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L.A. Mayor Garcetti stops by Koreatown for one-year anniversary

July 2, 2014

Mayor Eric Garcetti shakes the hand of a woman at the Wilshire/Western metro station in Koreatown. (Park Sang-hyuk / The Korea Times)

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti made a quick stop in Koreatown Tuesday as a part of a day-long trip around the city in celebration of his one-year anniversary in office.

His tour of the city included stops in Koreatown, Boyle Heights, Crenshaw and North Hollywood, some of it by public transit on the L.A. Metro.

Outside the Wilshire/Western metro station, Garcetti greeted and engaged in conversations with passerby, equipped with the Korean greeting for hello, “Annyeonghaseyo.”

The mayor referred to Koreatown as his friendly neighbor — the area, with its central location in the city, is about five blocks from his official residence — and said he plans to work toward increasing spaces for parks and the number of low-income apartments for the elderly in Koreatown.

Garcetti also spoke about the newly funded Purple Line of the Metro, a project that received $2.1 billion in federal funding and which runs through Koreatown, the 311 hotline now offered in Korean and about the decision to make Koreatown a “Promise Zone,” which aims to eradicate poverty and improve the residential environment with federal funds.

Garcetti will visit Korea in November for dicussions on funding, international trade and increasing tourism. He said he hopes to foster an economic win-win relationship with Korean businesses interested in L.A. on the visit.