The Jewish Federation and Jewish leaders from across Los Angeles welcomed Mayor Eric Garcetti – L.A.’s first elected Jewish mayor – at a community forum this past Sunday organized by our Federation’s Community Engagement strategic initiative. Speaking to a diverse audience of Jewish leaders and philanthropists, Garcetti was engaging and frank.
He addressed the economic challenges facing L.A., as well as the opportunities to reinvest in the city’s infrastructure and in ensuring social justice for all Angelenos. And he called the rich partnership between the Jewish community and the city’s civic leaders more important than ever.
“It’s time to build a new relationship with the Jewish community,” Garcetti said. “If we all march to the same beat, we can accomplish anything.”
The event was an important opportunity for Garcetti to hear about the most important issues and priorities for L.A.’s Jewish community, and a chance for the city’s Jewish community to rededicate itself to making L.A. a better place for all. Engaging with the community is a key part of The Jewish Federation’s mission, and we’ve worked to build relationships with civic and elected leaders, and communities throughout the city.
Israel Consul General David Siegel attended the event, as did Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and City Councilmembers Mitch Englander, Paul Krekorian, and Paul Koretz. We thank Cece and Bill Feiler for graciously hosting the forum at their home.
Garcetti outlined some of his priorities, including addressing economic inequality, creating jobs, and investing in street repaving and public transportation. He also vowed to protect the neediest and build a compassionate local government – with the help of L.A.’s Jewish community.
“Think about what we can do to overcome those needs that we have in Los Angeles. This is a place where the wealth gap in some ways has only gotten bigger, a place where we have more homeless individuals than any other place. Throughout our history, we as Jews have led the community in addressing those problems,” said Garcetti.
To read the Jewish Journal’s coverage of the event, click here. For more information, contact Dan Loeterman at DLoeterman@JewishLA.org.
