Hillary Clinton visits L.A. on cleanup detail

In Sen. Hillary Clinton’s first public appearance in Southern California since she declared her presidential candidacy, the New York Democrat joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Saturday to kick off the Great American Cleanup in downtown Los Angeles.

“I’ve picked up my share of trash,” said Clinton, speaking to several hundred volunteers on the steps of City Hall. “I’ve planted my share of trees. I know if we work together we will have a cleaner and greener environment.”

The annual event, put on from March 1 to May 31 by Keep America Beautiful, encourages Americans to pick up litter, paint over graffiti and otherwise try to improve their communities. In addition to Clinton, the Saturday kickoff featured celebrities, environmentalists, politicians and musical and dance performances.

Student and adult volunteers planned to fan out throughout the city to distribute trees, plant flowers and clean up trash.

“Today is about showing the power of community,” Villaraigosa said. “With your help, we’re going to wipe out graffiti and make downtown glisten and gleam.”

The podium was flanked by columns of red, white and blue balloons, a Los Angeles Unified marching band played peppy tunes, a sole protester waved a homemade sign reading “Anybody but Hillary in ‘08,” and a crowd thronged the barriers, hoping for a handshake from Clinton.

“I’m very excited to see her, a woman leader, a Democrat, so confident,” said Julie Gutman, a Los Angeles attorney who was volunteering for the cleanup with her running group, the L.A. Leggers. Gutman said she had not decided whether to support Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

Organizers described Clinton’s brief appearance as nonpolitical. Though Clinton didn’t mention her campaign, she criticized current national environmental policy.

“Government needs to get ahead of the climate-change issue and the clean-energy issue,” she said. “It’s time for us to take subsidies away from the oil companies and put them to work for cleaner, alternative, renewable energy.”

Villaraigosa demurred when asked if he planned to make a presidential endorsement.

“We’re very fortunate in this country to have such a deep and talented field for the Democratic nomination for president. Sen. Hillary Clinton is a woman of tremendous leadership, a great leader for the party and the nation,” he said, after planting a magnolia tree on the north lawn of City Hall with local politicians and schoolchildren. “Everything has its time and its place.”

Saturday was Clinton’s first public appearance in the Southland since declaring her candidacy, but she has spent plenty of time in the area raising money.

Friday night, she attended a fundraiser held by media mogul Haim Saban, and she attended fundraising events in the region in February. She is expected to return March 24 for a fundraiser at the home of supermarket magnate Ron Burkle.

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seema.mehta@latimes.com