Councilman Eric Garcetti

Mitch O'Farrell is probably the only candidate running for Los Angeles City Council who can do a backward handspring, no problem. Before taking a job a decade ago as a field deputy in the office of Councilman Eric Garcetti, O'Farrell, 52, spent years as a restaurant manager, cruise ship dance instructor and competitive gymnast. If his path to politics was roundabout, the one forged by his opponent in next week's race to replace Garcetti in the 13th Council District was uncommonly direct.

Mitch O'Farrell is probably the only candidate running for Los Angeles City Council who can do a backward handspring, no problem. Before taking a job a decade ago as a field deputy in the office of Councilman Eric Garcetti, O'Farrell, 52, spent years as a restaurant manager, cruise ship dance instructor and competitive gymnast. If his path to politics was roundabout, the one forged by his opponent in next week's race to replace Garcetti in the 13th Council District was uncommonly direct.

The Los Angeles City Council approved plans Friday for a 16-story residential tower in Hollywood, after weeks of warnings that construction work on the project could disrupt recordings at the landmark Capitol Records building next door. Councilman Eric Garcetti, who represents part of Hollywood, said the city had added measures to safeguard work at Capitol Records' underground recording studios, which are less than 20 feet from where the tower's six-level, 242-space subterranean garage is set to go. The project will establish a fund to compensate EMI, the parent company of Capitol Records, if recording is disrupted, Garcetti said.

Los Angeles' two mayoral candidates said Tuesday that they support making teacher evaluations public, going well beyond a level of disclosure that is supported by top school district officials. City Controller Wendy Greuel and City Councilman Eric Garcetti said they backed the release of individual performance evaluations based on so-called "value-added" formulas, which are controversial both locally and nationwide. These measures use the past performance of students on state standardized tests to help gauge a teacher's success, taking into account such factors as race and income.

Re "Dodgers on Agenda," April 6: It looks like I may have made a wrong decision in not letting my son skip a day of high school to attend the Dodgers' opening day. Just like City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, he was going to take a few friends to the game. And he also promised, like Councilwoman Janice Hahn, that he would discuss pertinent issues such as geometry and history. Like Councilman Eric Garcetti, he could have quoted from one of his English books and the crowd would have "exploded into a roar in the background."

Re "Council Members Drive Themselves a Better Deal," July 9: The L.A. City Council needs to shop around for a better deal. My 6-foot-1 husband just purchased a 2003 Hyundai Sonata GLS for $17,000. It's very comfortable, and I'm sure could accommodate the size and sedan needs of the L.A. City Council. I understand the desire to drive an American car, but in these lean times we can't afford $25,000-plus for each councilperson to drive a luxury sedan or SUV. Bravo to Councilman Eric Garcetti for driving the only electric car. Come on, City Council, shop around; start living within your means.

Santiago Perez and his neighbors went straight to Councilman Eric Garcetti when they heard that a developer planned to build a 62-unit housing and retail development on their quiet street in Echo Park. Worried that the four-story complex would tower over homes and bring excess traffic, the group emerged from their meeting at Los Angeles City Hall feeling relieved. "He told us that, yes, he's with us and he will do everything possible to reject the plan," Perez said. But months later in front of the citywide Planning Commission, a Garcetti representative offered the lawmaker's tacit support for the project, saying it was "designed well" and would bring needed jobs and housing to the area.

With the field in the Los Angeles mayor's race now whittled down to two, more state legislators from Southern California are taking sides. Councilman Eric Garcetti announced a trio of endorsements Monday from state Sens. Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) as well as former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. “These three legislative leaders will be powerful voices in this election and will help me build support in neighborhoods throughout our city," Garcetti said in a statement.

A quarrel at the Los Angeles City Council over strategies for helping homeless residents on Friday sparked a campaign debate over Councilman Eric Garcetti's frequent absences from meetings as he runs for mayor. The council's 10 a.m. meeting came to a halt after council members Richard Alarcon and Jan Perry got into a dispute over efforts to encourage the installation of public restrooms and storage facilities at apartments planned for the homeless. Alarcon stormed out before a vote could be held on a plan to provide $18 million for construction of housing for the "chronically" homeless, or those considered most difficult to house.

Re "Patriotic Paint Job Proposed for a Landmark," Oct. 27: How frivolous, how petty, how very Hollywood! Instead of painting the Hollywood sign, why doesn't the city spend this money on something that would be a much more profound expression of our patriotism? Why doesn't it donate the money to the various organizations that give support to many of the veterans this ridiculous project is purportedly honoring? There are thousands of homeless and otherwise disadvantaged veterans in this city who could use some help.

