Blog

On Wednesday night, Mayor Villaraigosa spoke at the Eve of Justice Rally in Los Angeles and reaffirmed his commitment to stand with LGBT couples across California as they continue to fight for equal rights and protections. Here’s some video of his comments and the reaffirmation ceremony:

As the Mayor said Wednesday, “There’s something terribly wrong with a system when it takes two thirds vote to pass an annual budget or a simple spending bill, but only a slight majority to rip away people’s fundamental right to marry. We’re here today because we want to change that, and beginning tomorrow, we will.”

Like many of you, the Mayor and all of us here anxiously watched the proceedings at the California Supreme Court yesterday and feel much of the same nervousness I’m sure you do, but also cautious optimism. As Mayor Villaraigosa told the crowd at the Eve of Justice Vigil, “Martin Luther King Jr. said that the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice.  Let us do our part in encouraging the court to uphold this precept, that equality requires that all people be entitled to the same rights.  Let us all continue to work for justice.”

Let’s all hope that the California Supreme Court rules with compassion towards the loving families affected by the passage of Prop 8.

Yesterday was a big day for Mayor Villaraigosa, Los Angeles, and our continued push to make our city greener. We were honored to be joined by former President Bill Clinton, who appeared with the Mayor and praised Los Angeles’ plan to modernize our energy use by refitting the city’s incandescent street lights with more efficient LEDs. With 140,000 residential street lights slated for retrofitting over the next five years, the initiative is the largest effort by a US city to reduce energy consumption and reduce pollution. The project should cut carbon emissions by 40,500 tons and save the city $10 million annually, effectively paying for itself.

ABC7 Los Angeles was there to report on the event and has some great coverage. Check it out:

Click here to watch video coverage by ABC7

President Clinton directed his praise to Mayor Villaraigosa’s efforts to make LA a more efficient city, pointing out that “This is like taking 6,000 cars off the road.” He added, “If every major city followed your lead, we could eliminate two and a half coal-fired power plants.”

Click here to read more about Mayor Villaraigosa’s energy accomplishments on his issues page.

More coverage by NBC Los Angeles can be found here.