There may be a race for L.A. mayor going on right now, but that does not mean that the current man in charge of the city of Los Angeles is packing it in just yet. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is meeting with lawmakers in Washington Thursday to push issues of importance to Southern California.
One of those issues is terrorism. In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, the country has once again been at a loss for how we should deal with future terrorist threats in the nation. Villaraigosa wants politicians to realize how important Los Angeles is in those discussions.
"I did think a lot about what could have happened in our own city, " said Villaraigosa. "By every measure, we are the number two target. And that means we have to have our share of the resources that we need to protect the residents of our city."
Villaraigosa is not travelling to Capitol Hill just to inform people of Los Angeles' vulnerability as a terrorist target, however. He is also going to let them know how vital it is that we fix an immigration system that is currently in disarray in the country.
"The success of our immigration system goes hand in hand with the success of our broader economy. That's why the time to act is now. Our action should be based on our core principles and values," he notes.
And just what are those values? In the past he has promoted earned, legal residency for current undocumented workers, expansion of the H1-B visa program, and smarter enforcement along the borders. It is his belief that these values will guide us to an immigration policy that is accepting of immigrants without them taking advantage of the system.
"For too long Washington has pushed immigration reform off until the next election. Too often, the issue is punted to the next Congress," says Villaraigosa. "Now is the time for us to say enough is enough. When we reform our broken immigration system, we will not only restore the most basic of American covenants, we will give this economy a much needed shot in the arm."