Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa |
LOS ANGELES -- Antonio Villaraigosa has been sworn in for his second term as the mayor of Los Angeles and says he's ready to go to work.
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher served as master of ceremonies at the swearing in, and Grammy winner Patti Austin sang the national anthem. Villaraigosa's sister, Superior Court Judge Mary Lou Villar, administered the oath of office.
Villaraigosa has promised that in his second term he will crack down on the root cause of crime and create more jobs by luring businesses to Los Angeles.
"I offer this oath today. In the next four years, we are going to judge ourselves -- plain and simple -- based on what we build," the mayor said in his inaugural address.
In the prepared remarks, Villaraigosa also says the city will approach "our friends in the business community whenever and wherever we see the opportunity to help hire local workers and create local jobs. We know we can no longer sit back and rely on the sunshine to sell L.A."
The mayor vows to serve as "L.A.'s number one salesman" in order to tackle the city's 12.5 percent unemployment rate as of March, up from 8 percent in October.
In the speech, Villaraigosa also vows to maintain the Los Angeles Police Department "at its highest level in history." He says he will fight to keep all of L.A.'s 10,000 officers on the street.
Villaraigosa adds that the city must tackle the underlying causes of crime, saying "...In the next four years, we are going to get even tougher on the root causes of crime. Our strategy begins with an expanded emphasis on gang prevention and intervention," Villaraigosa said.
The strategy envisions "reclaiming dozens more parks and giving thousands of young people a refuge from violence in the summertime, when the days are longest and nights the hottest."
Villaraigosa will begin his second and final term nine days after announcing he would not run for governor.
He was reelected in March with what pundits described as a disappointing 55 percent vote.
City Controller-elect Wendy Greuel, City Attorney-elect Carmen Trutanich and Councilman-elect Paul Koretz were also be sworn in, along with re-elected council members Eric Garcetti, Ed Reyes, Dennis Zine, Richard Alarcon, Jan Perry, Bill Rosendahl, and Janice Hahn.
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Derek Fisher served as master of ceremonies at the swearing in, and Grammy winner Patti Austin sang the national anthem. Villaraigosa's sister, Superior Court Judge Mary Lou Villar, administered the oath of office.
Villaraigosa has promised that in his second term he will crack down on the root cause of crime and create more jobs by luring businesses to Los Angeles.
"I offer this oath today. In the next four years, we are going to judge ourselves -- plain and simple -- based on what we build," the mayor said in his inaugural address.
In the prepared remarks, Villaraigosa also says the city will approach "our friends in the business community whenever and wherever we see the opportunity to help hire local workers and create local jobs. We know we can no longer sit back and rely on the sunshine to sell L.A."
The mayor vows to serve as "L.A.'s number one salesman" in order to tackle the city's 12.5 percent unemployment rate as of March, up from 8 percent in October.
In the speech, Villaraigosa also vows to maintain the Los Angeles Police Department "at its highest level in history." He says he will fight to keep all of L.A.'s 10,000 officers on the street.
Villaraigosa adds that the city must tackle the underlying causes of crime, saying "...In the next four years, we are going to get even tougher on the root causes of crime. Our strategy begins with an expanded emphasis on gang prevention and intervention," Villaraigosa said.
The strategy envisions "reclaiming dozens more parks and giving thousands of young people a refuge from violence in the summertime, when the days are longest and nights the hottest."
Villaraigosa will begin his second and final term nine days after announcing he would not run for governor.
He was reelected in March with what pundits described as a disappointing 55 percent vote.
City Controller-elect Wendy Greuel, City Attorney-elect Carmen Trutanich and Councilman-elect Paul Koretz were also be sworn in, along with re-elected council members Eric Garcetti, Ed Reyes, Dennis Zine, Richard Alarcon, Jan Perry, Bill Rosendahl, and Janice Hahn.
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