Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is heading to Washington, D.C., for the three-day U.S. Conference of Mayors' 87th Winter Meeting at the Capital Hilton Hotel, but he slightly delayed his departure to visit students heading back to class following the teachers' strike.
Garcetti was expected to among those giving remarks Wednesday during the conference's opening luncheon, but he opted to skip that appearance and take a later flight out of Los Angeles, according to his office.
Garcetti, who helped broker an end to the teachers' strike, spent Wednesday morning with some students on their first day back in the classroom.
Columbia, South Carolina Mayor Steve Benjamin, the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D- San Francisco, are both expected to speak at the opening luncheon.
On Thursday, Garcetti is expected to moderate a discussion titled "Assuring a Full and Fair 2020 Census and Inclusive Immigration Policies," as he is chair of the Latino Alliance of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Santa Monica Mayor Gleam Davis will speak Thursday on "Navigating Cities Through the E-Scooter Revolution" as part of a segment on new transportation technologies and opportunities.
Other scheduled speakers include Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, gun control advocate David Hogg and four possible Democratic presidential candidates, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sens. Cory Booker, D- New Jersey, and Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.
About 250 mayors of cities with populations of 30,000 or more are set to attend the meeting, which will also include sessions on the economy, veterans and renewable energy.
In addition to Garcetti, Garcia and Davis, the mayors from Los Angeles and Orange counties registered for the meeting are Jeffrey Koji Maloney (Alhambra); Harry Sidhu (Anaheim); Dr. Julian A. Gold (Beverly Hills); Thomas Aujero Small (Culver City); Stacey Armato (Hermosa Beach); Donald P. Wagner (Irvine); John Mark Jennings (Laguna Niguel); Peter Chan (Monterey Park); Diane B. Dixon (Newport Beach); Steven Ly (Rosemead); Patrick J. Furey (Torrance); and Tara Campbell (Yorba Linda).
