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Villaraigosa: 'I Want To Run For Governor'

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) —Outgoing Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Tuesday that he wants to run for governor, but didn't reveal when he plans to make that happen.

In an interview with KPCC-FM's Larry Mantle, the termed-out mayor said, "I want to run for governor (of California). In fact, I fully expect that I will."

Villaraigosa, who was recently accused by L.A. Weekly of being financially broke, said he hopes to affiliate with a university or think tank to do some public speaking.

"Then, you know, I want to do a listening tour," he said. "I think we all want to restore the California dream and I want to figure out how to do it."

In the end, the soon-to-be Democratic ex-mayor is willing to do anything.

"I'll do anything that the mayor, the governor, the city of Los Angeles ask me to do on their behalf. People have said would I head up trade missions for the town when the mayor can't. I said, 'Absolutely.' If I can promote the town that I was born and raised in and that my grandpa came to a hundred years ago, I'm going to do it," he said.

Villaraigosa, who said he plans to move to Venice, told KPCC he will miss being the mayor of Los Angeles.

"I will never have a job like this," he said. "This city has given me more than I could have ever hoped for. The people of this town gave me a shot when a lot of folks thought it was an impossible dream."

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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