Where's Antonio? Begging for Money in D.C., Hanging in Beverly Hills
Categories: politics
It's never easy to pin down the location of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on a given day, but, according to news wire reports, he spent Tuesday through Thursday in Washington D.C., essentially begging members of Congress for money.
Villaraigosa reportedly started off the lobbying trip on Tuesday, seeking more federal money for one of his pet projects: "Subway to the Sea." The mayor wants the dough to build the rail line within the next 10 years.
He then joined a group of other mayors on Wednesday and pressed congressional leaders for a jobs creation bill.
Villaraigosa wrapped up the visit on Thursday, meeting with members of California's congressional delegation and asking for more "federal resources" -- also known as money -- to create jobs.
In compliance with the City Charter, City Council President Eric Garcetti was the acting mayor of Los Angeles during Villaraigosa's trip to D.C.
Today, according to City News Service, Villaraigosa will be back in town, meeting up with talk show host Tavis
Smiley and Princeton professor Cornell West at an exhibit at the California Science Center at 10 a.m.
Villaraigosa -- who's facing a major budget crisis, by the way -- then continues his public relations tour with a 1 p.m. speech at a company retreat.
The mayor will be addressing employees of the Angeleno Group, a "Los Angeles-based private equity firm that invests in companies specializing in alternative energy and other high-growth energy-related industries," writes City News Service.
Sounds like another opportunity for Villaraigosa to beg for something.
That gig takes place at the Montage, a luxury hotel in Beverly Hills.
All of that driving to and from events, glad-handing, and speechifying probably won't leave much time for the mayor to do the city's nuts-and-bolts work between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. -- that's four and a half hours, if you're counting.
No word on what the rest of the day will hold for Villaraigosa.
Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.
Villaraigosa reportedly started off the lobbying trip on Tuesday, seeking more federal money for one of his pet projects: "Subway to the Sea." The mayor wants the dough to build the rail line within the next 10 years.
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| L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa hangs at the swanky Montage (above) in Beverly Hills today. |
He then joined a group of other mayors on Wednesday and pressed congressional leaders for a jobs creation bill.
Villaraigosa wrapped up the visit on Thursday, meeting with members of California's congressional delegation and asking for more "federal resources" -- also known as money -- to create jobs.
In compliance with the City Charter, City Council President Eric Garcetti was the acting mayor of Los Angeles during Villaraigosa's trip to D.C.
Villaraigosa -- who's facing a major budget crisis, by the way -- then continues his public relations tour with a 1 p.m. speech at a company retreat.
The mayor will be addressing employees of the Angeleno Group, a "Los Angeles-based private equity firm that invests in companies specializing in alternative energy and other high-growth energy-related industries," writes City News Service.
Sounds like another opportunity for Villaraigosa to beg for something.
That gig takes place at the Montage, a luxury hotel in Beverly Hills.
All of that driving to and from events, glad-handing, and speechifying probably won't leave much time for the mayor to do the city's nuts-and-bolts work between 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. -- that's four and a half hours, if you're counting.
No word on what the rest of the day will hold for Villaraigosa.
Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.
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