National media outlets are reporting that the Biden administration could announce as soon as next week that Mayor Eric Garcetti had been selected for an ambassadorship to India. If that comes to pass, what would that mean for Angelenos?
It might mean that the city would need to find a caretaker to fill the remainder of Garcetti’s unfinished term, said Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Marymount University and an expert in the political process.
“People might be looking for a caretaker with a steady hand, somebody who’s going to continue many of the mayor’s policy initiatives — obviously somebody who can see us through the end of the pandemic and who can tackle homelessness,” she said.
There is the option to hold a special election, but the confirmation process could potentially take a few months, and the cost of that could also be a deterrent, Levinson said.
Levinson notes that person could potentially be a current member of the City Council, as long as that person states clearly that they have no intention of running for the mayor’s seat in June 2022.
Councilman Joe Buscaino has already declared his bid for mayor. Council President Nury Martinez has said she is seriously considering a run, while members Kevin de Leon and Mark Ridley Thomas are also potentially eyeing their own campaigns.
Meanwhile, Garcetti getting offered — and accepting — an ambassadorship would set him apart from others in his position, according to Raphael Sonenshein, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State L.A.
“Mayors often have a lot of obstacles to moving up to higher office, to getting into national government,” Sonenshein said.
It’s a tough gig, Sonenshein said: “It’s one of the greatest jobs in American politics. But … as the years go by, it’s pretty hard to stay in everybody’s good graces.”
Sonenshein added: “It’s not like people don’t run for it — it’s a fantastic position … It’s, you know, one of the most visible positions, to be a big city mayor.”
He said he could not think of a Los Angeles mayor who had successfully climbed into a national position — including Tom Bradley, who had been considered to run as a running mate during two presidential races. Antonio Villaraigosa also stirred national buzz, but that did not pan out for him, either.
Sonenshein said he believes that this would be a “good opportunity” for Garcetti, and could also raise the profile of Los Angeles on the national level. The potential nomination also would arrive as other politicos with ties to the Los Angeles area strode prominently into the national spotlight, including Sen. Alex Padilla, Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Karen Bass, he said.
That is good thing, Sonenshein said, explaining that it could bring more resources to the West Coast city. A higher-profile role would be “a big change” for Los Angeles, which for years was more often dismissed, in conversations around pivotal national issues, he said.
“You’ve gotta be at the grown-up table, with the kind of issues that are out there,” he said.
