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LA Mayoral Candidate Antonio Villaraigosa Earns Key Statewide Environmental Endorsement

News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 28, 2005

Contact: David Allgood, CLCV, (310) 441-4162 x203
Nathan James, Villaraigosa campaign, (213) 687-7777

Los Angeles, CA – The California League of Conservation Voters, the political arm of California’s environmental movement, has endorsed Antonio Villaraigosa for Mayor of Los Angeles.

“Antonio Villaraigosa is a true leader in protecting our environment,” said David Allgood, Southern California Director of the California League of Conservation Voters. “He has worked hard to clean up our air, our drinking water and our communities. When it comes to making Los Angeles a better place, the clear choice for Mayor is Antonio Villaraigosa.”

Villaraigosa, a 1999 recipient of CLCV’s Environmental Leadership award, the organization’s highest honor, has an extensive record of environmental achievement, including earning a 100% year after year on CLCV’s California Environmental Scorecard, which tracks the votes of state elected officials on environmental measures. Villaraigosa stands out among elected officials because of his “can-do” commitment to improving the environment in urban areas and his willingness to take on tough battles, said Allgood.

“When a candidate for office in one of the smoggiest cities in the nation says, ‘we've done the easy things to eliminate pollution. Now it's time to take on the toughest challenges,’ you know you have a real leader in the running,” said Allgood.

Stepping out with a strong and practical plan to help Los Angeles meet emerging environmental problems, Villaraigosa stated, “A clean environment is the foundation of a livable community. It is not a luxury, it is a necessity. I will dedicate myself to transforming Los Angeles into the cleanest, greenest big city in America."

That is a challenge, says Allgood, that environmentalists are thrilled to help him achieve and is motivating green group members to action.

Villaraigosa also stressed the importance of a clean environment to the economy. “Los Angeles must be a part of the emerging green economy,” Villaraigosa said. “We can be the leader in clean energy technology and create new jobs by leveraging investments by Department of Water and Power and the Port, but we need the right leadership in the Mayor’s office.”

Among Villaraigosa’s many environmental achievements was, as State Assembly Speaker, creating the renowned “Carl Moyer Program” to upgrade dirty diesel engines in trucks, buses and trains to modern, cleaner engines. He worked to replace and repair unsafe playgrounds with recycled and non-toxic products and secured the funding needed to go enforce clean drinking water laws. He also wrote and championed a state ballot initiative to fund a clean air, clean water and safe parks bond, which brought record emphasis on inner-city parks as well as the funding needed to expand the Ballona wetlands preserve.

As an LA Councilmember he worked to expand public transit and reduce smogproducing traffic congestion, to promote renewable energy as a way to alleviate energy crisis pressures, and to create an urban park – the Los Angeles River Greenway.

CLCV is the nation’s oldest grassroots environmental political action organization. With over 20,000 members, CLCV campaigns for candidates who pledge to protect the environment and holds elected officials accountable for their votes on environmental measures. For more information on CLCV and Villaraigosa’s environmental record, visit www.ecovote.org.

For more information on Villaraigosa, visit his website at www.Antonio2005.com. Read his Plan for a Greener LA on his campaign website.