The 49-year-old American is a long-time friend of Biden and is being increasingly tipped for a senior position in the cabinet as reward for serving as the co-chairman of Biden’s successful campaign which saw him beat Donald Trump.

Garcetti has claimed he is "not waiting for the phone to ring" and insisted that he is just looking forward to working with fellow Democrat Biden during the final two-years of his term as Los Angeles Mayor.

"I want to help Joe be the best President we’ve ever seen," he told NBC in Los Angeles.

"But more than that, as Mayor of this city I’m looking forward to having a friend in the White House...unlike Donald Trump who has waged war on us."

Three years ago, Garcetti was re-elected for second term as Mayor with a record 81.4 per cent of the vote.

Being awarded the 2028 Olympics after an agreement was reached with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for Paris to host the 2024 edition and the Summer Games return to the US four-years later for the first since Atlanta in 1996 was one of the high points of Garcetti's early period as Mayor. 

Garcetti was a prominent figure at several high-profile international events, including the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the final vote at the IOC in Lima in 2017.

He struck up a particularly close relationship with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

In preparation for hosting the Games, Garcetti launched the "Twenty-eight by ‘28 initiative", which gives accelerated priority to the city's most crucial transit infrastructure projects.

With tourism at record numbers, increased investment and a growing international reputation, Garcetti was riding the crest of the wave.

He was even touted as a potential Democrat nominee to stand against Trump but announced in January 2019 he would not stand, partly leading to Biden to announce his candidature.

Since then, though, Garcetti’s star has lost some of its shine.

Tourism has dried up, the murder rate in Los Angeles is soaring, and the coronavirus pandemic has plunged the city into a financial crisis.

"Mayor Garcetti is focused on the urgent work of our city to stop the spread of COVID-19, confront homelessness and bring back LA’s economy," Garcetti spokesman Alex Comisar told The Los Angeles Times.