Local Leaders Reprimand Mitt Romney's NoHo News Conference

Republican 2012 Presidential hopeful, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, speaks at a news conference at a mostly-shuttered shopping center in the North Hollywood area of Los Angeles Wednesday, July 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

In response to Mitt Romney's North Hollywood visit today, Councilmember Paul Krekorian, who represents NoHo, and L.A. County Democratic Party Chair and California Democratic Party Vice Chair Eric C. Bauman, both issued statements reproving the Republican candidate's political agenda and economic policies.

Krekorian's statement:

“Today’s political stunt shows how out of touch Mitt Romney is with the middle class communities of the San Fernando Valley, and how little he understands the real challenges facing the hard-working people of our area. For Mr. Romney, Valley Plaza is just an easy backdrop for a cheap photo op. For the people I represent, it is a glaring testament to the failed policies and economic collapse that led to its demise during the eight years of the Bush Administration.

But more importantly, it is also a symbol of the promise of economic revitalization in this area, a process that is now - at long last -- beginning to take root. Today, even as Mr. Romney is dropping in to preen for the cameras, the new owner of Valley Plaza is hard at work preparing plans for a major new development on this site - a significant long-term investment in the bright future of North Hollywood. In the meantime, in the last two years, this area has seen an influx of nearly $23 million in federal Recovery Act funds that are being invested right now in infrastructure, schools and healthcare, creating jobs and contributing to the economic recovery that is already well under way in this area.

Many of us are hard at work, shoulder to shoulder with this community, day in and day out, creating jobs and supporting small businesses and improving the quality of life in North Hollywood. We won’t be distracted from that mission by the misleading and disrespectful charade performed by a grandstanding political candidate today.”

Baumans' statement:

"On behalf of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, we welcome Governor Mitt Romney back to Los Angeles, this time in my neighborhood, North Hollywood.

We all know that economic recovery and job creation for average Americans is the top priority to put America back on track. However, Governor Romney is dead wrong when he puts the blame on President Obama for the lingering mess that George W. Bush and Republican Governors like him and Arnold Schwarzenegger created.

During Romney's term as Governor of Massachusetts, his state ranked 47th out of 50 states in job growth, (MarketWatch, 2/23/10). Wages for average families dropped (MarketWatch, 2/23/10). Manufacturing jobs in Massachusetts fell by more than 14%, twice the national average (Boston Globe, 7/29/07). Foreclosure rates increased significantly and, in fact, more than quadrupled in three years (Boston Globe, 4/1/11). It should be noted that these losses occurred from 2003 to 2007, after the economy recovered from the 2001 recession.

Now, in his second bid for the presidency, Romney hopes no one will remember his failed record as governor. His plan to gut Medicare and Social Security and double-down on Bush's disastrous economic policies would roll America backward and return us to the economic brink we are now slowly recovering from under President Obama's leadership.

Americans can't afford another four years of an out-of-touch multi-millionaire who, in the face of extraordinary unemployment and economic dislocation, thinks it appropriate to "joke" with struggling and frightened Americans that "he too is unemployed.

As a longtime resident of North Hollywood, I've seen the effects of the economic struggle firsthand in my neighborhood. Let me remind Governor Romney that it was under George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger that the backdrop of his press event today, the Valley Plaza, became a near-vacant lot, with dozens of workers losing their jobs, much like happened all over Massachusetts during his governorship.

We hope that Governor Romney will tell the American people the truth about his track record and his real intentions to repeat the Bush legacy of failure."