[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

[[Page 701]]

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.