Biden to tap Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as US ambassador to India

• President Joe Biden is set to nominate Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as US ambassador to India.
• If confirmed by the Senate, Garcetti would be the first LA mayor to prematurely leave office in more than a century.
• He was set to leave office in December 2022, after the city changed its election calendar and extended his term by 18 months.

President Joe Biden is set to nominate Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as US ambassador to India, the White House announced Friday.

"Today, the President announced that I am his nominee to serve as U.S. Ambassador to India. I am honored to accept his nomination to serve in this role," Garcetti tweeted. "I love Los Angeles and will always be an Angeleno."

"I want you to know that every day I am your Mayor, I will continue to lead this city like it is my first day on the job, with passion, focus, and determination," he continued.

If his nomination is confirmed by the Senate, Garcetti would be the first mayor of Los Angeles to step down from office before the end of his term in more than a century. He was set to leave office in December 2022, after the city changed its election calendar and extended his second term by 18 months.

"I have committed my life to service - as an activist, as a teacher, as a naval officer, as a public servant, and if confirmed, next as an ambassador," Garcetti wrote on Twitter. "Part of that commitment means that when your nation calls, you answer that call."

He added: "And should I be confirmed, I'll bring this same energy, commitment, and love for this city to my new role and will forge partnerships and connections that will help strengthen Los Angeles' place on the world stage."

The Los Angeles Times first reported the Biden administration floated the idea of tapping Garcetti as US envoy to India in late May. The LA mayor declined to discuss his likely nomination in past months, calling the opportunity "speculative" at the time.

"The skills you learn as an elected official are daily diplomacy," Garcetti said last month, citing a report by the LA Times. "It is about resolving conflict. It's about bringing cultures together. It's about making sure that you build coalitions. It's about trying to get people who are sometimes at odds with each other to move forward together."

In the White House announcement on Friday, Biden also tapped former US envoy of Belgium Denise Bauer as US ambassador to Monaco; foreign service officer Peter Haas as ambassador to Bangladesh; and ex-national security aide Bernadette Meehan as ambassador to Chile.