FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Democratic California gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa visited Fresno on Tuesday.
The former Los Angeles mayor was in the Tower District discussing job training and economic opportunity.
Villaraigosa and his wife toured the Neighborhood Thrift Store’s job training facility on Olive Street, and met with job trainees.
The 65 year-old candidate spoke of the economic struggle for many in the Central Valley.
“There are a lot of good, hard-working people here. People who are checking all the boxes, they’re doing all the right things, and they’re struggling. And they’re looking for someone who is going to fight for them,” said Villaraigosa.
At the press conference at the store, Villaraigosa told reporters he supports the Valley’s farmworkers, and DACA, he wants water storage and better healthcare.
When asked about High Speed Rail, he said he is in support of the project but believes a public-private partnership could help fund the project where the state has come up short.
Villaraigosa and Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom are currently the two front runners for the California governor’s race.
A February poll by the Public Policy Institute of California shows Newsom, the former San Francisco mayor is in the lead, but Villaraigosa has climbed within two percentage points behind Newsom’s 23-percent figure.
State Treasurer John Chiang; and former state schools Superintendent Delaine Eastin are also candidates for the Governor Jerry Brown’s position, and former state controller Steve Westly, and environmentalist Tom Styer, are also expected to run for the office.
Click below to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
