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Former Mayor of Los Angeles Eric GarcettiDeep loyalty President Biden He won a posting to India.

Now, Biden has withdrawn and the Democratic presidential candidate Kamala HarrisMr. Garcetti doesn't owe me anything.

Just a year and a half after he was appointed U.S. ambassador to India, Garcetti could soon lose his job due to a change in administration, even if Harris wins. The one-time presidential candidate may soon return to Los Angeles and take up a regular job.

Harris' mother was born in India, so she may want to choose her own ambassador, and she and Garcetti are not thought to be particularly close, despite the fact that they both hail from California.

“I'm sure she wants to put her own person in that position,” said Indrani Bagchi, CEO of the Ananta Aspen Center in New Delhi.

Garcetti's Senate confirmation took nearly two years, in part because of accusations that, as mayor, he condoned a senior aide sexually harassing a colleague. Garcetti has denied seeing anything inappropriate, and a lawsuit by an LAPD officer who said he was harassed by an aide was settled last year for $1.8 million.

A recent NPR series brought the scandal, which was widely reported by The Times, back to the public's attention. The series raised questions about whether Garcetti lied in his testimony in the LAPD officers' lawsuits.

Garcetti said in an email that he was not focused on: “I'm touting my efforts to expedite visas and build trade, military and education partnerships with India.”

“I have always believed that when you have a great job like being a United States Ambassador, you should focus on working hard and doing a good job today, not on thinking about the future,” Garcetti wrote. “I love Los Angeles and always will, but I also love representing Los Angeles and our country abroad in this special role.”

Still, it's not at all clear that Garcetti's family, including his wife, Amy Wakeland, and daughter, Maya, are obsessed with India.

A Washington, D.C., insider with ties to California told The Times this week that “Garcetti's family doesn't like living in India.”

Garcetti denied that, saying, “Life in India has been special for me and my family, and I couldn't ask for a more fun, more fascinating or more exciting place to be outside of Los Angeles.”

He declined to comment on NPR's report.

Asked about his relationship with Harris, Garcetti described her as a “longtime, close friend” and the person who swore him in as ambassador.

A White House official said the vice president considers Garcetti a “colleague and friend.”

“From standing together in the fight for fundamental freedoms to welcoming world leaders to the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, Vice President Harris and Ambassador Garcetti have worked together on many important issues for more than a decade,” the officials said in a statement.

There is a perception in Los Angeles that the two California politicians, both rising stars, are colleagues but not best friends.

A few months after Harris held a massive rally in Oakland in 2019 and announced her first presidential bid, then-candidate Pete Buttigieg It started to gain attention in California.

Garcetti had been floated as a possible presidential candidate before dropping out, but he did not endorse either candidate and made comments that some saw as a disdain for Harris.

“Kamala is very popular across the state, but people might say, 'That doesn't mean I won't explore the field… I might keep her as senator and choose someone else for president,'” Garcetti said. He told Politico.

Garcetti ended up endorsing Biden and serving on the committee that selected Biden's running mate, leading some of Harris' allies to accuse him of endorsing Biden, who was then a member of Congress. Karen Bass. Garcetti's allies disputed that theory: “The mayor didn't intervene on anyone's behalf,” a Garcetti source told The Times in 2020.

U.S.-India experts said Garcetti has generally handled the complex role of ambassador to India well.

The Indian government has been accused of involvement in the shooting death of a Sikh activist in British Columbia and a plot to kill another in New York.

Prime Minister of India Narendra ModiA Hindu nationalist, he has been accused by opponents of making hate speech against Muslims, and Western leaders have questioned India-Russia ties amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Lisa Curtis, director of Indo-Pacific security at the Center for a New American Security, described Garcetti as a “steady guy.”

“He's done a great job. He travels a lot, he goes out and he interacts with people,” Curtis said. [the relationship] It speaks volumes about his diplomatic skills that he overcame some of the difficulties.”

At the same time, he has not launched any major initiatives or advanced relations between the two countries, she said.

Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst who focuses on the Indo-Pacific region at the RAND Corporation, said Garcetti's track record in India has been “somewhat mixed.”

“The secret to his success was keeping the U.S.-India relationship on a good track without letting bilateral irritants like the war in Ukraine derail the relationship,” Grossman said. “He was very wise.”

“The criticism is that Biden should be able to talk more freely about human rights, and how Modi is turning India into an illiberal democracy,” Grossman said. “If he wanted to, or if he had the Biden administration's permission to do so, he could be more forthcoming on those issues.”

