This morning, City Councilman Eric Garcetti was named the next mayor of Los Angeles. In a race that ended up being less close than expected, Garcetti earned a convincing win over challenger Wendy Gruel.
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For Los Angeles startups, Garcetti was the favored candidate due to his known support for the local technology community. “I will make Los Angeles a great technology center for digital information companies. Already, I am working closely with industry groups and start-ups in Silicon Beach. As Mayor, I will foster and accelerate a culture of innovation and support for these companies, which start quickly, hire quickly, and are Los Angeles [sic] was recently rated as the third-best start-up culture in America,” Garcetti told the Los Angeles Times. “But we must ensure that these companies stay in Los Angeles.”
Garcetti’s vocal support for startups earned him reciprocal backing from leaders in the tech community. Here is what some of them said about him:
“LA needs Garcetti. He would be the first tech mayor of our city. He understands our issues as a community and vows to help keep LA Tech on the map.” -- Mark Suster in Both Sides of the Table
“Given the strong desire by L.A.’s startup community to see Garcetti in office, and his impressively geeky record as a city councilman, I’m compelled to endorse his candidacy and urge Angelenos to elect him as its next mayor on May 21st.” -- Gregory Ferenstein in TechCrunch
“Garcetti has been working since the earliest days of his candidacy to become the crown prince of Silicon Beach. The Hollywood-area councilman has appeared on numerous industry panels, promised to increase the size and scope of Antonio Villaraigosa’s Los Angeles Mayor’s Council for Industry and Innovation, and sought donations at any number of places where local techies met en masse...And the fast-growing local scene has been more than giddy to give it back, despite the fact that his council district, which encompasses East Hollywood, Los Feliz and Silver Lake, isn't exactly a tech locale.” -- Tim Dotan in the Los Angeles Business Journal
“Congratulations LA tech community - LA has a new mayor, @ericgarcetti! I’m excited by what’s to come.” -- Co-founder & CEO of Ad Hoc Labs, Greg Cohn on Twitter
“He’s got good ideas, a massive work ethic, and a seeming inability to abandon hope. He also recognizes Los Angeles’ potential as one of the world’s great cities, while not using it as an excuse to sugarcoat the areas that desperately need attention.” -- Entrepreneur and Spytap Industries founder Barrett Garese on Tumblr
Add your voice: Are you happy with Eric Garcetti’s election as Los Angeles’ next mayor? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Image via Eric Garcetti/Flickr.
