Hopes High as New Council Meets

Four new members of the Los Angeles City Council were sworn in Tuesday, and the newly constituted body then unanimously reelected Council President Alex Padilla to serve another two-year term.

Beaming, the 30-year-old council president hugged his colleagues after a quick voice vote that glossed over a short-lived challenge by Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who withdrew her bid for the presidency more than a week ago.

As a result, what had been billed as a showdown between council leaders instead turned into a display of unity, affection and occasional sentimentality with new members Tony Cardenas, Martin Ludlow, Greig Smith and Antonio Villaraigosa taking their seats at the council horseshoe.

“The council is a governing, legislative body, but more than that, it’s a team,” Padilla said. “The feeling of teamwork is palpable in the air today.”

At one point, all 18 elected city officials -- including Mayor James K. Hahn, City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo and City Controller Laura Chick -- were in the room, an occasion the city photographer marked by taking a group photo.

The council chamber buzzed as family and friends of the new members packed the benches and lobbyists milled about. Former Councilman Art Snyder passed out copies of his how-to booklet for the council, “Ten Rules for the 15.”

Ludlow’s 8-year-old son Desmond perched on his lap throughout the meeting. And council business was dispensed with quickly so the new members could make introductory speeches.

“There’s an energy level here that’s extraordinary,” Greuel said. “It’s going to be a great council.”

Rivals set aside differences for the day, and friends welcomed one another. Padilla embraced Greuel. Cardenas hugged Padilla. Longtime friends Villaraigosa and Ludlow praised each other and clasped arms.

“We should have tried to do more business today when we were so congenial,” joked Councilwoman Janice Hahn. “It probably won’t last, but it’s always encouraging.”

She and other veteran members watched the proceedings with smiles, tossing out bits of advice for their excited new colleagues.

“Sometimes you get stuck inside this building,” said Councilman Tom LaBonge. “The most important thing for an elected official is to get out to the people you represent.”

Unlike most days, all 15 council members arrived on time for the 10 a.m. meeting and moved quickly to locate their seats, which had been shuffled in alphabetical order because of the arrival of new members.

“Where are we sitting?” asked an irked Adena Tessler, legislative deputy to Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, who found her boss sitting on the opposite side of the room from her former seat. “This feels like the first day of school.”

Shortly after 10 a.m., City Clerk J. Michael Carey took the elevated seat at the front of the room to preside over the election of the council president, which is conducted every time a new round of members takes office. As each council member said his name, Padilla sat in a chair off to the side, his hands clasped patiently like a schoolboy’s.

At the end of the vote, he stood up with a grin and the room rose in a standing ovation. Miscikowski then was quickly reelected president pro tem, the second-highest position in the council.

Before the new council took up its first agenda, city employees handed out wooden plaques bearing each member’s name, a suggestion made earlier in the year by a member of the public who said it was hard to identify the officials.

“In the era of term limits, we need this to keep the names straight,” Padilla joked.

The council that took office Tuesday is the first one completely remade by term limits. The four members who finished their terms Monday took with them a combination of 60 years of experience, leaving Miscikowski, who has been in office only since 1997, the body’s senior member.

Although new to the council, the freshmen are far from neophytes.

Cardenas and Villaraigosa both served in the Assembly, which the latter led as speaker. Smith worked under former Councilman Hal Bernson for 24 years, and Ludlow was a top aide to both Villaraigosa and Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson (D-Culver City). Councilman Bernard C. Parks, who was sworn in right after his March election, is a former police chief.

“Just by sheer force of personality, reputation and experience, this is a heavyweight body,” said Councilman Eric Garcetti, whom Padilla reappointed as assistant president pro tem Tuesday afternoon.

The new members did not hesitate to lay out their agendas. Villaraigosa said he wants to examine the allocation of city resources. “I don’t get a sense that the Eastside ... is getting its fair share of services,” he said.

Cardenas choked up as he paid tribute to his parents, immigrants from Mexico who raised 11 children in Pacoima. “We cannot throw our children away,” he said, stressing the importance of parks and after-school programs.

Parks said he wants to focus on homelessness and poverty throughout the city. “There’s tremendous need for leadership,” he said.

Ludlow, who spent Tuesday afternoon attending roll call at the Southwest police station, said he wants to work with the police and other community members to prevent a spike in crime this summer.

“All too often, the elected officials and public policy leaders don’t get down to the grass-roots level and really connect with the men and women who really make the city function,” he said.

Smith said that with the energy and expertise of the new council, officials will be able to tackle the city’s strapped finances -- as well as all other problems that come their way.