Villaraigosa Irked That He, Bush Haven’t Met

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s frustration at not being told personally by the White House about the details of the reported terror plot against the city’s tallest building stems from a greater annoyance:

Nearly 7 1/2 months after taking office, Villaraigosa said Friday that he still has not succeeded in speaking or meeting with President Bush.

Villaraigosa said that his office contacted the White House on two occasions last summer to set up meetings with Bush when the mayor was traveling to Washington, but that the White House turned down both.

The mayor -- who co-chaired John Kerry’s campaign to unseat Bush in 2004 -- said the only personal contact he has had with the president is a congratulatory letter he received after being elected last year. In the four-sentence letter, Bush wrote, “I look forward to working with you as we strive to make our nation safer, stronger and better.”

If he could get a meeting, Villaraigosa said, he would talk to the president about how to better protect the nation’s second-largest city against terrorist attacks.

“No question about it, I would like to talk to him about the issue of homeland security and the issue of first responders and the need of cities to be fully reimbursed for the new, added cost” of security, Villaraigosa said. “I want to make the case that this is draining other very important municipal needs.”

Dana Perino, a White House press secretary, said the White House had received two requests from the mayor for a meeting: one in a letter, the other in an e-mail.

“Because of scheduling reasons, the mayor was offered meetings with top officials, and those offers were kindly declined” by the mayor’s office, Perino said.

“The other thing I would say,” she added, “is the president has encouraged members of the Cabinet to meet with the mayor of Los Angeles,” and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff “was recently there. We want to work with the mayor, and we look forward to a good relationship with him.”

Villaraigosa was visibly upset Thursday after a Bush speech in which the president offered new details of an alleged plot by Al Qaeda operatives to hijack a plane and fly it into the U.S. Bank Tower downtown. The plot, Bush said, had been broken up.

The mayor complained Friday that, although his staff was notified of some details, he deserved a call himself. Homeland Security officials took umbrage at that comment, saying that Bush was only giving a speech and that there was no direct threat to Los Angeles at present.

The mayor has only to look at some of his counterparts to feel miffed:

Bush met with former Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn in January 2002 and again that April, when Hahn and mayors from other cities gathered with the president to discuss security issues.

Bush has also met with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican, and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, a Democrat, on several occasions.

In March 2001, less than two months after Bush took office, he met with Daley in Chicago.

“We had a long-ranging discussion, and I came just to introduce myself so he got to know me,” said Bush, according to a transcript on the White House website. “And he now knows he can pick up the phone and call the White House any time he needs to.”

Asked if he believed that Bush was ignoring him because of partisan politics, Villaraigosa said, “I hope not.”

“One of the things that you noticed in my State of the Union [response] is that my comments were not partisan,” the mayor said. “We distinguished between Democrats and Republicans, but ... I didn’t spend a lot of time criticizing. I spent more time sharing a vision.”