February 06, 2020

By Danny J. Bakewell, Jr. 

Executive Editor 

 

Few presidential candidates bring their message or their campaign directly to the people who are most affected by the daily decisions made in Washington DC.  But on February 4, before a standing room only crowd at Compton’s Dollarhide Center that is exactly what former New York City Mayor and Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg brought to Compton. 

 

The Bloomberg campaign is counting on California to launch his presidential candidacy into high gear. 

On Monday, the former mayor addressed thousands of residences in the city of Compton and picked up a key endorsement from Compton Mayor Aja Brown and city council members Emma Sharif, Tana McCoy and Michelle Chambers.

 

While other presidential candidates were focusing on the Iowa caucuses and the upcoming New Hampshire primary, Bloomberg is focusing his sights on California and brought a message of inclusiveness and accountability to the standing room only crowd which gathered at the Dollarhide Center in Compton.

 

Compton Mayor Aja Brown, who besides her endorsement, has also signed on to be a co-chair for the California Bloomberg campaign told the crowd, “I’m proud to endorse Mike Bloomberg for president because he has a real plan for all Americans.  Mike has pledged a $70 billion commitment to invest in underserved cities to drive economic empowerment and close the economic gap between White Americans and people of color. His Greenwood and El Paso Adelante plans have the power to lift communities like Compton and change outcomes for generations.”

 

“If you ask me, voters here deserve to hear from the candidates. Well, I'm here, and I'm here to win,” Bloomberg said. “...In just two months we've built a strong statewide operation and we're not taking any district for granted—we're opening up 20 offices across the state.”

 

Brown's endorsement came several hours before Bloomberg visited the city for what his campaign billed as a “Mike Bloomberg 2020 Organizing Event” and “Kickoff of the Get it Done Express Bus Tour with Mike Bloomberg 2020 Surrogates and Supporters.”

 

Compton has a lot of needs and has recently made local and national news for desperately needing to improve the quality of the streets and the deteriorating infrastructure that has plagued the city long before Brown became mayor. Bloomberg stated that a big reason Aja decided to endorse him was because his plan to address infrastructure needs in urban communities and to reduce waste and bureaucracy by sending federal dollars to the local level, and his economic agenda focused on job creation through investment in cities were exactly what Compton, and other cities like Compton, desperately needs.

 

Brown also praised Bloomberg for having "a proven track record of producing results and is committed to energizing and investing in our nation's people with a real plan to create new economic opportunities and leveling the playing field for people of color."

 

Brown is but one of several California Mayors who have chosen to endorse Bloomberg for President.  The mayors include Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Francisco Mayor London Breed ad Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs.

 

Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, who is a national co-chair for the Bloomberg Campaign stated, “As Mike’s Greenwood Initiative illustrates, he understands the damage of institutional racism and knows what we need to do to uplift the African American community.

 

“By creating one million new Black homeowners and 100,000 new Black owned businesses, Mike will help tackle the fundamental challenge of creating generational wealth in communities of color.

 

“At the end of the day, Americans are tired of talk. They want action. And Mike knows how to get things done.”

Category: News