Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti plans to focus on improving the city’s economy by creating new jobs, he said in a victory speech on Wednesday.

Garcetti held a lead of 8 percentage points over City Controller Wendy Greuel, with about 54 percent of the vote.

The fate of the next mayoral election was up in the air Tuesday night, as vote counts trickled in from the mayoral election runoff vote and made the results too close to call by press time.

The tune of “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys playing in the background, L.A. mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel walked out in front of dozens of students, supporters and other members of the L.A. community at UCLA on Tuesday.

Dolores Vera was heading home from Margarita Monday, explaining to her friends why she plans to vote for Eric Garcetti in Tuesday’s mayoral primary, when the city councilman came up to her on a street in Westwood and offered her a Diddy Riese cookie.

Westwood Neighborhood Council member Mark Herd and L.A. City Councilman Paul Koretz discussed finances and transportation Tuesday night, in the first and only debate for L.A.’s Fifth District city council election.

Los Angeles County’s 5th District, which includes UCLA, is approaching its quadrennial city council race.
Paul Koretz, the current councilman in the 5th District, will face Westwood Neighborhood Council member Mark Herd in a debate about local issues Tuesday night in preparation for the
March 5 election.