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City Councilman Eric Garcetti is writing the Slate Diary this week. In his first entry, Garcetti begins his Saturday helping to paint over some graffiti in Historic Filipinotown then moves on to the next stop.
Slightly out of breath, at about 10:45 I jump into the passenger seat of my hydrogen-powered city vehicle. As one of my deputies drives, I change out of paint-stained jeans and a T-shirt into a slightly more presentable outfit so that I can cut the ribbon at the opening of India Sweets and Spices in Atwater Village, on the northeast edge of my district. I hope no one will glance over from their car and suddenly see their councilman in his underpants...I spend the balance of the afternoon with my partner, Amy. We head to Panty Raid, a women's underwear store in Silver Lake, which has its own "male day-care center" (a Sharp Aquos monitor connected to a Sony PlayStation, a complete year's collection of Maxim, and two comfy chairs). Amy gets what seem like the world's softest pajamas.
That evening, I join my friend Zeb to watch the Lakers on television as they close out their second-round series against the Spurs. Los Angeles is a city often portrayed as fragmented, but Lakers season unites this town...Sundays are much calmer than Saturdays. After working seven days a week for the first two years in office—I have been in office for three years—I realized that it is important to have one day off, to have time to run errands, recharge, hang with friends, etc.
In the morning, Amy and I prune, fertilize, and water our fruit trees out back. The pomegranates look particularly promising this year.
A few hours later, we head to a new wine shop that has opened in Silver Lake and is having a tasting. Silver Lake is often described in terms that range from "artsy" to "bohemian." The truth is a bit more complicated. Like Echo Park, just next door, where we live, Silver Lake is a community with immigrant families, creative types, couples of every persuasion.
The weekend ends with the sun setting over the Echo Park hills and Amy in her new pajamas. Look for new entries daily.