Delgadillo Names D’Amato to Key Post

Deputy Mayor Rocky Delgadillo on Tuesday chose Ann D’Amato, a colleague from the mayor’s office, to be his chief of staff when he becomes Los Angeles’ new city attorney next month.

In D’Amato, who is Mayor Richard Riordan’s deputy for legislative affairs, Delgadillo will have a trusted insider whose City Hall experience stretches back more than two decades. She worked as a deputy to then-Councilman John Gibson of San Pedro and his successor, former Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores. D’Amato is Riordan’s liaison to the City Council and represents him as the city makes the transition to the administration of the new mayor, City Atty. James K. Hahn.

Delgadillo’s choice raised some eyebrows at City Hall because D’Amato is not an attorney. But a spokeswoman said Delgadillo plans to name an attorney soon to head the office’s legal operations. Delgadillo, who earned his law degree at Columbia and worked six years for the prominent L.A. firm O’Melveny & Myers, has headed Riordan’s economic development efforts.

Also on Tuesday, Councilman-elect Eric Garcetti said he is hiring his father’s former top political deputy as his own chief of staff.

Garcetti, 30, said he chose Richard Llewellyn--who worked as special counsel to former Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti--because he has know-how, lives in the 13th Council District and shares the councilman-elect’s agenda.

Llewellyn served as the elder Garcetti’s liaison to the county supervisors and performed political duties during Garcetti’s 1996 campaign. The younger Garcetti said he did not consult his father about this appointment.

Eric Garcetti beat former Councilman Mike Woo earlier this month to succeed Jackie Goldberg, who was elected to the state Assembly last year. The council voted Tuesday to allow Garcetti to serve out the remaining two weeks of Goldberg’s unexpired term before starting his term July 1, and he will be sworn in Thursday.

Delgadillo, who defeated Councilman Mike Feuer, will take office July 1.