L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti Nominated to Become U.S. Ambassador to India

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Joe Biden has nominated Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to serve as U.S. ambassador to India.

This was announced Friday, seven months after the scandal-plagued mayor said he turned down a federal post.

Garcetti was in charge of running the country’s second-largest city for eight years. Prior to that stint, he served a dozen years as a City Council member.

His final day in office would have been Dec. 12, 2022.

If the Senate confirms Garcetti’s nomination, there could be a special election or the City Council could appoint someone to fill out his term. Until then, City Council President Nury Martinez takes on his role.

Garcetti endorsed Biden last January when he was still locked in a tight primary contest, and the mayor later served as a national co-chair of the Biden campaign.

In recent months, Garcetti has faced controversy. One of his top advisors was accused of sexual misconduct last year, behavior some ex-employees say Garcetti was aware of, a claim Garcetti denies. And a former deputy mayor was charged with racketeering last year for allegedly participating in a real-estate bribery scheme. Further, local Black Lives Matter organizers have pushed the Biden administration not to give Garcetti a federal job, criticizing his record on police misconduct, transportation, housing and homelessnes.