Will He Stay or Will He Go?

Mayor Eric Garretti won his second term by a landslide winning 86% majority of votes.[1] The question is whether or not he will soon leave this position to join the race for Governor or a possible Senate seat.

His first term, is characterized as passive, in which he is in danger further disappointment, if he does not prepare to address these issues.[2] It is evident, that he has decided to run another term as mayor, rather than immediately entering the race for Governor in California. Therefore he too recognizes that he has not simply done enough.

I recommend that Mayor Garcetti, delay his potential bids for Governor and Senator, thus completing a second term as Mayor of Los Angeles. In order to increase voter turnout, the Los Angeles City Council voted 12-1 city official election to November in 2020 in order to increase voter turnout. Therefore, Mayor Eric Garcetti, if he wins, will have an extended term 5 and-a-half year term.[3] This is in turn, can allow Garcetti to better prove himself eligible to serve in either state or national representative positions.

This extended timeframe, will give him the opportunity to address the political areas that he is weak and in turn enact more impactful initiatives. The policies he has already put in place in regards to, technology can continue to transform Los Angeles into Garcetti’s ideal “post modern city.”[4]

If Mayor Garcetti chooses to run for higher office, it will show his lack of reliability and commitment to the city of Los Angeles. His experience is lacking in comparison to his potential opponents Lt. Gov. Gavin Neusom and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Findings show both candidates have already raised millions of dollars, and

effective endorsements.[5]

It is unlikely, Garcetti will opt to run for Senator Diane Feinstein’s Senate Seat, seeing that he has claimed he prefers an “executive position.”[6] The extended term will give him a sufficient frame to campaign for the following governor and senate elections. Thus, Garcetti should highly consider remaining in office during his second term in order to enhance his political prospects.

It is clear Garcetti will have greater success in reaching higher office, if he remains committed to Los Angeles for another term. Ultimately, the Mayor has the opportunity to become one of Los Angeles’s most impactful elected officials.

References

[1] http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-city-election-20170307-story.html

[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/01/us/eric-garcetti-los-angeles-mayor-election.html?_r=0

[3] https://ballotpedia.org/Municipal_elections_in_Los_Angeles,_California_(2017)

[4] http://www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20160728/mayor-eric-garcetti-touts-la-as-model-city-in-dnc-speech.

[5] http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-california-governor-list-2018-htmlstory.html.

[6] http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-governor-trial-balloons-20170126-story.htm