Biden Nominates LA Mayor As Ambassador To India

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who has led the city during a period of booming development, a worsening homelessness crisis and a devastating pandemic, is President Biden’s nominee to become ambassador to India, the White House announced Friday.

If confirmed by the Senate, Garcetti would become the first L.A. mayor to voluntarily leave office before the end of his term in more than a century. He was originally scheduled to step down in December 2022, when he would have finished a second term that was extended by 18 months when the city changed its election calendar.

Garcetti’s nomination also sets the stage for the City Council to take up the question of who should finish out the remainder of his term. If Garcetti is confirmed, his replacement would need to oversee the city’s continued effort to recover from the pandemic.

Read the full article. Expect Republicans to upend the confirmation hearing with grilling about homelessness in LA, accusations that Garcetti’s office failed to respond appropriately to sexual harassment claims against a male staffer, and his lockdown orders. None of that has anything to do with India, of course.

Breaking: Biden tapping L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti as U.S. ambassador to India, @dakotacdsmith reports https://t.co/GFFBQX3pNr

— Emily Alpert Reyes (@AlpertReyes) July 9, 2021