Newly sworn-in Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti Tuesday named former City Councilwoman Jan Perry interim general manager of a new Economic Development Department.
Perry endorsed Garcetti after being eliminated from the mayoral race during a runoff.
“I am excited that Jan Perry and I will be working closely together on getting people back to work and helping businesses open and grow,” Garcetti said in a prepared statement. She will serve as the top executive of the EDD during the department’s formation before handing it off to a new permanent general manager, according to the mayor’s office.
“Mayor Garcetti and I share a passion for revitalizing neighborhoods and improving the quality of life for all Angelenos,” Perry said.
During her 12 years on the council, Perry focused heavily on real estate development spurring construction projects in her downtown Los Angeles council district.
She headed the city’s stadium development committee aimed at bring a National Football League team to LA Live in conjunction with plans to reconstruct the convention center. She also served as co-chair with Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina on the Grand Avenue Committee, a joint-powers committee overseeing the $3 billion mixed-use retail/residential project in downtown Los Angeles that resulted in private funding for a 16-acre park completed last year.
Kelli Bernard, a former Garcetti aide who currently works at the Los Angeles Department of Power, will serve in the mayor’s office as interim chief of economic development as Garcetti conducts a nationwide search for someone to fill that job permanently.
