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Eric Garcetti visits 99th St. Elementary’s parent center
We’re less than one week away from Eric Garcetti’s inauguration as the 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles, and yet very little is known about the shape his administration might take, or indeed about the names of people it might employee.
Garcetti aides have said the transition team is considering a major restructuring of the organizational chart — possibly by having far fewer Deputy Mayors than Antonio Villaraigosa had.
That could mean an end to the Deputy Mayor of Education position — a post held until recently by Joan Sullivan. Garcetti could opt instead for an education advisor, instead of the three-to-four person shop that Sullivan had.
A lone education advisor could be a signal that Garcetti plans on taking a less active role in using his office as a lever to reform education policy than his predecessor.
Of course, who that advisor is and what background she or he comes from will also have important symbolic value. Some possibilities include a policy wonk, a political operator, an academic, and an educator.
So far, at least, no one has been willing to spill the beans on who it’s going to be or even who’s on the short list. Garcetti, who is currently vacationing in Belize, will be inaugurated on Sunday at 6 PM on the Spring St. steps of City Hall.
Previous posts: Garcetti’s Education Staffing Plans Unclear; Mayor-Elect Garcetti Searching for the Middle; New Mayor’s Wife Has School Reform Past; An Unbalanced Breakfast for Mayors Villaraigosa & Garcetti