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Phoenix Mayor Wants L.A. to Rescind Arizona Boycott
Mayor Phil Gordon
The silly little bet between Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Phoenix's Mayor Phil Gordon just got more interesting. At first the two traded wagers based on the Western Conference Finals, which has the Lakers pitted against the Phoenix Suns. If L.A. won, Phoenix would gladly accept Republican gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner. If Phoenix won, L.A. would get the notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio, known as "American's Toughest Sheriff."Now Gordon is getting serious and wants to send himself instead of Arpaio if his hometown team wins. "While there, I'd like us to sit down and discuss how our cities can unite to push for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level," said Gordon, who also wants the City Council to rescind their recently enacted boycott of Arizona, according to ABC7. The boycott was prompted by Arizona's SB 1070, the immigration law that basically has officers verify a person's immigration status if they have a reason to believe the person is in the state illegally.
Gordon's position is nothing new. Two weeks ago on CNN he spoke against boycotts. "We estimate it's already cost us almost $150 million at a time when we're just starting to recover on the economic front," he said. "And this is about all businesses, not only immigrant businesses, but, you know, major corporations."
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