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti has edged ahead of opponent Wendy Greuel in fund-raising for the May 21 runoff contest, raising $1.27 million during the 4 1/2 weeks that followed the March 5 primary election. The haul means that Garcetti has more than $2 million on hand for his campaign, according to reports filed Thursday. Greuel took in $1.12 million during the same fund-raising period, which ended Saturday, and has nearly $1.5 million available for the campaign. Greuel called the pace of her fund-raising "explosive" and portrayed it as a sign that voters are frustrated with the status quo. Her campaign strategist, John Shallman, struck a similar theme, describing Greuel's take as evidence that residents want someone to "break the gridlock at City Hall.

A quarrel at the Los Angeles City Council over strategies for helping homeless residents on Friday ignited a political debate over Councilman Eric Garcetti's frequent absences from meetings during his run for mayor. The council's 10 a.m. meeting came to a halt after Council members Richard Alarcon and Jan Perry got into a dispute over efforts to encourage the installation of public restrooms and storage facilities at apartments that have been planned for the homeless. Alarcon stormed out before a vote could be held on a plan to provide $18 million for construction of housing for the "chronically" homeless, or those considered most difficult to house.

A quarrel at the Los Angeles City Council over strategies for helping homeless residents on Friday sparked a campaign debate over Councilman Eric Garcetti's frequent absences from meetings as he runs for mayor. The council's 10 a.m. meeting came to a halt after council members Richard Alarcon and Jan Perry got into a dispute over efforts to encourage the installation of public restrooms and storage facilities at apartments planned for the homeless. Alarcon stormed out before a vote could be held on a plan to provide $18 million for construction of housing for the "chronically" homeless, or those considered most difficult to house.

Despite a last-minute intervention by Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti, the city's Planning Commission moved forward Thursday with a bold development project that could add two towering skyscrapers to the Hollywood skyline. If the project is approved by the City Council, New-York-based developer Millennium Partners will be able to build more than 1 million square feet of apartment, office and retail space on fewer than five acres of land surrounding the iconic Capitol Records building.

Controller Wendy Greuel pulled off a surprising coup last week when she secured the endorsement of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor despite an acknowledgment by many labor leaders that they feel closer philosophically to her opponent, Councilman Eric Garcetti. The endorsement was in many ways, though, more about Garcetti than about Greuel. Organized labor has been unhappy with Garcetti in part because he supported revisions to the city's pension rules that curbed benefits and raised the retirement age for new employees.

Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel stood on the lawn of Grand Park in downtown on Sunday evening to announce her endorsement by L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose African American constituency is a coveted voting bloc in the May runoff election against City Councilman Eric Garcetti. It was Greuel's first appearance since a dramatic shake-up in her campaign staff late last week. She hired a new manager and four people resigned, leaving observers to wonder if the change of horses midstream indicated a lack of confidence.

A state lawmaker who hopes to replace L.A. Councilwoman Wendy Greuel in the San Fernando Valley is taking aim at the city's decision to lend $30 million to a venture bringing the Cirque du Soleil to Hollywood. Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) sent voters a campaign flier over the weekend that juxtaposes two images: a perturbed-looking firefighter with 5 o'clock shadow and a juggler in suspenders riding a unicycle. "Which is the better use of our tax dollars?" the mailer asks.

Controller Wendy Greuel pulled off a surprising coup last week when she secured the endorsement of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor despite an acknowledgment by many labor leaders that they feel closer philosophically to her opponent, Councilman Eric Garcetti. The endorsement was in many ways, though, more about Garcetti than about Greuel. Organized labor has been unhappy with Garcetti in part because he supported revisions to the city's pension rules that curbed benefits and raised the retirement age for new employees.

With the field in the Los Angeles mayor's race now whittled down to two, more state legislators from Southern California are taking sides. Councilman Eric Garcetti announced a trio of endorsements Monday from state Sens. Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles) and Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) as well as former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. “These three legislative leaders will be powerful voices in this election and will help me build support in neighborhoods throughout our city," Garcetti said in a statement.

The first round of the mayoral election ended Tuesday much the way it began, with Controller Wendy Greuel and Councilman Eric Garcetti fighting for the lead while facing the complicated task of defining themselves to voters and assembling a majority in an exceptionally diverse city. Both candidates have logical routes forward for the runoff, and both can look to historical precedent for proof they might win. Greuel can take heart from the election of 2001, when Jim Hahn came in second in the first round of the election but rebounded to victory in the runoff after moderates who'd voted for other candidates in the first round picked him over Antonio Villaraigosa.