Mayor Villaraigosa, Who 'Hasn't Brought Home The Bacon Yet,' Heads To Washington To Talk Transportation & State Of L.A.

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

After spending Martin Luther King Jr. Day helping revitalize the grounds of Los Feliz Elementary School, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, along with at least 17 mayors from Los Angeles and Orange counties, heads to Washington, D.C. today for the 80th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Villaraigosa was named president of the conference in June, and the upcoming meeting anxiously awaits the release of a report highlighting the economic health of cities. More than 250 mayors will descend on Washington today, and they have a big fish to discuss with President Barack Obama - a transportation spending bill.

The mayors are on a mission to urge Obama to act on said bill that has been stalled in committees and plan to meet with the president during their trip, which ends on Friday. Mayors will also meet with cabinet secretaries and members of Congress throughout the week, and they will point out the absence of cities' needs as an issue in the Republican presidential campaign.

The State of America's Cities report includes 2012 economic forecasts for the nation's metropolitan areas. L.A., according to city officials, closed 2011 with a jobless rate of over 14%. Villaraigosa will deliver a speech following the report's release.

Jaime Regalado, a Cal State Los Angeles political science professor emeritus, told City News Service that Villaraigosa's status as president of the conference boosts his ability to influence the health and future of Los Angeles. "If you're the mayor of a large city, this is kind of a crowning achievement, especially if your term is coming to an end,'' said Regalado. Villaraigosa's terms end June 30, 2013. "It gives him access to the White House, to the Congress and to the players in the administration," Regalado said, adding, "It gives him the wherewithal to 'be in the room' for those debates, so to speak." Regalado cautioned that Villaraigosa "hasn't brought home the bacon yet.''

Other L.A. County and OC mayors attending the conference include the following: Barry Brucker (Beverly Hills); Ling-Ling Chang (Diamond Bar); Carol Chen (Cerritos); Howard Fishman (Hermosa Beach); Bob Foster (Long Beach); Laura Friedman (Glendale); Sukhee Kang (Irvine); Mary Ann Lutz (Monrovia); Steven Ly (Rosemead); Micheal O'Leary (Culver City); Sam Pedroza (Claremont); Miguel Pulido (Santa Ana); John Solis (La Puente); Tom Tait (Anaheim); Nicholas Tell (Manhattan Beach); and Douglas Tessitor
(Glendora).