FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Los Angeles – Mayor Jim Hahn today welcomed the endorsements of two key San Fernando Valley leaders, Councilmember Greig Smith and Galpin Ford President and former Police Commissioner Bert Boeckmann.

“Mayor Hahn and I share a vision for the Valley and the entire city that begins with making Los Angeles the safest big city in America,” Councilmember Smith said at a news conference outside the LAPD Devonshire Police Station in Northridge. “Mayor Hahn has delivered results that have improved quality of life in the Valley and throughout Los Angeles, particularly the 18 percent drop in violent crime citywide. I strongly endorse Mayor Hahn’s re-election.”

“As a Police Commissioner, I was proud to work with Mayor Hahn to bring Chief Bratton to the LAPD. As a businessman, I am pleased to see the economic gains a safer Los Angeles is creating,” Boeckmann said. “I wholeheartedly endorse Mayor Hahn.”

“I am honored to have the support of Councilman Greig Smith and Bert Boeckmann,” Mayor Hahn said. “Councilman Smith and Bert Boeckmann have been key partners in my effort to make Los Angeles the safest big city in America and they will be strong assets in my campaign for re-election.”

Councilmember Smith was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2003 after serving as Councilmember Hal Bersnon’s Chief Deputy for more than 20 years. He is an LAPD reserve officer and a former small business owner.

Boeckmann owns Galpin Ford, one of the city’s largest businesses and one of the world’s largest car dealerships. He served as a Los Angeles Police Commissioner until 2003, retiring after nearly two decades of service to the city as a volunteer commissioner.

Throughout his first term, Mayor Hahn has worked to put more police officers on our streets, restore the city’s community policing program, and bring new leadership to the department. Since 2002, the year Mayor Hahn appointed Chief Bratton, violent crime in the Valley has dropped by 19 percent and homicides are down 28 percent.

In addition to working to make Los Angeles the safest big city in America, Mayor Hahn has worked to bring city government closer to the people it serves. The Marvin Braude Constituent Service Center in Van Nuys is staffed by 450 people dedicated to responding to the needs of the Valley. More than 80 neighborhood councils have been certified during Mayor Hahn’s Administration, and each are provided with a $50,000 annual budget. This year, Mayor Hahn gave neighborhood councils an unprecedented role in developing the city budget.