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U.S. NEWS Friday 17 august 2018

AP Interview: Los Angeles mayor: Trump doing 'racist things'

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD ple Trump in 2020, he ap- construction in advance of
Associated Press peared to describe himself the Games will change the
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los in saying America needs face of the city.
Angeles Mayor Eric Gar- someone not prone to the- He said development
cetti, considering a 2020 atrics and who listens more around the 1932 and 1984
presidential run, said Thurs- than speaks. Games in LA were "the
day that President Donald "President Trump is a great times when we really re-
Trump has done "plenty of insulter. He's a pretty prac- built" Los Angeles.
racist things" to divide the ticed bully. But I think Amer- Even as he heralds the
nation while failing to de- ican people don't want Olympics, an expanded
liver on health care reform just somebody fighting commuter rail system and
and other promises. with President Trump. They a revitalized downtown,
In an interview with The want somebody listening to Garcetti faces a home-
Associated Press, the two- them," he said. less crisis that is vast, cost-
term Democratic mayor "Average American peo- ly and heart-wrenching.
who already has visited ple are just looking to con- Thousands of transients,
the important presiden- nect with someone they most addicted to drugs or
tial election states of Iowa trust. I don't think they trust mentally ill, regularly camp
and New Hampshire said Trump at the level that they on sidewalks in an area of
he intends to make a de- did, even those who like town known as Skid Row.
cision on his candidacy by him," he said. Homeless people often
March. Garcetti added he "can sprawl on the lawn outside
To oust the president in a fire it up too," though he's City Hall.
2020 campaign, Garcetti known for a polished, man- Garcetti said he was awak-
said his party needs to nerly disposition. ened Thursday by an ap-
show Trump doesn't back Strongly Democratic Cali- parently homeless person
up his words. He pointed fornia has been a main- screaming on his block.
to Trump's promise to de- Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti talks during an interview with stay in the so-called Trump He blames the state and
liver a better health care the Associated Press in Los Angeles on Thursday Aug. 16, 2018. resistance, but Garcetti federal governments for
plan than President Barack Associated Press said Trump's tenure has not doing more to help
Obama's model. "How's amounted to more threats cities like Los Angeles de-
that going?" he asked. tion status, geography. He mission must be changed. than any broad change in velop innovative ways to
"We need to show this is not wants to divide us by these "We have political leader- the way the city conducts get homeless the help they
a strong man, this is a thin- kind of essential categories, ship that has given ICE this business. need.
skinned and ineffective to point fingers," Garcetti mission that is destructive to Should he run for president, In one case, he said an al-
person who isn't saying ev- said. families, to economies and the expected crowded coholic homeless woman
erything wrong, he's bring- He stopped short of calling to even the safety on our Democratic field could in- was picked up by LA au-
ing up some good points, Trump a racist but said "he streets," he said. clude fellow Californian Ka- thorities 155 times and sim-
but he's not producing any- certainly has done plenty of No candidate has ever mala Harris, a first-term U.S. ply recycled back onto
thing," Garcetti said. "And racist things." Garcetti said ascended directly from a senator and former state the streets until she was
then the rest of the time it's important for the public mayor's office to the presi- attorney general. Garcetti moved into a city program
he's dividing us and trying to know if Trump used the dency, but Garcetti has ar- called her a dear friend in March that aims to get
to take things away from N-word as alleged by fired gued that the work of may- and said what she does people like her funneled
us." White House aide Omarosa ors is essentially the type won't influence his deci- into treatment programs
The mayor said that while Manigault Newman. of chief executive work a sion. tailored to their needs.
"racism is something that In the wide-ranging inter- president does. And in his One of Garcetti's signa- Los Angeles voters have
lives in everybody," Trump view, the mayor touched case, he's overseen a city ture accomplishments as approved spending over
"seems to be much more on issues from the city's in a metropolitan area that mayor was helping craft a $1 billion to construct hous-
comfortable with his rac- homelessness crisis to im- has a roughly trillion-dollar successful plan to bring the ing for the homeless, but
ism, letting it out." migration. He did not join economy, behind only To- 2028 Summer Olympics to when will residents begin to
"We do have a president, a some other Democrats in kyo and New York. Los Angeles, after ceding see a change?
commander in chief, who is calling for the abolition of When asked about the the 2024 Games to rival Par- "Not soon enough for me,"
using race to divide us. And Immigration and Customs characteristics a candi- is. He predicts the transpor- the mayor said, without
not just race — immigra- Enforcement but said its date would need to top- tation improvements and providing any date.q