA is ready to put the recession in the rear-view mirror and to become the city of opportunity that I grew up in once again,” he told supporters.
Voter turnout was low, at 19.2%, even less than the 21% who voted in a March primary election which whittled eight candidates down to Garcetti and Greuel.
Garcetti, whose showbiz links drew an endorsement from comic Will Ferrell, has an international background, having studied at Oxford University and the London School of Economics.
He touted his record on promoting economic development, including the revitilisation of Hollywood including a $500mn hotel project which he was key in brokering.
The 42-year-old, who has Mexican and Jewish roots and lives in the hipster-friendly Silver Lake district east of Hollywood and north of downtown LA, will take office on July 1.