VICA News

Garcetti now has a mandate - but how he will use it has City Hall and the political world guessing (Los Angeles Times)
March 9, 2017

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti celebrated his reelection on Tuesday, March 7 with supporters and long time aides. The mayor had a record-setting night, having won a higher percentage of the vote than any of his predecessors in more than a century. Moreover, voters appeared to back the mayor's plan for Los Angeles - an urban city with denser development along transportation lines - by soundly rejecting a slow-growth measure that was also on the ballot. But what Garcetti does with the mandate remains a subject of speculation both inside and outside of City Hall. The mayor is known for being risk-averse, but he now faces a crucial decision: Stay in the job or run for higher office. Garcetti could also serve out his 5 1/2-year term, using his big margin of victory to push through a bolder agenda. Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, said the mayor's reelection win should encourage him "to take bold action." While Garcetti has moved to lower the city's business tax since taking office, Waldman suggested this week that the mayor eliminate the tax - which businesses argue puts local firms at a competitive disadvantage - during his second term.