Gil Garcetti facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gil Garcetti
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Garcetti in 2010
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| 40th District Attorney of Los Angeles County | |
| In office December 7, 1992 – December 4, 2000 |
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| Preceded by | Ira Reiner |
| Succeeded by | Steve Cooley |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Gilbert Salvador Iberri Garcetti
August 5, 1941 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Sukey Roth |
| Children | 2, including Eric |
| Education | University of Southern California (BA) University of California, Los Angeles (JD) |
Gilbert Salvador Iberri Garcetti (born August 5, 1941) is an American politician and lawyer. He was the main lawyer for Los Angeles County for eight years. This important job is called the District Attorney. He is also the father of Eric Garcetti, who used to be the Mayor of Los Angeles and is now a U.S. Ambassador.
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Gil Garcetti's Early Life and School
Gil Garcetti was born in Los Angeles, California. His father came from Mexico as a child. His mother was born in Arizona. Her parents were also from Mexico.
In 1959, Gil finished high school in South Los Angeles. He then went to college at the University of Southern California. There, he earned a degree in management. Later, he studied law at the University of California, Los Angeles. He earned a law degree, which is called a Juris Doctor.
Gil Garcetti's Career in Law
Before becoming the District Attorney, Gil Garcetti worked in the same office for over 20 years. He started as a trial lawyer, called a prosecutor. He worked his way up to managing different parts of the office. Eventually, he became the chief deputy for the District Attorney at the time, Ira Reiner.
In 1992, Garcetti decided to run against his former boss, Ira Reiner. Both candidates said negative things about each other during the campaign. Garcetti won the first election round. Even though Reiner stopped campaigning, his name stayed on the ballot. Garcetti won the main election with a very large number of votes.
Serving as Los Angeles District Attorney
When Gil Garcetti became District Attorney in 1992, Los Angeles was still recovering from big events. His first time in office was mostly focused on a very famous trial. This was the O. J. Simpson murder case. The trial was long and expensive. In the end, O. J. Simpson was found "not guilty" in October 1995.
Even after this big trial, Garcetti won re-election in 1996. He won by a small number of votes against John Lynch. During his time as District Attorney, Garcetti worked on many important issues. These included stopping domestic violence and hate crimes. He also worked to fight fraud and reduce street gang problems in Los Angeles.
Towards the end of his second term, there were problems with the Los Angeles Police Department. These issues likely played a part in Garcetti losing the election in 2000. He was challenged by Steve Cooley, another lawyer from the District Attorney's office. Cooley had been demoted by Garcetti after supporting Garcetti's opponent in 1996. Garcetti lost the election to Cooley by a large margin.
Other Activities and Interests
After leaving the District Attorney's office in 2000, Gil Garcetti continued to be active.
Involvement in Politics and Community
In 2002, Gil Garcetti was appointed to the Los Angeles city ethics commission. This group helps make sure city officials act fairly. He also spent time at Harvard University, studying politics. Garcetti has worked to create a foundation. This foundation helps Latino and African-American students finish high school. He also supports changing the death penalty to life in prison without parole. He believes the death penalty is too expensive and risks punishing innocent people.
Photography as an Art Form
After his career as a lawyer, Garcetti became a skilled photographer. He created two collections of photos about the Walt Disney Concert Hall. One book, called Iron, showed the workers building the hall. The other, Frozen Music, showed the finished building. His photos have been shown in museums. He also published a book called Dance in Cuba. Another book, Water is Key, focused on clean water projects in Africa.
Working on TV Shows
Gil Garcetti also worked as a consulting producer for two popular TV shows. These were The Closer (starting in 2005) and Major Crimes (starting in 2012). His son, Eric Garcetti, who later became the Mayor of Los Angeles, even appeared on these shows. In one episode, Gil Garcetti played the Chief of Police, appearing on screen with his son.
Gil Garcetti's Family Life
Gil Garcetti is married to Sukey Roth. They have two children together. Their son, Eric Garcetti, has had a very successful political career. He was elected to the Los Angeles City Council three times. Then, he was elected Mayor of Los Angeles twice. In 2023, he became the U.S. Ambassador to India.
Their daughter, Dana Garcetti-Boldt, also worked as a lawyer for a while. She later became an acupuncturist. Now, she works as a public defender in Los Angeles County.
Gil Garcetti has been played by actors in TV shows about famous trials. Bruce Greenwood played him in a show about the O. J. Simpson case. Mark Moses played him in a show about the Menendez Murders.
