Jefferson High School Principal Michael Taft, right, shakes hands with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and ninth-grader Arturo Macias look on. Villaraigosa delivered his annual State of the City speech in the school’s auditorium Wednesday. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Villaraigosa prepares for the speech. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
The school’s drum line performed as Villaraigosa prepared to take the stage. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
The speech focused squarely on education, with the mayor calling for a streamlined teachers contract that would give schools sweeping control over budgets, hiring and curriculum. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
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Antonio Villaraigosa waves to his grandson, Andres Antonio Silva, before his speech begins. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Andres Antonio Silva, 5, gives his grandfather a thumbs-up before he begins the State of the City speech. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Protesters line up outside the school as the mayor speaks. The L.A. Schools chief echoed the mayor’s call for “less regulation and more innovation.” (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
