03/29/2024

Villaraigosa, in his first major speech, focuses on Latinos and inequality

SACRAMENTO – In his first major address since announcing his campaign for governor, Antonio Villaraigosa cast himself as a staunch opponent of President Donald Trump and as a champion of Latino voters, presaging a campaign in which he will court the state’s largest ethnic group on economic issues.

The former mayor of Los Angeles called on Californians to “remember what we’re fighting for” in its battles against Trump, and admonished California officials for perpetuating policies that he said have left many Latinos to languish in poverty.

“Silicon Valley is booming so fast it can’t house its employees, while the Central Valley is home to some of the highest poverty rates in the nation,” Villaraigosa said. “Most of the communities along our coast are flourishing, while too many of California’s inland communities are languishing. Travel a few miles from Brentwood to Boyle Heights or a long distance from Hillsborough to Huron, and you’ll see that there are actually two Californias – one largely white and wealthy, the other largely Latino and poor.”

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