Clinton to Visit Valley, Meet With Whiz Kids : Politics: President will be greeted by Little League champs and academic stars before discussing job training at Pierce College.

President Bill Clinton plans to make a quick visit to Los Angeles this weekend, where he is expected to meet with the San Fernando Valley’s most famous youngsters--athletic and academic--before appearing at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, officials said Thursday.

Clinton is expected to meet privately with the Northridge Little League team and the Taft High School Academic Decathlon team at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday afternoon, officials said.

Later, Clinton plans to attend two events at Pierce--a private meeting with Los Angeles Unified School District students involved in job-training programs and a public meeting with 800 to 1,000 people to promote the Administration’s school-to-work initiative.

Clinton likely will be accompanied by Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, along with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Brown, officials said.

Ina Geller, a spokeswoman for Pierce College, said the President’s advance team, including Secret Service agents, joined members of Brown’s campaign staff on a visit to the campus Thursday afternoon to find an appropriate location for the event.

“I was just sitting in my office at noon eating vegetables and in walks a whole group of people telling me they were here to scout locations,” Geller said. “It was rather surprising.

“Of course, we’re thrilled to have the President of the United States come to Pierce College,” she added.

The advance team, who walked around the campus in the sizzling afternoon heat, asked Geller for an ethnic breakdown of the student body, she said. The college has about 14,000 students, about half of whom are minorities, Geller said.

The President will probably discuss his school-to-work program--designed to steer students to employment--when he appears Sunday afternoon, officials said. The event is expected to begin at 3 p.m.

Jim Konantz, the school district’s director of career development, said he plans to bring students from around the city to the event, where the youngsters will discuss their job-training programs with the President. Several students will share the stage with Clinton, Konantz said.

Following his public appearance, Clinton is expected to attend a private fund-raiser for Brown at 20th Century Fox studios on Sunday evening. Clinton is expected to return to Washington on Sunday night.

Paula Mort, who manages public relations for the Northridge Little League team--which beat out all American teams for the U.S. championship but lost the international crown to Venezuela--said the boys will be excited to meet Clinton.

“I think it’s great,” Mort said. “They’re really having a great time and they’re a great bunch of boys.”

The nine-student Taft Academic Decathlon team beat whiz kids from around the country last spring to claim the national title after grueling competitions. The Taft group, made up of A, B and C students, took tests in 10 subjects to win local, state and national championships.

It will be Clinton’s second visit in as many years for Mary Lee, the president of Pierce. She was president of Valley College when Clinton visited that school last year.

Lee, who is taking classes toward a law degree, told Geller she had a test the day before Clinton came to her campus last year and she has another exam next week.

“She was just remarking about how he’s ruining her grades in law school,” Geller said. “But she is, of course, thrilled to have him come here.”