Eric Garcetti

Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti has introduced a motion calling for the city to explore using "sharrows" on roadways to improve relations between cyclists and vehicles. What are those? They're markings on the pavement that show the best place for cyclists to ride on roads. And they're increasingly popping up in other cities -- Denver; Portland, Ore., Paris; New York and San Francisco, to name some.

When members of the Los Angeles City Council agreed last month to put an ambitious solar energy plan on the March 3 ballot, they talked effusively about their desire for cleaner air and "green" technology jobs -- the kind that could boost the economy during a recession. What they didn't discuss was an analysis by a city-hired consulting firm that called the solar plan "extremely risky" and considerably more expensive than was being portrayed by the Department of Water and Power.

Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti said Thursday that he will push an initiative that would make it easier to build housing, offices and other real estate projects by reducing from 12 to two the number of government agencies that review any single development. Speaking before the Central City Assn., a downtown-based business group, Garcetti said his so-called "12-2" plan will be taken up by the council next summer.

Hoping to avert a showdown with county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti on Tuesday reworked a proposal to loosen the city's height and density rules for developers who incorporate even one unit of affordable housing into their residential projects.

He's a Rhodes scholar, jazz pianist, photographer, blogger and environmental activist who managed to squeeze in a weekend trip to the Arctic Circle last year for Earth Day. Eric Garcetti is also a bit of a comedian, unafraid to spastically dance around a stage parodying fashion models, as he did at a charity event in November.

ARENA is a big, loud nightclub in Hollywood, not the kind of place you'd expect to find your city councilman, much less the president of the Los Angeles City Council. But there Eric Garcetti was on a recent evening, looking typically polished and ardent. He had just delivered a speech to a crowd of Rotarians who were using the club for the night, extolling the "sheer human diversity" of his district, the 13th, and Garcetti was on his way out of the club. It was almost 9 p.m.

As president of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission, Gil Garcetti sits in judgment of those accused of violating the city's campaign finance laws. As the father of an aspiring young politician, it was perhaps only natural that Garcetti, a former Los Angeles County district attorney, would contribute to the reelection campaign of his son, Councilman Eric Garcetti. Except for one little detail: The City Charter prohibits ethics commissioners from donating to candidates in municipal elections.

After more than two months of controversy surrounding a star-crossed move to ease term limits for his colleagues, Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti said he has heard talk that he may be ousted from the top post. Though he believes it is just idle chatter, it is an odd spot for Garcetti. He has held the post for almost nine months, shaping the makeup of committees and acting as the city's second-in-command to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti has agreed to pay a $5,000 fine issued by the City Ethics Commission for failing to submit 10 pieces of campaign literature to the commission during his 2001 campaign. Garcetti cooperated with the investigation and has said the failure to submit the material was an oversight. The commission will vote on whether to accept the settlement at its Tuesday meeting.

The city Ethics Commission voted Tuesday to impose a $5,000 fine on City Councilman Eric Garcetti and his 2001 campaign for failing to properly file 10 political mailers with the panel. Garcetti agreed to pay the fine even though he said the failure was inadvertent. Commission President Gil Garcetti, the councilman's father, left the room during the panel's vote.