Mitch O'Farrell

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Mitch O'Farrell
Lin-Manuel Miranda Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony (with Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell) (46123909791) (cropped).jpg
Member of the Los Angeles City Council from the 13th district
Assumed office
July 1, 2013
Preceded byEric Garcetti
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceLos Angeles, California, U.S.
WebsiteDistrict 13

Mitch O'Farrell is an American politician who currently serves as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 13th district[1], which covers the communities of Silver Lake, Echo Park, and Westlake. Formerly the president of the Glassell Park Improvement Association, he joined then-Councilman Eric Garcetti's office in 2002, where he worked for over ten years. In 2013, he replaced Garcetti on the City Council, and was reelected in the 2017 election.

Career[]

O'Farrell was raised in Moore, Oklahoma, a suburb south of Oklahoma City. He first moved to Los Angeles where he became a cruise ship dancer traveling the world and eventually ending up working as a dancer in a casino in the Bahamas. He eventually moved back to Los Angeles in the 1990s, settling in Glassell Park.

During his time as an active neighborhood volunteer, O'Farrell was elected President of the Glassell Park Improvement Association and helped form their neighborhood council.[citation needed] In 2002, he was hired by then-Councilmember Garcetti to work in his office, where he remained for ten years. O'Farrell served as a field deputy, deputy director, district director, and finally as senior advisor.[2]

Los Angeles City Council[]

Elections[]

2013[]

In 2013, O'Farrell ran for the City Council seat held by Garcetti, where he faced former Public Works Commissioner and labor activist John Choi. The contest between O'Farrell and Choi was noted for being unusually contentious.[3] During the campaign, Choi accusing O'Farrell of xenophobia during the contest over a campaign flier that included "a grainy picture of him above the words “not from our community.” O'Farrell responded by saying that "I didn’t like it anymore than you did, John" and noted it was from an independent group, but also noted that "[t]he fact is my opponent is new to the district... “I am the local candidate.”[4]

During the campaign, he was endorsed by many elected officials including Councilmembers Ed Reyes of the 1st district and Tom LaBonge of the 4th district.[5] After a tumultuous campaign, O'Farrell won in the runoff of the election, receiving 53.05% to John Choi's 46.94%.[6]

2017[]

In an election marked by historically-low voter turnout, O'Farrell was reelected with 59.26% of the vote (17,053 votes) in a wide-open contest.[7] During the campaign, O'Farrell was endorsed in his reelection bid by Mayor Eric Garcetti and local chambers of commerce, among other politicians and organizations. Coming in second place was challenger Sylvie Shane, a founding member of the LA Tenants Union, who received 15.07% of the vote.[8] Jessica Salas, who was endorsed by the Green Party and would later become chief of staff to Councilwoman Nithya Raman, came in a close third place.

2022[]

It is speculated that O'Farrell will receive a challenge from a progressive candidate in the 2022 election.[9] Organizers Albert Corado and Hugo Soto-Martinez have thus far announced his candidacy for the position, alongside at least five other challengers.[10]

Tenure[]

O'Farrell is described as having "spearheaded efforts to remove the camp" of homeless people at Echo Park Lake.[11] O'Farrell has been criticized for "not doing more to ensure the safety of those living in the encampment",[12] though he maintains that wants to move the homeless at Echo Park Lake into transitional housing. He was criticized by film director Ava DuVernay, who said that the removal of homeless people from Echo Park Lake as supported by O'Farrell served to "humiliate, uproot and discard unhoused people".[13] As head of the City Council's Homelessness and Poverty Committee, O'Farrell has spoken in favor of limiting which sidewalks homeless people would be allowed to sleep on.[14][15]

Throughout the "sweep" of Echo Park Lake, O'Farrell's office has been criticized for bypassing Los Angeles's well-established unhoused outreach organizations, departments, and non-profits, in favor of working closely with a secretive New Age "security" non-profit called Urban Alchemy, engaging the group in lucrative contracts to patrol and work directly with unhoused residents from the park in preparation for the police action sweeping the encampment and fencing off the park. [16]

After removal of the encampment, O'Farrell's office significantly changed the layout and nature of Echo Park Lake, erecting a large security fence enclosing the previously open community park, thereby restricting access to specific discrete entrances, contracting private security to monitor the park, and adding surveillance cameras that cover "every inch of the park".[17]

In addition to issues of homelessness, much of O'Farrell's work has focused on improving animal rights. O'Farrell notes that his work has led to the banning of coyote snare traps in Los Angeles, which he describes as "one of his proud accomplishments" in his official biography.[18]

Personal life[]

O'Farrell was born in Oklahoma in 1960. As of June 2020, O'Farrell claims to be the "1st Native American on L.A. City Council".[19][20] He is a citizen of the federally recognized Wyandotte Nation[21][22] and his 2013 campaign was officially endorsed by Chief Billy Friend.[23] He hung a dreamcatcher on his mic during a City Council hearing on defunding the Los Angeles Police Department in response to Black Lives Matter.[19]

Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell and Outdoor Leader Jose (14775260359).jpg

O'Farrell, who resides with his partner George Brauckman in Glassell Park, is one of two currently serving, openly gay members of the Los Angeles City Council.[18]

References[]

  1. ^ J.T. (2020-10-17). "How Low Voter Turnout in L.A. Rewarded Garcetti, O'Farrell". J.T. The L.A. Storyteller. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  2. ^ "Mitch O'Farrell: Cruise Ship Performer to City Council Candidate". Kcet.org. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Choi and O'Farrell in contentious battle for council seat". Los Angeles Times. 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  4. ^ "CD13 race: charges of xenophobic attacks". Southern California Public Radio. 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  5. ^ "Mayor Endorses John Choi in Council District 13 Race". Echo Park-Silver Lake, CA Patch. 2013-03-29. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  6. ^ "Mitch O'Farrell Wins Council District 13 Runoff". Echo Park-Silver Lake, CA Patch. 2013-05-22. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  7. ^ J.T. (2020-10-17). "How Low Voter Turnout in L.A. Rewarded Garcetti, O'Farrell". J.T. The L.A. Storyteller. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  8. ^ Fuller, Elizabeth (2017-02-23). "March 7 Elections: City Council District 13". Larchmont Buzz - Hancock Park News. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  9. ^ "Will LA's Activist Left Take Over the Neighborhood Councils?". Knock LA. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  10. ^ Denkmann, Libby. "Activists Blast City For Secretive And Heavy Handed Homeless Eviction At Echo Park Lake". LAist. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  11. ^ ANTCZAK, JOHN (2021-03-26). "Cleanup underway after closure of Los Angeles homeless camp". Trumbull Times. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  12. ^ Ogilvie, -Jessica P. "Morning Brief: Echo Park Lake's Homeless Encampment, The San Andreas Fault, And Capirotada". LAist. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  13. ^ Dutton, Jack (2021-03-26). "LAPD says helicopter pilots joking about setting Echo Park on fire are not police". Newsweek. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  14. ^ Butka, Tony. "What's Up with Mitch O'Farrell and His Homeless Committee Wiping Out the Homeless?". CityWatch Los Angeles. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  15. ^ "L.A. is again considering limits on where homeless people can sleep — this time by schools and parks". Los Angeles Times. 2019-08-23. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  16. ^ https://knock-la.com/urban-alchemy-los-angeles-unhoused-outreach-echo-park-lake-fence/
  17. ^ "Fencing And Private Security: Echo Park Lake Has Reopened, With Some Big Changes". LAist. 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b "Mitch | Mitch O'Farrell - Los Angeles City Council 13th District". cd13.lacity.org. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b "@mitchofarrell".
  20. ^ "Mitch O'Farrell on Twitter".
  21. ^ "About Mitch".
  22. ^ "L.A. City Councilman Wants To Establish 'Indigenous People's Day'".
  23. ^ "Chief Friend writes letter of endorsement".

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by
Eric Garcetti 		Los Angeles City Councilmember,
13th district
July 1, 2013 – present 		Incumbent
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