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Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Thursday he plans to remain mayor, an announcement aimed at ending speculation he might join the administration of President-elect Joe Biden.
He also announced in a briefing Thursday that his 9-year-old daughter, Maya, had tested positive for the coronavirus. Garcetti and his wife, Amy Wakeland, have tested negative, he said.
Garcetti said he told Biden’s team this week that he wanted to stay in Los Angeles. “There were things on the table for me,” Garcetti said.
He declined to name the available positions. He also did not definitively rule out leaving his post before the end of his term in 2022.
Garcetti made his remarks from the Getty House, the mayor’s official residence, and said he and his wife were in quarantine in light of his daughter’s diagnosis.
Speaking widely about the pandemic, he said “there is nothing more important to me, no more urgent task than to be here as mayor.”
Garcetti was co-chair of Biden’s presidential campaign, helped screen runners-up candidates, and was widely seen as a candidate for Cabinet office, possibly as head of the Department of Transportation or Housing and the Urban development.
Instead, former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg was selected this week for the transport position, while Ohio Rep. Marcia L. Fudge was announced last week to lead HUD.
This left a decreasing number of positions available for Garcetti, who was also seen as a potential candidate for the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Bloomberg reported.
But on Thursday, Biden chose Michael Regan, a North Carolina state regulator, to head the EPA.
A source close to the talks told The Times that Garcetti was told this week that he had not been granted the post of EPA administrator. The source, who was not authorized to speak to the media, requested to remain anonymous.
A spokesperson for Garcetti declined to comment. A representative for Biden’s transition did not immediately respond to questions from The Times.
Any appointment to a ministerial post for Garcetti could have resulted in unwanted scrutiny of the allegations made against him by his former bodyguard.
The bodyguard, a Los Angeles cop, alleges Garcetti’s longtime advisor sexually harassed him and Garcetti did not intervene. Garcetti denies witnessing harassment and the counselor said he did not harass anyone.
A judge on Thursday ordered Garcetti to be deposed in the case.
Meanwhile, Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and other activists have regularly gathered outside the mayor’s official residence, the Getty House, to protest against any appointment by Garcetti.
After Garcetti’s briefing on Thursday, Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles co-founder Melina Abdullah said the daily protests were working.
“Political calculations were made and Garcetti took too much baggage with him, including many very loud protesters who vigorously opposed such an appointment,” Abdullah said.
Devon Manney, spokesperson for Koreatown-based homeless outreach group Ktown for All, said Thursday the group is hoping Garcetti “starts listening to activists demanding that he intervene and come up with real solutions to help Angelenos , rather than pretending his hands are tied ”.
Garcetti’s decision to stay in Los Angeles comes as the city faces several crises, including the ongoing pandemic, a city hall tax emergency and an increase in crime.
The availability of beds in intensive care units in southern California fell to 0% on Thursday, raising alarm over the region’s ability to cope with the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
Garcetti has been praised for his handling of the pandemic in the spring, including his support for widespread coronavirus testing and for his calming demeanor in the face of anxious Angelenos.
Most recently, he has come under fire for the city’s message on the restrictions and for his support for the outdoor dining ban.
With Garcetti staying in Los Angeles for now, he will have another two years to tackle the immediate challenges facing the city.
In an interview with KNBC-TV Channel 4 last month, Garcetti acknowledged the difficult time the city is facing, but highlighted the 2028 Olympics and the new rail lines being built in the region.
“I would never bet against Los Angeles in the long run,” Garcetti said. “It will be a powerful economy and a powerful and prosperous place.”
Times editor Anna Phillips contributed to this report.
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