Is Garcetti Running For President? LA Mayor Heads To Ohio

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will head to Ohio next week for a busy three days of meetings with local Democratic officials in that state, in another sign that Garcetti is considering a run for president in 2020.

The mayor will begin his trip Thursday by visiting Youngstown. He'll then meet with Democratic Party leaders, labor leaders, elected officials and about 15 Cuyahoga County mayors at an informal event hosted by Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter in Independence.

Next it's on to Cleveland, where Garcetti will deliver an address and take audience questions at the Cleveland City Club's "Forum" at midday Friday. Later he'll tour the I Promise School in Akron, a project of the LeBron James Foundation.

Garcetti will also stop in Columbus on Friday, where he'll speak and take questions at a Young Professionals event hosted by the New Leaders Council of Columbus. In the evening, he'll speak at a fundraiser to re-elect Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown.

On Saturday, the mayor will be in Cincinnati to speak at a Democratic get-out-the-vote rally, participate in a round table discussion about local transit initiatives, and speak at a fundraiser for the Ohio Democratic Party.
Garcetti adviser Yusef Robb said the mayor will be accompanied by Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley throughout the trip. He will also spend time with Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter, Columbus Mayor Andy Ginther, and Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan.

Garcetti has frequently traveled outside California and the country: Last September, the Los Angeles Times reported he had spent nearly a third of his time out of state in the previous 12 months, heading to cities including Atlanta, Phoenix, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas and Berlin. As he weighs running for president, Garcetti has continued to make trips to political battlegrounds this year, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The Times filed a lawsuit in July against Los Angeles after the city refused to turn over records detailing taxpayer costs for security on out-of- state trips taken by Garcetti.

--City News Service

Mayor Eric Garcetti attends 'Families Belong Together - Freedom for Immigrants March Los Angeles' at Los Angeles City Hall on June 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Families Belong Together LA)