8th Grader Kenia Castillo Takes Center Stage At Eric Garcetti’s Oath of Office Ceremony

Eric Garcetti (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Brian Hews

Eric Garcetti is about to make history when he is sworn in as the new mayor of Los Angeles on Sunday at 6 p.m.

The new leader of America’s “second largest city” will take his oath of office from by Kenia Castillo, an eighth grader from Burbank.

It is thought that Castillo will be the youngest person in American political history to administer an official “oath of office” to a high ranking politician.

Castillo first met Garcetti when she was 4 years old at an event rallying support for better working conditions for janitors and later later reunited with Gacetti during his mayoral campaign.  She told Garcetti him she would become a campaign volunteer because he had been there for her family in the past, and since then, Castillo and Garcetti became close friends.

“This is a dream come true,” Castillo told reporters on Sunday.

Also during the festive event, a cadre of new elected officials will take their official oaths of office including Ron Galperin as controller, Mike Feuer as city attorney and eight members of the City Council, including six newcomers.

The six new City Council members include Mitch O’Farrell, succeeding Garcetti in the 13th District, which stretches from Hollywood to Glassell Park, where O’Farrell lives; Curren Price, who is leaving his seat in the state Senate to replace Jan Perry in the Ninth District; Bob Blumenfield, succeeding Dennis Zine in the Third District in the West San Fernando Valley; Gil Cedillo, succeeding Ed Reyes as the new First District council member, representing Northeast Los Angeles; Felipe Fuentes, succeeding Richard Alarcon in the Seventh District in the Eastern San Fernando Valley; and Mike Bonin, succeeding Bill Rosendahl in representing the 11th District, which includes Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Venice and Westchester.