There are at least a half a dozen people hoping to succeed Governor Jerry Bown as the race tightens in California.
According to the latest poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is now in a statistical tie with Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom.
Villaraigosa’s big focus is on crime and the economy.
On a day where police chiefs and peace officers united behind this man’s campaign for governor, Villaraigosa focused on public safety.
“What we did and what we need to do is stop the screaming and work together in constitutional community policing,” Villaraigosa said.
It’s a major point of his campaign – crime reduction.
According to FBI Statistics, violent crimes dropped nearly 50 percent during his tenure as mayor.
“And one of the things that I got to see when I was mayor was lowering crime and bringing jobs for economic development,” Villaraigosa said.
And that’s the other talking point.
“We have a declining middle class in California,” according to Villaraigosa.
According to Pew Research Center tracking, wealth is growing in places like the Bay Area and declining in places like Fresno.
“The next governor’s got to focus on that training, focus on that education to improve the skills on a time in our world and our economy where you need intellectual capital,” Villaraigosa said.
Watch Kody’s full interview with Villaraigosa in the video below: