Mitch O'Farrell

Mitch O'Farrell (born 1960) is an American politician, serving as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 13th district since 2013 and as President pro tempore of the Council since 2021. Formerly the president of the Glassell Park Improvement Association, he worked for more than ten years in the office of then-Councilman Eric Garcetti's office. When Garcetti was elected Mayor of Los Angeles, O'Farrell replaced him and was re-elected in 2017.[1]

Mitch O'Farrell
Member of the Los Angeles City Council from the 13th district
Assumed office
July 1, 2013
Preceded byEric Garcetti
President pro tempore of the
Los Angeles City Council
Assumed office
September 28, 2021
Preceded byJoe Buscaino
Personal details
Born1960 (age 61–62)
Oklahoma, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Los Angeles, California, U.S.
WebsiteDistrict 13

O'Farrell is one of two openly gay members of the Los Angeles City Council, and the first Native American elected to the body.

Early life

Mitch O'Farrell was born in Oklahoma in 1960, and raised in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, Oklahoma. O'Farrell is a member of the Wyandotte Nation, and would become the first Native American to be elected to the Los Angeles City Council.[2][3]

Career

O'Farrell 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. 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.[4]

Los Angeles City Council (2013—)

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.[5] 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.”[6]

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.[7] After a tumultuous campaign, O'Farrell won in the runoff of the election, receiving 53.05% to John Choi's 46.94%.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10] 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 was speculated that O'Farrell would receive a challenge from a progressive candidate in the 2022 election.[11] Organizers Albert Corado and Hugo Soto-Martinez have thus far announced their candidacies for the position, alongside at least five other challengers.[12]

Tenure

As the first Native American to serve on the Los Angeles City Council, O'Farrell has championed indigenous issues.[13] He proposed the creation of Indigenous Peoples Day in Los Angeles, hung a dreamcatcher on his mic during a City Council hearing relating to police funding and Black Lives Matter,[14] and was endorsed by Chief Billy Friend of the Wyandotte Nation during his 2013 City Council campaign.[15]

O'Farrell is described as having "spearheaded efforts to remove the camp" of homeless people at Echo Park Lake.[16] O'Farrell has been criticized for "not doing more to ensure the safety of those living in the encampment",[17] 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".[18] 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.[19][20]

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.[21]

Personal life

O'Farrell is openly gay. He resides with his partner George Brauckman in Glassell Park.[21]

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. "About Mitch".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "L.A. City Councilman Wants To Establish 'Indigenous People's Day'". 14 November 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. "Mitch O'Farrell: Cruise Ship Performer to City Council Candidate". Kcet.org. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  5. "Choi and O'Farrell in contentious battle for council seat". Los Angeles Times. 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  6. "CD13 race: charges of xenophobic attacks". Southern California Public Radio. 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  7. "Mayor Endorses John Choi in Council District 13 Race". Echo Park-Silver Lake, CA Patch. 2013-03-29. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  8. "Mitch O'Farrell Wins Council District 13 Runoff". Echo Park-Silver Lake, CA Patch. 2013-05-22. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  9. 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.
  10. Fuller, Elizabeth (2017-02-23). "March 7 Elections: City Council District 13". Larchmont Buzz - Hancock Park News. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  11. "Will LA's Activist Left Take Over the Neighborhood Councils?". Knock LA. 2021-03-12. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  12. Denkmann, Libby (27 March 2021). "Activists Blast City For Secretive And Heavy Handed Homeless Eviction At Echo Park Lake". LAist. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
  13. "Mitch O'Farrell on Twitter".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. "@mitchofarrell".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. "Chief Friend writes letter of endorsement".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ANTCZAK, JOHN (2021-03-26). "Cleanup underway after closure of Los Angeles homeless camp". Trumbull Times. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  17. Ogilvie, -Jessica P. (25 March 2021). "Morning Brief: Echo Park Lake's Homeless Encampment, The San Andreas Fault, And Capirotada". LAist. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  18. Dutton, Jack (2021-03-26). "LAPD says helicopter pilots joking about setting Echo Park on fire are not police". Newsweek. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  19. Butka, Tony. "What's Up with Mitch O'Farrell and His Homeless Committee Wiping Out the Homeless?". CityWatch Los Angeles. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
  20. "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.
  21. "Mitch | Mitch O'Farrell - Los Angeles City Council 13th District". cd13.lacity.org. Retrieved 2019-06-22.
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