Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Wednesday unveiled a second-term agenda dominated by plans for shoring up the economy and cleaning the environment as he vowed to complete the work he started four years ago.
Speaking to an audience of more than 3,000 on the steps of City Hall, Villaraigosa vowed to focus on "deadlines over headlines," a sober tone for a mayor sometimes criticized for being too enamored with the majesty of his office.
Villaraigosa, who last week ended months of speculation by announcing he will not run for California governor in 2010, promised to give the public measurable results in his final term and said he had been enlightened and chastened by the successes and failures of his first four years.
"I stand renewed and reinvigorated, recommitted to the task before us," Villaraigosa said. "Above all, I stand determined, determined to finish what we started, determined to find a second wind in our second term."
Villaraigosa's 31-minute speech capped an event-filled morning, which included inaugural ceremonies for City Controller Wendy Greuel and City Atty. Carmen Trutanich.
Eight council members also were sworn in, including Paul Koretz, who replaces Jack Weiss, a Villaraigosa ally who lost to Trutanich in a bitterly fought city attorney contest.
Thousands of supporters and curious onlookers gathered for the late morning event, and Villaraigosa was interrupted many times by polite applause. Across the street, scores of demonstrators from the Bus Riders Union chanted for Villaraigosa to buy more buses instead of spending money to hire additional police.
A bright red carpet flowed down City Hall's southern steps, and Lakers guard Derek Fisher, fresh off the team's NBA championship, served as the inauguration's emcee. Grammy Award winner Patti Austin belted out the national anthem. Villaraigosa was sworn into office by his sister, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mary Lou Villar, using their mother's Bible. His children stood by his side during the ceremony.
With L.A. confronting a 12% unemployment rate, Villaraigosa said he would create a "jobs team" dedicated to attracting and retaining companies and promised to give discounts on the electric bills of businesses that move to Los Angeles.