Garcetti likely won't have any trouble finding work if he returns to the United States.

He secured the job immediately after leaving his mayoral role in December 2022, according to his recently filed 2023 financial disclosure statement.

The Los Angeles Clean Tech Incubator, a nonprofit focused on green technologies that receives grant funding from DWP and the city, paid Garcetti $25,000 in early 2023 for consulting work.

Garcetti also received about $8,000 in early 2023 from Columbia University for mentoring and advisory services, he told the Times.

current situation

— He's number two.: Councillor Marquise Harris Dawson He has two weeks left to take up the role, but on Tuesday, his colleagues called him Bob Blumenfield of #2 Leadership PostThe role, officially known as interim chairman, will require Blumenfield to run some council meetings and hold a seat on the powerful executive employee relations committee, which handles labor negotiations.

of suggestion It was an unlikely combination of people who appointed Blumenfield to the No. 2 position in Congress. Nithya Raman and Katie Yarosvasky A motion was filed, but Kevin de Leon, Paul Krekorian, Current Price, Monica Rodriguez and Hugo Soto–Martinez I agreed with that.

— Still a secret: mayor Karen Bass Bass said Wednesday that he has not yet interviewed his top three candidates for police chief but that he intends to make a selection by the end of the month. Bass has not yet released the names of the three finalists and told The Times he is not sure if they want their names made public. “I think we need to be sensitive about that,” he said.

— Measurement Measurement ULA: About $375 million has been collected through the ULA measure, the so-called condominium tax, since it was enacted. Most of that money goes to “social housing” programs that allow renters to buy and collectively manage properties.

Perez Parking: The City Council will meet later this month. John Perez He is a former state Assembly speaker and a member of the city's port commission. Facing the Heat On her decision to expel San Pedro residents Diane Middleton And he will likely nominate Mr. Perez as his successor. Still, some in the port community seem confident that Mr. Perez will be approved.

Perez has already secured a parking spot at the Port of Los Angeles marked “Commissioner,” which has caught the attention of eagle-eyed observers. Asked about the sign, a port spokesman said: Philip Sanfield The port authority said it erected the sign in the belief that the council would consider Perez's nomination this week. “Going forward, the port authority will await confirmation of the nomination before erecting the plaque,” he said in an email.

— Hat Support: Bass backed the city council member's reelection campaign. Heather Hutt, Hutt will headline a fundraising reception for her on Sunday. Hutt is facing a challenge from his lawyers. Grace Yu It's in a neighborhood that stretches from Koreatown south to Crenshaw Boulevard.

While Katie is in France, her neighborhood is booming.

What on earth is going on in the 5th District? Los Angeles City Councilman Katie Yaroslavsky She had arrived in France to take part in a sister city event and then compete in the Paralympics in Paris, just as things were suddenly heating up in her western neighbourhood.

On the eastern edge of the district, a group of neighborhood residents filed a lawsuit seeking to block an affordable housing project planned for Lorraine Boulevard, approved as part of Executive Order 1, the mayor's initiative to speed up the construction of affordable housing.

Along the Fairfax Corridor, Supporter and Opponents Officials behind the TVC Redevelopment Project, which would modernize the CBS Television City complex, are gearing up for a showdown before the citywide Planning Commission, which will consider the studio proposal on Thursday.

Further west on Pico Boulevard is the Saucy Bird restaurant. Short-term legal victories Superior Court Judge in the fight against a 33-bed homeless shelter Curtis Kin It issued a temporary restraining order blocking construction work on the transitional housing project at least until a Sept. 25 hearing.

Finally, more news: groups opposed to the Pico Boulevard project have filed a lawsuit against the Westside Current Organizing a Recall Movement A recall against Yaroslavsky. (Recalls are very difficult to implement in Los Angeles, with most groups failing to get the required number of signatures.)

Quick Hit

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor's homelessness program was sent to the South Los Angeles district that the city council member represents. Current Pricefocusing on the area of ​​Avalon Boulevard and East Vernon Avenue. More than 10 people were moved indoors from the area, which had been the site of other Inside Safe operations, according to the mayor's team.
• Plans for next week: Mayor Bath, Head of LA28 Casey Wasserman People are expected to gather at City Hall on Thursday to celebrate the installation of the Olympic and Paralympic flags. The display has not been without controversy.