Antonio Villaraigosa in 2018 CA Governor's race
On Government Reform:
Increase voter turnout among Latinos & all demographics
Villaraigosa said that his campaign will seek to increase Latino voter turnout for the upcoming governor's race. "When I ran in 2001 and 2005, I said, 'I want to be the mayor for all of us,' " he said. "I'd like to see turnout increase dramatically
among all demographics. But clearly, one of them is the group who votes the least, and that's the Latino community. "A big part of our campaign is going to be to energize and organize that part of the electorate," he added.
Source: Los Angeles Times on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Nov 16, 2017
On Drugs:
Supports marijuana legalization
Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday became the latest high-profile politician to endorse an initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California. "I took my time on this measure because
I wanted to make sure it included protections for children and public safety, in evaluating the measure in its entirety," Villaraigosa said in a statement.
Source: Los Angeles Times on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Oct 31, 2017
On Education:
Stop making excuses for lack of success in schools
A former union organizer who went on to become speaker of the state Assembly and a mayor, Villaraigosa has long criticized the state's lack of education spending. However, over decades of working on education policy, at times bitterly at odds with
teachers unions, he said, "if you want the taxpayers of this state to buy into investing more, we got to do more with the money we got.""We can't be afraid of innovation. We can't be saying 'no' to technology.
We can't keep on making excuses for the lack of success, sometimes," Villaraigosa said. Then, he said, the state should reward schools with more money, focus on teacher training and empower parents. "The next leader of this state
has to say, 'This is the most important issue. It will be job No. 1,'" he told the audience in response to a question.
Source: Sacramento Bee on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Feb 1, 2017
On Environment:
Modernize CEQA to allow new construction projects
Villaraigosa said leaders will have to address how California delivers water and examine ways to make the business climate more friendly amid the constant concerns of environmentalists,
he said. "If you can modernize (the California Environmental Quality Act) to build a football stadium," Villaraigosa asked to applause, "Why can't you modernize CEQA to build a hospital?"
Source: Sacramento Bee on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Feb 1, 2017
On Immigration:
Latino heritage is part of our American heritage
Antonio Villaraigosa, in the first major policy address since opening his gubernatorial bid and Donald Trump's victory, skewered the Republican president's tough approach to immigrants while expressing an abiding pride for his own Mexican heritage. "We
are Americans first and foremost, but if anyone wants to make our Mexican heritage an issue, we will not shy from that. We embrace our Latino heritage as every bit a part of our American heritage," Villaraigosa said in the speech, rebuking
Trump's rhetoric and policies toward Latinos and offering a potential rallying point for the state's largest ethnic group.But at the gathering of the California Latino Economic Institute in Sacramento, the former
Los Angeles mayor stressed that he's never run as "the Latino" candidate or served as a "Latino" elected official. He used the 23-minute speech to lay the groundwork for a candidacy focused on extending economic opportunity to every corner of the state.
Source: Sacramento Bee on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Feb 1, 2017
On Jobs:
Union organizer but disagrees with teachers unions
A former union organizer who went on to become speaker of the state Assembly and a mayor, Villaraigosa has long criticized the state's lack of education spending. However, over decades of working on education policy, at times bitterly
at odds with teachers unions, he said, "We can't be afraid of innovation. We can't be saying 'no' to technology. We can't keep on making excuses for the lack of success."
Source: Sacramento Bee on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Feb 1, 2017
On Social Security:
Safeguard the hard-earned pensions of employees
Villaraigosa touched on the need to safeguard the rights and hard-earned pensions of employees. He also spoke about the importance of protecting the next generation of the workers who will be saddled with the obligations.
He said the state could defend the rights of teachers while also promoting better, more efficient schools.
Source: Sacramento Bee on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Feb 1, 2017
On Drugs:
Pro-legalization with safeguards
Villaraigosa became the latest high-profile politician to endorse an initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana in California. "I took my time on this measure because I wanted to make sure it included protections for
children and public safety," Villaraigosa said in a statement. "In evaluating the measure in its entirety, I am convinced there are enough safeguards to make it a workable proposition."
Source: Los Angeles Times on 2018 California gubernatorial race
Oct 31, 2016
Page last updated: Oct 31, 2021