Robin Kramer

Re "Closed doors, closed minds," Editorial, Aug. 14 Your editorial regarding the school-choice measure that will be before the LAUSD board in late August missed the mark. While you offer a sentence of support for the refreshing, pathbreaking proposal aimed at raising student achievement and offering families public school choices in the LAUSD, you curiously chose to spend ink and vitriol casting aspersions on the mayor's participation in a single community meeting. It is a good sign that the transformation of public education is a topic of thoughtful community conversation among so many who have been voiceless over the decades.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced on Thursday a shake-up of his administration, bidding farewell to two top advisors and elevating his anti-gang czar to chief of staff. Villaraigosa announced the departure of Chief of Staff Robin Kramer, who has run the mayor's office since the start of his first term in 2005. Replacing her will be the Rev. Jeff Carr, who has won praise for his handling of the city's anti-gang program. Kramer, who also worked for former Mayor Richard Riordan, said she informed Villaraigosa two months ago that she planned to leave.

Los Angeles Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa announced Monday that the woman who ran former Mayor Richard Riordan's City Hall staff will head his transition office. The announcement came as Villaraigosa's landslide victory over Mayor James K. Hahn last week continued to attract nationwide attention -- he appears on the cover of this week's Newsweek magazine under the heading "Latino Power."

Eleven years ago, Robin Kramer and I were part of a delegation that accompanied then-Mayor Richard Riordan on a trip through the Far East, she as his chief of staff, I as a reporter. One afternoon, we were stuck in a conference room in Beijing, surrounded by a cluster of scrambling mayoral aides and business people. They were frenetically preparing for a meeting, but nevertheless found the time to fret about a story of mine in that day's paper. In it, I recounted how the mayor had muffed the introduction of a Chinese official the night before.

Mayor Richard Riordan's chief of staff, Robin Kramer, is preparing to leave her post, a move that will strip Riordan of the political and administrative glue that has often held his administration together. The departure of one of City Hall's most respected insiders will cap an exodus by mayoral aides in recent months. Since being sworn in for his second term, Riordan has lost five senior staff members. But Kramer's loss will be by far the most difficult for the mayor to weather.

City Hall is a sensitive world, where personalities and policies often collide and etiquette is as important as the fine print. Robin Kramer, one of five top deputies reporting to Mayor Richard Riordan, knows that. Her job is to teach the mayor and his high-powered staff about this nebulous side of governance--the art of getting along. She has her hands full. The policies the office is pushing are controversial ones. Competing factions are developing among the mayoral staff.

William G. Ouchi, the acclaimed UCLA management professor who became business-oriented Mayor Richard Riordan's chief of staff, will leave Friday to return to his university duties, the mayor's office said Wednesday. Deputy Mayor Robin Kramer, a former council aide and lobbyist with a reputation for strong people skills, will take over the job of the sometimes controversial Ouchi, effective Monday.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan announced Tuesday that he will bring another seasoned City Hall veteran into his inner circle--appointing lobbyist and former City Council aide Robin M. Kramer as deputy mayor for communications and community affairs. Kramer will replace Jadine Nielsen, who resigned last week as one of Riordan's five deputies.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced on Thursday a shake-up of his administration, bidding farewell to two top advisors and elevating his anti-gang czar to chief of staff. Villaraigosa announced the departure of Chief of Staff Robin Kramer, who has run the mayor's office since the start of his first term in 2005. Replacing her will be the Rev. Jeff Carr, who has won praise for his handling of the city's anti-gang program. Kramer, who also worked for former Mayor Richard Riordan, said she informed Villaraigosa two months ago that she planned to leave.

Eleven years ago, Robin Kramer and I were part of a delegation that accompanied then-Mayor Richard Riordan on a trip through the Far East, she as his chief of staff, I as a reporter. One afternoon, we were stuck in a conference room in Beijing, surrounded by a cluster of scrambling mayoral aides and business people. They were frenetically preparing for a meeting, but nevertheless found the time to fret about a story of mine in that day's paper. In it, I recounted how the mayor had muffed the introduction of a Chinese official the night before.

Re "Closed doors, closed minds," Editorial, Aug. 14 Your editorial regarding the school-choice measure that will be before the LAUSD board in late August missed the mark. While you offer a sentence of support for the refreshing, pathbreaking proposal aimed at raising student achievement and offering families public school choices in the LAUSD, you curiously chose to spend ink and vitriol casting aspersions on the mayor's participation in a single community meeting. It is a good sign that the transformation of public education is a topic of thoughtful community conversation among so many who have been voiceless over the decades.

Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa tapped a group of Los Angeles City Hall veterans Friday for his senior staff, naming Robin M. Kramer as his chief of staff, a job she held under Mayor Richard Riordan. Kramer, who has been heading Villaraigosa's transition team, will oversee a staff that includes Marcus Allen and Jimmy Blackman as deputy chiefs of staff. Allen is the top deputy to City Controller Laura Chick, and Blackman is chief of staff for Villaraigosa's council office.

Los Angeles Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa announced Monday that the woman who ran former Mayor Richard Riordan's City Hall staff will head his transition office. The announcement came as Villaraigosa's landslide victory over Mayor James K. Hahn last week continued to attract nationwide attention -- he appears on the cover of this week's Newsweek magazine under the heading "Latino Power."

Mayor Richard Riordan's chief of staff, Robin Kramer, is preparing to leave her post, a move that will strip Riordan of the political and administrative glue that has often held his administration together. The departure of one of City Hall's most respected insiders will cap an exodus by mayoral aides in recent months. Since being sworn in for his second term, Riordan has lost five senior staff members. But Kramer's loss will be by far the most difficult for the mayor to weather.

William G. Ouchi, the acclaimed UCLA management professor who became business-oriented Mayor Richard Riordan's chief of staff, will leave Friday to return to his university duties, the mayor's office said Wednesday. Deputy Mayor Robin Kramer, a former council aide and lobbyist with a reputation for strong people skills, will take over the job of the sometimes controversial Ouchi, effective Monday.

City Hall is a sensitive world, where personalities and policies often collide and etiquette is as important as the fine print. Robin Kramer, one of five top deputies reporting to Mayor Richard Riordan, knows that. Her job is to teach the mayor and his high-powered staff about this nebulous side of governance--the art of getting along. She has her hands full. The policies the office is pushing are controversial ones. Competing factions are developing among the mayoral staff.

Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa tapped a group of Los Angeles City Hall veterans Friday for his senior staff, naming Robin M. Kramer as his chief of staff, a job she held under Mayor Richard Riordan. Kramer, who has been heading Villaraigosa's transition team, will oversee a staff that includes Marcus Allen and Jimmy Blackman as deputy chiefs of staff. Allen is the top deputy to City Controller Laura Chick, and Blackman is chief of staff for Villaraigosa's council office.

Re "City Hall loses its leading grown-up," Opinion, Aug. 28 Jim Newton's Op-Ed article is on the money. Robin Kramer understands politics but is not political. Her personal agenda has consistently been to bring out the best in those she serves. Her love for this city and her belief in its possibilities are unbounded. In recent years, "public service" has increasingly become a tool for serving private ambition. Kramer's career stands as testimony that all is not lost. Mark Steinberg Los Angeles

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan announced Tuesday that he will bring another seasoned City Hall veteran into his inner circle--appointing lobbyist and former City Council aide Robin M. Kramer as deputy mayor for communications and community affairs. Kramer will replace Jadine Nielsen, who resigned last week as one of Riordan's five deputies.