beckvillaraigosaintro.jpgMayor Villaraigosa and police chief-nominee Charlie Beck came out of Getty House at 11:06 a.m. The police commission and other invited guests are gathered in front of the residence on Irving Boulevard in Windsor Square. In his remarks, Villaraigosa said he talked to civil rights activists, business leaders and people in law enforcement before picking Beck, "a progressive police reformer...a man of character and integrity....tough on crime." Beck's wife is a retired Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, his daughter is an officer in Hollywood division, his son graduates soon from the academy. The mayor also praised the other two finalists, Jim McDonnell and Michel Moore, as great candidates.

"Today we begin a new chapter in the story of reform at the LAPD," Villaraigosa said.

Beck took the mic at 11:14: "It's a beautiful morning....I'm thrilled by my new role....I am humbled by my selection in this process."

I'm humbled by the quality of the other candidates....

My team is not the same as his [Bratton's], but it is made of the same cloth.

This is not just a job for me. This is who I am....I know the ghosts and the glory of this police department's past....

Cops count. Character counts.

Beck choked up talking about his family ties to the LAPD, and noting that his son will graduate from the academy on Dec. 4.

Villaraigosa Q-A: If Bratton had applied up against these three candidates, it would have been close....Villaraigosa said he made the decision after prayer and deep reflection...

More endorsements: City Council president Eric Garcetti commends the choice, saying, "Charlie Beck embodies the new era of LAPD. He represents the future, but connects us with the best of our past." The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce "urges the City Council to move quickly in the coming weeks and ratify the Mayor’s selection.” Previous endorsements

Updated post

Photo: CBS 2

© 2003-2009   •  About LA Observed  •  Email the editor
LA Biz Observed
10:44 AM Fri | State regulators resist even simple steps to help claimants fight denials on disability claims. But that's not the whole story.
Native Intelligence
Phil Wallace | Searching for answers after a third loss this year.
Deanne Stillman | Jihad and cash offers meet American soldiers during the Gulf War, and beyond.
Iris Schneider | After a tough year financially, the Museum of Contemporary Art put on a gala party to celebrate with 1,000 of its closest friends.
Bill Boyarsky
One of the last of Doug Ring’s many good deeds was a visit to the Los Angeles Times editorial board with members of Housing LA, an organization advocating affordable housing for the thousands of residents being forced out of the city by high rents.
Jenny Burman
Thinking more about buying less.
Here in Malibu
The close-up.
Sponsors
Jewish Journal logo
The California Wellness Foundation
Playa Vista ad
Blogads

Blogads Los Angeles network

Get RSS Feeds
of LA Observed
LA Observed publishes several Real Simple Syndication feeds for easy scanning of headlines. If you wish to subscribe to a feed, most popular RSS readers will do it for you. You can also enter the web address from the XML button below or click on a specific feed. For more help with RSS, try here or here.




Add to Google