James Butts — City of Inglewood

Mayor

THE LATEST: Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, opened in September. The new stadium is scheduled to host Super Bowl LVI in 2022, the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2023 and part of the 2028 Summer Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies. The Los Angeles Clippers are expected to open an NBA arena in the city in 2024. Inglewood is exploring construction of a last-mile overhead people mover to connect the Metro LAX/Crenshaw line to the city’s new Sports Entertainment District.
BACKGROUND: Butts was elected mayor in 2010 and was reelected in 2014 and 2018. Previously, he spent 19 years in the Inglewood Police Department and was Santa Monica’s police chief for 15 years. In 2011, Butts negotiated with Madison Square Garden to renovate the Forum. In 2018, Inglewood opened a $28 million, 35,000-square-foot senior center, and in 2019 the city enacted its first rent control law, capping annual increases at 3%. Butts was elected Metro board chairman for 2019-20.
YEARS ON THE LA500: 6
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