MAYOR CALLS L.A. 'NEW ELLIS ISLAND' VILLARAIGOSA ADDRESSES NEA ASSEMBLY.

Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Sunday said Los Angeles is the ``new Ellis Island,'' and that a strong public-education system is key to success for immigrants' children.

Los Angeles is an immigration hub, the new mayor said, and ``the city of America's hopes and dreams.''

``Make no mistake, it's irrefutable. This is the new Ellis Island,'' Villaraigosa said in a speech to some 9,000 delegates at the National Education Association's annual Representative Assembly.

``And we know that it is the public schools that have been the avenue, the route for that American dream,'' he said.

Villaraigosa's speech to the NEA assembly at the Los Angeles Convention Center was just one stop on a Sunday schedule that included attending Mass at St. Dominic's Church in Eagle Rock, an event at the California African American Museum in Exposition Park and a visit to the LAPD's Pacific Division station.

In an earlier address to the California Teachers Association, Villaraigosa talked about walking a picket line as a United Teachers Los Angeles organizer when his son was born in 1989. He also spoke about the need to fund public education.

The mayor took up that theme again at the NEA assembly.

``Don't think that this effort to make our schools the best that they can be will come cheap,'' Villaraigosa said. ``That's ludicrous, that's snake-oil salesmanship.''

Villaraigosa is forming an advisory committee on education as part of his effort to reform public education in Los Angeles. The mayor, whose influence over public education is limited, said the committee will be made up of teachers, parents, school principals and community leaders.

``They'll be addressing the issue of what we need to do now to begin this process of reforming our schools,'' Villaraigosa said.

The NEA, an organization with 2.7 million members, has been holding national meetings for 143 years. For 84 years, it has held national assemblies at which delegates vote on policies for the organization.

Linda Elliott, a secretary in the Title 1 program who has worked in education for 26 years, said she thought Villaraigosa understands education, and that those around her reacted well to his speech.

``I think people sense sincerity,'' said Elliott, of Ormond Beach, Fla. ``And I think they know that right off the bat, and I think they can tell the real from the phony.''

Second-grade teacher Bonnie Shatun of Sherman Oaks said it was good to hear Villaraigosa voice support for public education.

``What's important is to have an advocate for public education and for students in that kind of influential position,'' she said.

Alex Dobuzinskis, [phone]

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com