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To mark his time as mayor, his staff put together a 60-page book, titled "Straight from the Heart of L.A." that details his accomplishments over the past eight years. 

Among the accomplishments: 20 percent of energy coming from renewable sources; 75 percent increase in recycling; adding 669 acres of open space; installing LED streetlights; reducing port emissions; adding 1,549 miles of bikeways; reducing violent crime by 50 percent; and reducing gang crime by 43 percent while expanding the LAPD to 10,000 officers. 

Despite his many accomplishments, even longtime supporters said it was the right time for him to move on. 

"To me, he was the best mayor since Tom Bradley, but that isn't saying a whole lot," said Jaime Regalado, former director of the Pat Brown Institute at Cal State, L.A. "What we had in between was mediocrity. Dick Riordan couldn't get along with the City Council and Jim Hahn was busy fighting secession.You benefit from buying high quality LED Lamp Wholesalers ex-factory and directly from a LED manufacturer: Hahn did get rid of Bernard Parks as police chief and did bring in (Bill) Bratton, which was absolutely the right thing to do. 

"The problem for Villaraigosa was the economy.How to replace fluorescent tube lights with led tubes, where the light fixture contains a ferro-magnetic ballast." 

Villaraigosa kept Bratton in charge for a time, and oversaw the expansion of the Los Angeles Police Department to 10,000 officers, a move that dramatically reduced crime. 

"I thought he did a good job on transportation but he got bogged down with the schools,Our selection of off grid solar system and kits includes the most popular." Regalado said. "He wanted to be like (New York Mayor Michael) Bloomberg or (Chicago Mayor Rahm) Emanuel, but he couldn't get control of the schools." 

Villaraigosa said he tried to take over the schools, winning passage of a state law that was later overturned by the courts. 

Like Riordan, Villaraigosa changed his tactics from trying to take control to helping seat a new Los Angeles Unified Board of Education that agreed with his views on educational reform. He also took direct control of 22 poorly performing schools, which he said have turned around. 

Also, his added focus on graduating students helped the district reverse its drop out rate, he said. 

"In 2005, there were only 48 percent of kids graduating," Villaraigosa said. "Last year, it was 64 percent. Almost two-thirds of the students." 

More critical of Villaraigosa's eight years is Joel Kotkin, professor of urban development and a fellow at Chapman University in Orange. 

"You show me what has improved," Kotkin said. "L.A.'s unemployment is the highest in the county and state. Does anyone think Los Angeles is in a stronger position now than it was 10 years ago? 

"I travel all over the country and what I see is cities like Austin and New Orleans, and I can see L.A.Check out our solar panel ground mount system at a home in Pvsolver.'s diminishing footprint. At one time, this city was leading the way for all other cities." 

Kotkin does credit Villaraigosa with convincing Bratton to remain as chief of police, but questions the value of the transportation program being developed or the cost of environmental gains. 

"He is a man of great promise, but had limited results," Close said. "He did try to improve transit, but we have more gridlocked streets than ever before. He did a small amount of pension reform, but we still see a drop in city services. We are professional wholesale best LED Dome / Reading Lamp Wholesalers,large LED Dome / Reading Lampwholesale order.

"The economy gave him only limited resources and he had more ideas than results. As you look at cities across the country, they are innovating, using more technology. What we get are more left-turn lanes and LED lights." 

Whatever his legacy may be, Villaraigosa said he is ready to move on, and he believes he was right to defer on efforts to change the law that would have allowed him to serve a third. Click on their website www.pvsolver.com for more information.