California Dem, former LA mayor Villaraigosa admits Trump's not to blame for state's homelessness, cost crises

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat running for California governor, said Saturday that California Democrats cannot blame President Donald Trump for the state's homelessness and affordability crises.

Villaraigosa said Democrats still need to confront problems created under their own party's leadership after calling Trump "a threat to our democracy."

"But we can't put everything on Donald Trump. We have the highest homelessness in the United States of America, the highest gas prices, the highest utilities, the highest home prices. People can't afford rent. And those happened under Democratic policies," Villaraigosa said on MS NOW's "The Weekend: Primetime."

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The former mayor, who served from 2005 to 2013, said his candidacy is built around confronting his own party on the cost-of-living issues facing Californians.

"I've been the stink bomb in the elevator, if you will, in challenging some of this," Villaraigosa said. "And so this candidacy is important."

Villaraigosa also predicted California's top-two primary system would still produce a Democrat-versus-Republican general election, rather than two Republicans advancing.

"We had a Senate race, it was a Democrat and Republican. The last governor's race was a Democrat and Republican. That's what this one will be," Villaraigosa said. "In fact, the experts have said there's a better chance of two Democrats than two Republicans."

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The Democrat explained why he was running and tied his biography to the civil rights movement before criticizing Trump and California Democrats in the same answer.

"Look, I came out of the civil rights movement. I'm here today because it's the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act that opened up the country to me," Villaraigosa said. "And Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy."

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Villaraigosa also warned that Democrats are losing persuadable voters in California and need to examine why.

"We've got to look in the mirror," Villaraigosa said. "When you're losing the middle, you've got to look in the mirror and say, 'What do we need to do to make the changes we need to restore confidence in us as a party?'"

He warned California relies too heavily on wealthy taxpayers and said additional taxes could drive residents and revenue out of the state.

"We over rely in this state on the billionaires and on high-net-worth individuals," Villaraigosa said. "We're a very progressive state and we have a progressive tax system. And so, if they all leave, we won't be able to balance our budget."