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Mayor Eric Garcetti was sworn in as mayor outside City Hall Saturday, starting the beginning of his second and final term as mayor of L.A. Garcetti won 81.37% of the vote back in March, despite criticism around his decision not to grant sanctuary city status to Los Angeles, setting himself up for another five and a half years in Los Angeles (unless the hints at a 2020 presidential run ring true).
During the ceremony, Garcetti recalled his first speech as mayor back in 2013, when he prioritized rebuilding the city's economy post-recession. This time around, he focused on the rising homelessness and housing crisis in Los Angeles, according to the L.A. Times. He also mentioned the city's efforts to revitalize infrastructure, including revamping the L.A. River and constructing new public transportation lines. These are not new talking points for Mayor Garcetti, as he mentioned similar goals during his State of the City address in April. The ceremony also took pains to highlight the Mayor's connection to L.A.'s 2024 Olympics bid; table tennis players played in front of an "L.A. 2024" banner on the steps of City Hall.
In his speech, Garcetti called Angelenos "builders," adding how "[w]e have begun that work, and we need to keep at it," according to Los Angeles Daily News. More specifically, when discussing problems around housing scarcity, he said, "if that means new laws or reforming the laws that we have so that we can build the homes this city needs, let us start that work today," according to the L.A. Times.
Towards the beginning of his speech, several Black Lives Matter protestors stood up and began shouting to interrupt. They were subsequently escorted out, and no arrests were made.
Garcetti was joined by other newly-elected officials, including City Council member Monica Rodriguez, the second female member of the Council. The new group of officials will serve for five and a half years rather than the usual four because of a one-time change in the election year.
