L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa bids top advisors farewell, promotes anti-gang czar in staff shake-up [Updated]

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced a major shake-up of his administration this morning, bidding farewell to two high-level advisors and elevating his anti-gang czar to the top policy post.

Villaraigosa announced the departure of Chief of Staff Robin Kramer, who has run the mayor’s shop since he took office in 2005. Replacing her will be the Rev. Jeff Carr, who has won praise for staging the Summer Night Lights recreation program in high-crime neighborhoods.

Kramer, who also worked for former Mayor Richard Riordan, informed the mayor two months ago that she planned to leave, officials said.

Also leaving is Dan Grunfeld, who spent the last two years as Villaraigosa’s No. 2 policy advisor. Grunfeld, who was one of two deputy chiefs of staff, plans to work for a private law firm.

The mayor also brought on Jay Carson, the spokesman for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential bid. Carson has been working for billionaire Steve Bing, whose company hopes to develop a factory for the Italian rail car company AnsaldoBreda in downtown Los Angeles. The city’s effort to complete that deal has not been consummated.

Villaraigosa said Carson would recuse himself on matters involving his former employer.

Villaraigosa added that the city’s financial troubles — he and the City Council continue to grapple with a $530-million revenue shortfall — would “require new creative thinking.”

“We need this kind of leadership right now because we’re going to have to do more with less,” Villaraigosa said during his news conference at City Hall.

Supporters of the mayor have billed the shake-up as a way to invigorate his office two months into his second term, allowing him to focus more directly on top policy priorities such as schools, job creation and the environment. Some have complained privately that the mayor has moved too slowly in addressing the budget crisis and on filling policy positions.

After a yearlong search, Villaraigosa finally selected a new budget adviser, picking a onetime chief of staff to Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina. [Updated at 3:45 p.m.: The budget adviser is Miguel Santana.] The mayor is also searching for a new in-house lawyer and a new deputy mayor for public safety — positions that are viewed as critical to finding replacements for a departing fire chief and police chief.

-- Phil Willon and David Zahniser at L.A. City Hall

Photo (top): Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa holds a press conference to announce the appointment of Jay Carson, left, as chief deputy mayor and Jeff Carr, right, as the mayor's chief of staff. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Photo (bottom): Jeff Carr speaks with reporters at a press conference as Jay Carson, right, looks on.  Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[I don't have pretend kindly old men friends who give me orders]

I'm not getting it... WHO is the anti-gang czar? The Sojourners guy? Oh please. Given its shorthand style, this short piece was written by a City Hall insider. The rest of us are left wondering the who-what-where-when-why. Fundamentals, my good man, fundamentals.

[LA Native]

Tony can surround himself with all the people in the world but at the end of the day he is still an idiot and a disgrace to our city! Deport his behind!

[gilbert]

This is quite funny. Jeff Carr always told people that gang bangers need prayers. They are victims as well. Tell that Carr to all the people who have been murdered in South LA this week. Jeff Carr doesn't have the brains nor insight to be Chief of Staff. The city is going bankrupt and the Mayor keeps hiring people. He has something like 17 Deputy Mayors, 93 staffers, attorneys, consultants, a security detail our taxes pay over $450,000 yearly and he keeps hiring people at salaries of over $125,000. When is the insanity going to stop? Why aren't you reporters doing your homework and reporting the failure of his summer night lights in South LA?

[Sheri]

After stating how the appointments relate to the current economic realities, the new budget advisor was not identified. Who is it?

[whamo]

The mayor should hire Ricardo Nicol as the city attorney.

[Steve H]

I'm increasingly happy I moved out of LA seeing the mayor's latest choices.

[Justin]

You know folks, I don't know what to say, but I have to say something, because keeping silent is consenting. The mayor has displayed some serious decision making blunders that are the result of identity politics. Mr. Mayor the Summer Night Lights didnt resolve the problem, it just moved it over a few blocks. So you gain a park to give up a block, where is the success in that?

