My family’s story in Los Angeles begins humbly. One side of my family crossed an ocean to flee persecution in Poland and Russia. The other half crossed a border to escape war in Mexico. Both sides were looking for a better life and they were able to find it in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. As I start my term as the 42nd Mayor of Los Angeles, I keep in mind that I do so standing on their shoulders.
For so many, Los Angeles has been the last and best frontier. It is a place where difference and diversity are not castigated, but celebrated. It is a place where immigrants, idealists, and innovators find a horizon as wide open and limitless as a person’s will and imagination.
I think of the challenges my grandparents faced: coming to a land they didn’t know with a language they didn’t speak. But, along with their grit and determination to do better than their parents had done, they had the strength to look at themselves with introspection, see their flaws and make a plan for improvement.
They were also fortunate to come to a place that accepted, welcomed, and encouraged them to reach for more and find a community of people willing to march toward a common horizon. They made a promise to improve their lives as well as improve the lives of those around them.
As Mayor, my job is to keep their efforts alive: to create a better place, foster an open and welcoming city, and find the prosperity that lifts us all for generations to come.
See Cantor Rosalie Boxt’s response to Eric Garcetti’s Jewel HERE.
