Mayor Eric Garcetti’s priority list includes people mover, 2024 Games
Building “a people mover” to serve Los Angeles International Airport, providing more incentives to help the local film industry thrive and bidding for the 2024 Olympics were among the priorities outlined by Mayor Eric Garcetti during a Sunday morning talk show.
Garcetti acknowledged that these and other priorities, such as water conservation and protecting the environment, pose major challenges but said he is undaunted.
“Am I swinging for the fences?” Garcetti said during the KABC-TV Channel 7 interview. “Absolutely.”
Garcetti, who was elected mayor last year, said his agenda has been bold and aggressive. Even if initiatives such as reforming the Department of Water and Power and re-interviewing top city managers aren’t “sexy,” he said, the results will eventually be made clear.
The mayor briefly discussed a people mover or circulator train as a possible alternative to a light-rail system serving LAX. Local transit officials have advised against building a light-rail station at LAX, saying that tunneling under the nation’s third-busiest airport would be too expensive and dangerous.
A people mover would be linked to the Crenshaw line — located away from the airport — and take passengers directly to their terminals. It would likely resemble the one that now serves San Francisco International Airport and is linked to BART, the city’s light-rail train.
Another priority for his administration, Garcetti said Sunday, is taking a more aggressive stance in helping keep the film industry in Los Angeles.
“This is our signature industry, it’s not just about glitz and glamour,” he said.
The debate has moved to Sacramento, where the city is discussing expanding the existing film and TV tax credit. Garcetti recently tapped veteran entertainment industry attorney Ken Ziffren to succeed Tom Sherak, the former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences who died last month after a long bout with cancer, as the city’s film czar.
Garcetti stressed that the entire state can benefit from the economic stimulus provided by the film industry.
Looking forward to 2024, the mayor said he hopes to bring the summer Olympics to “one of the best sports towns.” Garcetti said officials should know by the end of the year if Los Angeles will be nominated as the official U.S. city.
In 2013, the U.S. Olympic Committee reached out to 35 cities about their interest in hosting the 2024 competition. Los Angeles previously hosted the Games in 1932 and 1984.
Twitter: @Sam_Schaefer
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