Andrea Batista Schlesinger

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: “The federal government has been absent”

When asked how the federal government is treating his city, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had no hesitation.

"Whether it's poverty, work and opportunity, bolstering the middle class, housing or infrastructure," Mayor Villaraigosa said, "it is absolutely criminal that the federal government has failed to address these issues."

Villaraigosa has long been associated with policies that strengthen the middle class. He's insistent that the government, both local and federal, help people move up from poverty. Not exactly the Bush administration's primary agenda; so no shock that Villaraigosa doesn't get the funding or support he'd like.

But even on homeland security -- the Bush administration's signature issue -- Villaraigosa says the feds have fallen flat. "The federal government talks a good game about homeland security. And yet cities, like Los Angeles, are constantly struggling to get the resources we need to provide that security."

Villaraigosa is endorsing Senator Hillary Clinton for president, in part because "she understands the need to invest in infrastructure in cities across the nation." Will her relationships with mayors across the country encourage her to discuss that investment strategy on the campaign trail?

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Posted at 9:11 PM, Dec 13, 2007 in Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa | MayorTV
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