LA Mayor's Help Desk Launched By Eric Garcetti To Encourage More People To Come To City Hall

Pledging to release City Hall from the tight security that has dominated it since 9/11, Mayor Eric Garcetti on Wednesday launched a Mayor's Help Desk outside his third-floor office to help the public get through the city's bureaucratic maze.

"Today, we are opening up a help desk at City Hall that may seem like a small move forward but seems to me like the most basic thing to help people and solve their problems," Garcetti said in a news conference at a desk staffed by one of his employees.

"We want to help people deal with the bureaucracy to make sure they have a way forward. City Hall is the people's building, and I am committed to making sure people understand that this is not a place where we work but a place where they can get help."

One of the first things he will look into is how City Hall is secured. "It's been 11 or 12 years since 9/11, and there are ways to secure this building without making people feel like they shouldn't be here. We can make changes so City Hall is more welcoming to the public."

Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, Los Angeles buildings have had a strong security presence, either with officers stationed at all entrances or doors locked and only limited access.

At the Main Street entrance to City Hall, all visitors must go through a screening device and receive a visitor's pass before they can enter. "What I hope to do is get rid of those visitor passes," Garcetti said.

The Mayor's Help Desk is just the latest way the public can access City Hall to report problems. Citizens can also use the 311 telephone call-in system, various apps such as MYLA311, Garcetti's website lamayor.org, as well as Facebook (LAMayorsOffice) and Twitter (#mayor). His office also can be reached at 213-978-0600.

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