As he continues to assemble his staff, it appears as if Mayor Eric Garcetti is bringing together what can best be described as a coalition government, in an example of what happens when the incumbent is not running and the winner is able to draw from a variety of sources. Garcetti, so far, has taken on folks who worked for both former mayors Antonio Villaraigosa and James Hahn.
The Hahn administration influence is the strongest. Staffers who worked for Hahn and now on the Garcetti mayoral team include Deputy Mayor Doane Liu and spokesman Yusef Robb. Also said to be in the mix is Sarah Dusseault, a former Hahn adviser who worked as policy director for Garcetti when he was on the City Council. From Villaraigosa, those remaining in the mayor's office include spokeswoman Vicki Curry, Public Safety Deputy Mayor Eileen Decker, transportation aide Borja Leon and scheduling director Martha Preciado. And, if you want to go back that far, at one time former Councilwoman Jan Perry worked for former Mayor Richard Riordan on census issues, before winning her seat on the City Council.
As he is running for Secretary of State, state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Van Nuys, received a boost last week. Padilla, who is being termed out of his Senate post, was recently re-elected as president of the National Association of Latino Elected and
Appointed Officials (NALEO), which will also give him a national platform. He said the organization is committed to working on national immigration reform as well as promoting Latino elected officials from both parties. "I am humbled and honored that my colleagues have chosen me to again lead this organization," Padilla said. "The coming months offer our organization and community an extraordinary opportunity."Gov. Jerry Brown set the special election to fill the seat vacated by the election of Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who gave up his 45th Assembly District seat, and it is shaping up to be a crowded race, pitting a number of political staff members against one another. A primary election is set for Sept. 17, and if no candidate gets a majority, the top two candidates will have a Nov. 19 runoff. Those who have expressed interest in running for the seat include Democrats Matt Dababneh, district director to Rep. Brad Sherman; Damian Carroll, district director for Councilman Paul Krekorian; and Jeff Ebenstein, a field deputy to Councilman Paul Koretz. Blumenfield also has a favorite in the race with Andra Hoffman, a Glendale City College faculty member. Two other Democrats are Daniel McCrory and Elizabeth Badger, while Republicans who have announced include engineer Chris Kolski and businesswoman Susan Shelley.
Monica Ratliff, the newest member of the LAUSD board, found herself right in the middle of the battle for board president last week. She was able to break with the board's tradition of launching into an automatic vote by getting the two candidates, Tamar Galatzan and Richard Vladovic, to explain what they would do as board president. "I was interested in what they had to say and to know who their choice for vice president would be and why," she said later. "I want to make sure that everything is transparent." Ratliff ended up voting for Vladovic, saying she was persuaded by his speech to promise more academic support for students and a better working relationship on the board.
Rick Orlov is a Daily News staff writer and columnist. His column, Tipoff, appears Mondays. For a daily fix on politics, go to the Sausage Factory at blogs.dailynews.com/politics. Orlov can be reached 213-978-0390 or at rick.orlov@dailynews.com. Daily News staff writer Barbara Jones contributed.
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