    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [May 18, 1993]
    [Pages 700-702]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Endorsing the Candidacy of Michael Woo for Mayor of Los Angeles
    and an Exchange With Reporters in Van Nuys
    May 18, 1993

        The President. Good afternoon, everyone. As you know, a couple of
    days ago I issued a statement endorsing the candidacy of Mike Woo for
    Mayor of Los Angeles. I wanted to just amplify a little on that today,
    make a couple of comments, give Mr. Woo a chance to say something, and
    then answer a few of your questions.
        Let me say that I know it is somewhat unusual for all these national
    figures to be involved in a mayor's race in Los Angeles. But that's
    because what happens in Los Angeles matters to America and because we
    can't really turn America around until we can lift the economy of
    California up.
        I endorsed Mike Woo not because I have something against his
    opponent; I don't. I just like him, and I like him for some very good
    substantive reasons. I feel a personal affinity for him because he
    supported me early in the race for President before the New Hampshire
    primary. And that's a part of it. But I also have been terribly
    impressed by what he has said to me in private about this city, about
    the need to bring people together across racial and ethnic lines, about
    the need to try some new ideas to get the economy going again.
        After the riots last year and long before I was President, I came
    here and walked the streets of Los Angeles with Mike Woo. And we talked
    abut the kinds of things it would take to start businesses, to attract
    investment, to change the framework of people's lives; the kinds of
    incentives that are embodied in the empowerment zone legislation that I
    have presented to Congress, which will provide much more dramatic and
    comprehensive incentives to

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    invest in businesses and jobs and education and anticrime initiatives in
    our cities than has ever happened before; the kinds of initiatives that
    are embodied in the national service program that I have presented, that
    will be embodied in the welfare reform program that is coming forward. I
    want to do something to help Los Angeles, southern California, and this
    State revive and come back.
        I've assigned the Secretary of Commerce to come out here. He's been
    here seven times. And I want the best possible partnership to get that
    done. That's why I endorse Mike Woo. It is 100 percent positive feeling.
    I have nothing against his opponent. I just care a lot about this
    community. I care a lot about this State. I want to do everything I can
    to make it work. I think this will help. And I think the decision was an
    appropriate one and one I feel very comfortable with.

    [At this point, Mr. Woo expressed his appreciation to the President.]

        Q. Mr. President, have you ever met Mr. Riordan, and what do you
    know about him?
        The President. I know quite a bit about him. I have met him, and I
    know a lot of people who are working in his campaign, as you know. And
    my wife has spent some good time with him. I have nothing against him.
    I'm for Woo. There's nothing negative here in my feelings about Dick
    Riordan.
        Q. Mr. President, if Dick Riordan does win the election, can Los
    Angeles count on as close a relationship with the White House as it will
    have if Mr. Woo----
        The President. It won't affect my attitude about Los Angeles in any
    way. I will work as hard as I can to help the people here, whatever the
    voters of this city decide to do.
        But let me try to reinforce that and put it in what I consider to be
    the proper framework. Just like I told those students out there today at
    this college, whatever I do as President, whether this economy works or
    not depends on their willingness to prepare themselves to compete and
    win. In other words, they have to do certain things. I'm going to do
    everything I can. My Secretary of Transportation was out here just a few
    days ago announcing a $1.4 billion commitment to the Red Line Mass
    Transit System. We're here for the duration. Ron Brown is going to be
    here supervising this economic program and our coordinated efforts. But
    I think it will work better if there's a mayor who has a lot of good
    ideas about how to start businesses, how to rebuild communities, how to
    pull people together. I think Mike Woo's ideas are good. That's my
    point. It's not anything negative.
        Q. Mr. President, is your prestige on the line at all because of
    this? You know candidates have coattails--sometimes they do, sometimes
    they don't.
        The President. Frankly, I don't know if they ever do. If I have any
    coattails, it would only be because of the ideas that I share in common
    with Mike and the things that I hope that we can do together. I was only
    too happy to do this. Ultimately, in the end, the people of Los Angeles
    will vote the way people do everywhere. They'll vote on the merits of
    the issue before them.
        The one thing that I hope will happen is that you will have a very
    good turnout. I hope the citizens of this city realize that this has a
    lot to do with how things work out in the future. A lot of the things
    that I want to do--for instance, you take this empowerment zone issue,
    for example. If we pass this bill through Congress, look what it will
    do. Say Los Angeles, a big section of Los Angeles, is selected as an
    empowerment zone. There will be new jobs credits and other new tax
    incentives for private sector people to invest in these communities and
    to hire people. There will be all kinds of new initiatives to facilitate
    investments in housing and in anticrime initiatives, and in education
    and training initiatives. That's good. But whether it works or not
    depends on how it's put together once the Federal Government makes the
    selection. That has to happen from the grassroots up.
        So what I would say to the people of Los Angeles is, you need to
    vote based on what you think is best for you. The reason I think Mike
    Woo is the better candidate is because I know him, I know how he thinks,
    and I know he can figure out how to make this stuff work. And in the
    end, the test of our endeavors is not how well we speak or what we say
    as much as whether we can change the lives of people. That's the way we
    ought to ultimately keep score. So that's why I took this position.
        Press Secretary Myers. Last question.
        Q. [Inaudible]--of your administration be coming to Los Angeles and
    campaign on Mr. Woo's behalf?

    [[Page 702]]

        Q. [Inaudible]
        The President. Well, let me tell you something. When Michael Woo
    endorsed me, there was not much in it for him. I mean, Michael Woo
    endorsed me before the New Hampshire primary, and I was still running
    third in California in June. So there was nothing in it for him. There
    was never any anticipation that there would be some political payback.
    He did it because he thought I had good ideas and he thought I'd be a
    good President.
        Do I feel a personal sense of loyalty to him? You bet I do, and I'm
    not ashamed of that. But would I do it if I thought he wouldn't be a
    good mayor? Never in a thousand years. I believe he'd be a very good
    mayor.
        Q. Mr. President, will members of your administration be coming to
    Los Angeles to campaign on Mr. Woo's behalf?
        The President. I'm embarrassed to tell you I don't know. I've never
    even discussed that with them or with him. But I'm strongly in favor of
    him, and I know Ron Brown feels very positively toward him because we
    talked about him on the way in here today. This is something I want to
    do because I believe it's good for the people of Los Angeles. If I
    didn't think it was, I wouldn't do it.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:40 p.m. in the courtyard at Los Angeles
    Valley College.