With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
L.A. Basketball Team Confused About Who The Mayor Of L.A. Is
(Photo courtesy of Arash Markazi via Twitter)
()
Well, this is awkward.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti may be gunning for national recognition as he maintains his busy schedule of not not running for president (or governor), but it looks like one of L.A.'s own hometown basketball teams doesn't actually know who he is. Or, for that matter, who the current mayor of Los Angeles is.
On Friday, as Garcetti and his wife watched a preseason game between the Los Angeles Clippers and, uh, the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center (it was a Clippers home game), he was misidentified on the big screen as "Gil Garcetti: Mayor of Los Angeles." For those who did not follow the O.J. Simpson trial, recent TV adaptations of the O.J. Simpson trial, or the finer details of our mayor's biography, Gil Garcetti is L.A. County's former district attorney—and father of Eric. Gil Garcetti is not, nor has he ever been, the mayor of Los Angeles.
To reiterate one more time for those in the cheap seats, the current and recently reelected-in-a-landslide mayor of Los Angeles is still Eric Garcetti. We reached out to the mayor's office and the Clippers for comment about the incident, but did not immediately hear back. In other news, the Lakers beat the Clippers 111 to 104 on Friday.
Support for LAist comes from
And here's a pretty good dig from Southern California News Group's Lakers writer Bill Oram:
Leave it to the Clippers to introduce @MayorOfLA as Gil Garcetti. That couldn't be father from the truth.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) October 14, 2017
H/t: Arash Markazi
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Yes, it's controversial, but let me explain. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care. -
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases.
Best of LAist