It's Official: Villaraigosa Is Mayor Again

promised to give the public measurable results in his final term and said he had been enlightened and chastened by the successes and failures of his first four years....Thousands of supporters and curious onlookers gathered for the late morning event, and Villaraigosa was interrupted many times by polite applause. Across the street, scores of demonstrators from the Bus Riders Union chanted for Villaraigosa to buy more buses instead of spending money to hire additional police..... With L.A. confronting a 12% unemployment rate, Villaraigosa said he would create a "jobs team" dedicated to attracting and retaining companies and promised to give discounts on the electric bills of businesses that move to Los Angeles. The mayor also vowed to end the Department of Water and Power's reliance on coal-fired power plants and instead secure 40% of its power from renewable resources by 2020 -- up from his previous goal of 35%. In his speech, Villaraigosa warned that the push for more renewable energy would require an "investment" from DWP ratepayers -- a veiled reference to the likelihood of higher electricity rates...... Villaraigosa also voiced frustration with the pace of improvement at the Los Angeles Unified School District, where six of seven school board members have received his political support. He said he would work with the board to shut down failing schools and reconstitute them as charter schools -- or place them under the control of his Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.