Heading into a tumultuous final two years in office, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Wednesday laid out a plan for brighter days ahead and renewed his emphasis on the need to reform public education.
In his sixth State of the City address, delivered at Jefferson High School, Villaraigosa said changes coming to the Los Angeles Unified School District - a new superintendent, school board and union contract - would give the reform movement momentum.
"This is a pivotal moment for our schools and our city," Villaraigosa said, according to the prepared text of his speech. "The stars are aligning, but it's up to us to chart the ways."
With the city choked by massive deficits every year that have forced thousands of job losses - and little sign that things will get much better soon - it's no wonder the mayor chose to highlight education reform in this year's State of the City.
When he was first elected in 2005, Villaraigosa recalled, Jefferson was a school on lockdown, with students roaming the campus, police on constant patrol and the school a vivid example of all that was failing in inner-city schools.
Today, he said, the school has higher test scores, better community involvement and lower crime.
"When I first decided to get involved in school reform, I was told it was politically foolish," Villaraigosa said. "I had no authority over schools. The bureaucracy was too entrenched. The problems were too big to solve."
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former organizer for UTLA, Villaraigosa has made education reform one of his top priorities as mayor.In one of his first political battles, he lost an effort to take over LAUSD. But he backed a new majority that won seats on the school board and won the right to create his own partnership of schools. The partnership has 21 schools and 18,000 students, which would make it larger than the Beverly Hills or Santa Monica school districts.
The mayor said his schools have outperformed neighboring campuses in the district and have developed programs to track students and rate schools that are now being used by the LAUSD.
While the mayor's schools have done well, A.J. Duffy, president of United Teachers of Los Angeles, said Villaraigosa is not giving enough credit to the accomplishments of other schools.
"Some of his schools have done very well, but he is not giving enough credit to the other schools not in his partnership, which also have improved," Duffy said.
"I think the reality of a quality public education grows from a commitment to teachers and giving them the proper backup and support.
The mayor said he hopes to see a new teachers contract this year that provides more flexibility and provides more freedom to local schools to make decisions on budget, staffing and operation.
He also said he would support a plan to give parents more freedom in deciding which schools their children attend.
The mayor also talked about the main problem confronting the city - its budget - and the cuts made over the last two years.
Villaraigosa said he and the City Council have had to deal with a $1 billion shortfall for the last two years, resulting in a reduction in the city workforce by 4,000 people.
But, he said, he foresees an improving economy and his budget to be released Thursday will include restoring a number of services, such as a return of Monday hours at libraries, opening more park services for young people, 735 miles of street resurfacing and paving and filling 300,000 potholes.
Villaraigosa said his office will take an 11 percent cut and he will propose a series of permanent cuts to deal with the structural deficit that has caused most of the budgetary problems of the past several years.
The mayor also touted programs started by his office dealing with crime, especially gang crimes, as well as business opportunities.
"L.A. is and will continue to be open to business," Villaraigosa said, citing decisions by companies such as Google, Target and BYD to move to or expand within the city.
Villaraigosa said he will continue to fund the LAPD with 9,963 officers as he presses Washington, D.C., for more money to fund transit programs in his America Fast Forward campaign, which has enlisted support from other cities.
But, with his emphasis on education in his speech, many saw it as a way for the mayor to address his legacy as mayor.
"A State of the City is a chance for a mayor to position his agenda and his legacy," said political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe of the University of Southern California.
"By focusing on education, he can put his spin on other issues instead of the budget deficit and other reforms needed. Every politician wants to frame their own legacy and they don't want it to be negative."
Eric Bauman, chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, said he believes the mayor wants to lay out his agenda for his final years in office.
"I think the mayor has two issues to focus on: One is the city budget and the other is education," Bauman said.
"He's starting to move toward the end of his term as mayor and he wants to go out fighting for what he believes in. And you can't improve the economy without improving education."
LeAnn Rimes Rose Byrne Lauren German Brooke Burns Malin Akerman