Yes gang members need prayer, but they also need to be shut down, right now their getting bigger, stronger, and organized, and using kid gloves is not helping the problem, its patronizing the citizenry of a once great city. Remember Mexico's current problem started just like LA's, and if we cant get past cultural identification, which can make one step out and proclaim there is no such thing as illegal immigration, it can forbid law enforcement from picking up known gang members in the country illegally, it can resist efforts to maintain order during political rallies by individuals who are in the country illegally, it can hire a pastor to resolve the gang problem, it can result in affording sanctuary at a cost to tax paying Americans, it is also saying its okay to be victimized, harassed, reduced, limited, and subjected to a quality of life many of us worked hard to overcome.

Its a failure of leadership, and of management, if anyone is to blur the line between the two.

[Henry I]

Well, here we go again changing staff members-it's not the crew-it's the captain with the problem. No demonstrated leadership or management skills.
No quality person wants to be the Mayor of Los Angeles. I wonder why??? Of course, there is no leadership at City Hall including the Council.

Time marches on and the issues stay the same.

[DR]

Ok.... six post and all summed into one. Complaints without any answers.
Los Angeles has no easy answers and if it did I'm sure that they have or would have been thought of and implimemted by now. Can't rememebr any other mayor of this city coming up with and plans that worked In fact, there was several riots on other mayors watchs. No easier to sit back and bit%h abd complain and not come up with any substantial answers if one at all.
No wonder this city is in such sad shape.

[MUHAMMAD ABDULLAH]

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH - THE BENEFICENT - THE MERCIFUL:SAY;HE,ALLAH IS ONE.ALLAH IS HE ON WHOM ALL DEPEND.HE BEGETS NOT,NOR IS HE BEGOTTEN ANF NONE IS ILKE HIM.[QUR'AN:112]." ONLY CONGRESS SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO COIN AND LEGISLATE CURRENCY." " ONLY CONGRESS SHALL HAVE THE RIGHT TO DECLARE WAR."THIS IS WHAT THE U.S.CONSTITUTION STIPULATES.THEN WHO IS CONTROLLING THE CURRENCY AND WHAT EVIDENCE HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO DECLARE WAR ON SOVEREIGN NATIONS?AS A RESIDENT OF LOS ANGELES FOR OVER 4 DECADES WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL THE CITIZENS OF LOS ANGELES WHO IS REVEREND JEFF CARR? I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN GANG INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION IN CALIFORNIA FOR OVER 3 DECADES AND I DO NOT KNOW WHO REVEREND JEFF CARR IS ?I SEE THE POSITION FOR DEPUTY MAYOR IS AVAILABLE ?MR.MAYOR I BELIEVE I CAN MAKE A REAL IMPACT IN THAT POSITION FOR THE CITIZENS OF LOS ANGELES AND I CAN BRING A TALENTED TENTH OF QUALIFIED PEOPLE WHO CAN ELEVATE EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT FOR THE PEOPLE AND MAKE A MAJOR DECREASE IN CRIME IN THE PENTHOUSE AND THE STREETS IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE TH NEXT DEPUTY MAYOR ? QUALIFICATIONS ? IMAM,COMMUNITY AND PRISON ACTIVIST,WRITER,RESEARCHER,PUBLISHER,CABLE TELEVISION HOST AND PRODUCER AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER.THANK YOU

[loneranger1938]

California people look out now. a man in a top spot that worked for hillary. That would be a hint for me to leave town.

[Andrews]

The Gang and Illegal Alien Capitol of the USA.
I am just saying............

[citizensRecall]

The Summer Nights program is not the Mayor or Rev. Carrs idea, it orginated a few years back by an L.A. city councilmember. You can read about in the Advancement Project report on Gangs in L.A. It's not surprising that the Mayor is taking credit for the idea, since he seems to have more new girlfriends than concepts on making this a world class city. Mayor Villaraigosa does not have a comprehensive plan for education, affordable housing or creating a sustainable economy. Maybe its time to rethink his position and shake him out of office - the one he spends so much time away from. Or he do the one thing that he really good at and divorce this city.