Bradley Starts 4th Term, Sees Prosperity for L.A.

Tom Bradley today was sworn in for an unprecedented fourth term as mayor of Los Angeles and told a sweltering crowd of well-wishers that the city will lead California’s entry into the 21st Century.

With the mercury pushing past 100 degrees, the 67-year-old mayor cited his accomplishments of the past 12 years as a harbinger of good things to come.

Reminding the audience of the 1984 Olympics, Bradley said, “Last summer we saw ourselves by the light of (the Olympic) torch and that light did not die in the last flicker of the Summer Games. The flame was extinguished, but the vision lives on.

“For us, the moment was not an ending--but the beginning of a new era for a great city that can be even greater,” Bradley said. “I have a vision of Los Angeles 200--for I believe that in American history, the next century will be known as the California Century. And I see Los Angeles in the forefront of that movement.”

New Jobs Predicted

Bradley predicted that “hundreds of thousands” of new jobs will be created in Los Angeles as the city expands its economic role on the West Coast and becomes “the heart of a new global information and communications economy.”

Among the local efforts Bradley said he hoped will come to fruition over the next decade is creation of child-care centers for workers throughout downtown Los Angeles.

And the mayor, without directly referring to his frustration at building a mass-transit system in the city, nevertheless indicated he is not willing to give up that fight.

“By the year 2000, 157 cities of the world will have mass rapid transit systems,” Bradley said. “Surely the people of Los Angeles, one of the great cities of the world, deserve no less.”

No Hint of Plans

Absent from Bradley’s address were any hints about the mayor’s political ambitions, although he has said as recently as late last week that he is still exploring the possibility of running for statewide office, probably governor. During the spring mayoral campaign against City Councilman John Ferraro, Bradley repeatedly claimed he had no plans to run for governor, but he never ruled out such a bid.

The inaugural ceremonies in front of City Hall also included the swearing in of eight council members, including new member Michael Woo, as well as newly elected City Atty. James Kenneth Hahn and City Controller Rick Tuttle.