Promising to pull Los Angeles out of its economic morass and renewing his commitment to public safety, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took the oath of office today and launched his second and final term, acknowledging that his legacy rested on the ability to deliver results on his ambitious yet largely unfinished agenda to reshape the city.
Villaraigosa's inaugural speech was steeped heavily with themes of political accountability and revitalizing L.A.'s depressed job market. He vowed to focus "on deadlines over headlines," a blunt, sober tone for a mayor who had been criticized for being too enamored with the political majesty of office.
"I stand renewed and reinvigorated, recommitted to the task before us," Villaraigosa said during his address, which he delivered on a bright, warm morning on the steps of City Hall. "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 and a nearly two-hour ceremony, which began in South Los Angeles with an interfaith service at the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. Along with the mayor, former City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel was sworn in as controller and Harbor City defense lawyer Carmen Trutanich as city attorney.
Eight council members also were sworn in, all incumbents except for former state Assemblyman Paul Koretz, who replaces Jack Weiss, a close Villaraigosa political ally who lost to Trutanich in a bitterly fought city attorney contest.
Thousands of supporters and curious onlookers gathered at City Hall's South Lawn for the late morning event, and Villaraigosa was interrupted many times by polite applause. Across the street, scores of demonstrations from the Bus Riders Union chanted for Villaraigosa buy more buses instead of spending money of hiring additional police officers.
A bright red carpet flowed down the 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. Before the festivities, a local gospel choir performed the Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" -- "I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways, and no message could have been any clearer, if you wanna make the world a better place. Take a look at yourself, and then make a change."
