One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership 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.
When City Leaders Become Daytime TV Stars
Villaraigosa meets Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) and Garcetti meets Adam Chandler (David Canary) (ABC)
Local fans of ABC's long-running soap All My Children will see a familiar face on today's episode: City Council President Eric Garcetti. And that's not the Pine Valley City Council we're talking about. Garcetti is one of two LA political bigwigs taking time out from laying off city workers to step into the sudsy world of daytime television; tomorrow AMC welcomes none other than Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. (What, you thought maybe it was Herb Wesson?)
What's bringing LA's civic leaders to this imaginary scandalous hamlet is probably the fact that the imaginary scandalous hamlet has just come to LA; after 40 years in New York City, AMC moved its production studio west, and now tapes in facilities near Downtown Los Angeles, and Garcetti's and Villaraigosa's appearances are said to help "celebrate" the momentous move, according to ABC.
Still, it's hard to fathom what would get these two men to Pine Valley, a suspension of disbelief that might merit suspicion. Our camera-shy Mayor (ahem) has a plotline involving him re-meeting diva Erica Kane at a Pine Valley hotspot after a previous LA encounter. For his part, Garcetti is in town to help businessman Adam Chandler make his company more eco-friendly. "How Garcetti's jurisdiction suddenly includes Pine Valley is also a mystery," observes Franklin Avenue. See if our two top political dogs are ready for their close-ups today and tomorrow at Noon on ABC7.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
