03 July 2013 – The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that former councilman Eric Garcetti was sworn in as the 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles in a no-frills ceremony held outside City Hall on June 30.
Consul General Maria Hellen De La Vega and leaders of the Filipino community were among the several thousand people who were present during his inauguration.
Mayor Garcetti has been a steadfast supporter of the Filipino community and was instrumental in the creation of Historic Filipino town formed through a city resolution in 2002.
Mayor Garcetti promised to work hard and vowed to focus relentlessly on guiding the city’s economic recovery. He declared that Los Angeles is now open for business, and is “looking at a dynamic city preparing to live its name as the United States” gateway to the Pacific.
The newly-elected Mayor thanked outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for leaving Los Angeles “safer, greener and stronger,” even while weathering a brutal economic crisis.
Mayor Garcetti served as Los Angeles Council President of Los Angeles from 2006 to 2012. Garcetti is the city’s first elected Jewish mayor and the youngest in more than a century. Garcetti is the son of the former Los Angeles County District Attorney Gil Garcetti. END