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Garcetti with Kevin James, later appointed to a top post, during the campaign.
In its exercise to grade local politicians, the Los Angeles Times editorial board gives Mayor Eric Garcetti credit for being an eloquent spokesman for a vision of LA "as a more livable, transit-oriented, environmentally and technologically friendly city, served by a more efficient, customer-oriented government." But what has he done to achieve it? "So far, not much."
His inclination to avoid tough or controversial decisions is undermining his ability to address the very serious problems facing the city.
The editors give Garcetti a C for his reticence to take positions on difficult issues, his silence on education and a litany of other perceived shortfalls, and they write that they feared he might go this way. From the report card:
Two years ago, when The Times endorsed Eric Garcetti for mayor, we described him as the candidate with the most potential to lead Los Angeles into a more sustainable and confident future. But we had concerns too: Garcetti should not confuse constructive compromise with the path of least resistance. He should not try to be "all things to all people." We worried that he was "hard to pin down" and called him "a bit of a Zelig."
Today, unfortunately, our concerns are becoming reality….[skip]
In the end, he chose to surround himself with political allies rather than nationally recognized experts, hiring his longtime council staffer for the deputy mayor position and putting former Councilwoman Jan Perry in charge of the Economic and Workforce Development Department. Two years later, unsurprisingly, the mayor has yet to articulate a comprehensive job creation strategy.
Also this: "Too often, Garcetti is unwilling to speak out unless he knows it will be good for him politically."
To recap: The Times gave Council President Herb Wesson a C+, City Attorney Mike Feuer s B+ and Controller Ron Galperin a B-.
