Garcetti spokesman Yusef Robb leaving City Hall

Robb with Eric Garcetti in 2013. LA Observed file photo

Word went out Friday to Mayor Eric Garcetti's staff that the mayor's chief spokesman, Yusef Robb, will be leaving "to pursue new opportunities." Chief of Staff Ana Guerrero's note to the staff credited Robb with "5 years of leadership in telling Team Garcetti's story and keeping us back to basics."

The Mayor has asked that he continue to provide us with his advice, so don't delete his phone number yet.

Stay tuned for more news - in the mean time, please join me and the Mayor in wishing Yusef well.

I look forward to celebrating his next journey with all of you in the coming days, as well as sharing my many fond memories of my years working alongside Brother Yusef.

Garcetti followed up with his own email to the staff. Robb had worked for Mayor Jim Hahn before joining Garcetti's City Council staff in 2010.

From: Eric Garcetti
Date: Fri, Mar 6, 2015 at 5:12 PM
Subject: Re: Yusef
To: Ana Guerrero
Cc: Mayor Staff

Team:

Let me add that I have been both blessed and honored to work with Mr. Yusef Robb, one of the finest communicators and strategists I have ever known. From the CD13 days where he helped solidify the incredible work that we did to turn around some of the most important but overlooked neighborhoods in our city to the work that he has done to turn around Angelenos' belief that City Hall can once again tackle the basic quality of life concerns that we share, Yusef has been nothing short of phenomenal.

I will continue to rely on Yusef as a closer advisor, friend, and member of the Team Garcetti family. While I will miss seeing his fine suits, ample hair product, and hearing his dry wit every day at City Hall, I look forward to many more years of collaboration together. And I know you will continue to push our city and country forward to a more just and equitable future in the work that you do in the days ahead as you always have.

Thanks, Yusef.

Mayor Eric Garcetti

No replacement for Robb as top spokesman was announced. In a story for the LA Weekly, Gene Maddaus said "in recent months, Robb was rumored to have clashed with Amy Wakeland, the mayor's wife."