VILLARAIGOSA SHOWS LEADERSHIP AND WHY CA NEEDS A PROVEN PROBLEM SOLVER AT NUHW, LA TIMES, SPECTRUM NEWS GUBERNATORIAL FORUM

Villaraigosa: “As Governor, I’m going to focus on affordability.”

LOS ANGELES — Today, Antonio Villaraigosa, former California Assembly Speaker and 41st Mayor of Los Angeles, took the debate stage with five of the other Democratic candidates where he outlined his credentials as a proven problem solver and demonstrated why he should be the next Governor of California.

Affordability “is the biggest issue facing Californians. Too many people are struggling every single day to make ends meet. I grew up in a neighborhood like that, where people stayed up at night to thinking about what health care costs could mean when their child had a serious accident or an illness,” said Antonio Villaraigosa. “We need leadership on the issue of gas prices. We have the highest gas price in the United States of America. On the issue of utility costs, the second highest utility costs in the nation. As Governor, I’m going to focus on affordability.”

The forum was hosted by the National Union of Health Care Workers (NUHW) in partnership with the Los Angeles Times and Spectrum News. NUHW represents more than 17,000 workers, many of whom are behavioral health professionals.

“We have a mental health crisis. We need parity for mental health professionals with physical health professionals,” Villaraigosa said.  “The number one issue facing this state is the affordability crisis, and health care is a big part of that. Mental health care parity is key to making sure that we're providing the care, both physical and mental and substance abuse.”