Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa held a community check-in with community college students and members of the community, Mon. Nov 15. This is one of numerous town hall meetings that the mayor will hold throughout the county.

The meeting consisted of a video presentation highlighting Villaraigosa’s achievements for the city, general remarks from the mayor, a question and answer session from the audience and breakout sessions with department leaders in public safety, education, transportation, job creation and energy and environment.

“Los Angeles is open for business. Jobs and business development is our No. 1 priority,” Villaraigosa said.

He wants to create 10,000 jobs in the next three years. One of the ways to do that is with Measure R and 3010, the new way for Angelinos to use public transportation. This will take place in the most populated areas from downtown L.A., Los Angeles International Airport, to the beach areas. Another way to help the county’s economy is to bring new businesses by providing a three-year tax break initiative.

“Community college is the bullhead of it. It is where it’s at,” Villaraigosa said. There have already been major budget cuts in education, but he is not willing to cut the police or fire department’s budgets. The mayor feels that the police and fire department are the most important services to provide for the city’s safety.

The mayor expressed his concern about more money being spent on prisons than on education.

“The best way to stop a bullet is with a job. Most people without a job do not have an education,” Villaraigosa said.

www.lacity.org/mayor