LA Mayor Links Immigration, US Economy In White House Visit
WASHINGTON (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke Wednesday at a White House special event in honor of those who have helped immigrants navigate the naturalization process.
KNX 1070's Jon Baird reports the mayor also called for comprehensive immigration reform at the "Champions of Change" ceremony in Washington, D.C.
The ceremony held to highlight the work of eight "Champions of Change" honorees included David Huerta of Los Angeles, the president of Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West. Huerta has worked to build an immigrant integration program that includes English classes for union members.
Noting that countries without a lot of immigrants are having a very tough time economically, Garcetti said it's time Angelenos and all Americans took notice.
"Japan, they're struggling to look at how are they going to pay for the benefits for retiring seniors in an aging population," he said. "It is the influx of immigrants that is the future of our economy."
The mayor will spend the final day of his Washington visit in meetings with the South Korean and Japanese ambassadors, cabinet members and staff and others.
Next month, Garcetti will travel to L.A.'s top three trading partners — China, South Korea, and Japan — to meet with government officials and business leaders to encourage companies to locate and invest in Los Angeles and to promote tourism.
Garcetti used a Washington Post-sponsored discussion on traffic problems Tuesday to call for government to pursue more public-private partnerships to reduce congestion.
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