State of the City: Villaraigosa Pushes for Measure R Extension

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Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called for an extension of Measure R -- Los Angeles' $40 billion transportation upgrade fueled by a half-penny tax -- at his 'State of the City' address last night at Paramount Studios auditorium.

The extension of Measure R, which would require a two-thirds majority vote in November's elections, is expected to inject another $8 billion into the Mayor's transportation projects.

But a recent poll conducted by Loyola Marymount University found that just under 55 percent of Angelenos currently support an extension of the half-penny tax.

Left out of the Mayor's address was any mention of the city budget, which he will unveil on Thursday. In an interview on KPCC on Wednesday, Villaraigosa said he would propose cutting "hundreds" of government jobs at the budget meeting, a move that has enraged unions across the city.

For some insight on the Mayor's last citywide address, we spoke with Alice Walton of TheCityMaven.com.