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Could Mayor Garcetti Be Tapped For Biden's Cabinet?
Joe Biden eats at King Taco with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on May 8, 2019. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is getting buzzed about as a possible candidate for Secretary of Transportation in the Biden administration. Politico named him as a contender, noting though, that his mayoral term doesn't end until 2022. (Plenty of ambitous politicians, however, have resigned an elected post to take a bigger job.)
Garcetti served as co-chair of the Biden campaign and endorsed the candidate earlier this year, leading some to speculate that the mayor had an eye on Washington.
On Monday, Garcetti didn't give the impression that he would be taking his plans to the national stage ... at least not yet. He told KPCC's AirTalk he wants to see L.A. through the pandemic, and hopes to continue work with the Biden Administration from here:
"[Biden] is an extremely good human being, he is an extremely experienced individual and so however I can help him from here, however I can help him in general, I think all of us want to see him succeed."
So, either Garcetti's being incredibly humble, or he doesn't want the job.
Or maybe there's a cloud hanging over his head because of allegations that Garcetti confidante and former aide Rick Jacobs sexually harassed men — including the mayor's LAPD-assigned driver — in Garcetti's presence. The mayor has denied witnessing any such behavior.
On Tuesday afternoon, L.A. Metro CEO Phil Washington was named to head Biden's agency review committee for the Department of Transportation.
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