FOIA Number: 2009-1305-F FOIA MARKER This is not a textual record. This is used as an administrative marker by the William J. Clinton Presidential Library Staff. Collection/Record Group: Clinton Presidential Records Subgroup/Office of Origin: Intergovemmental Affairs Series/Staff Member: Marcia Hale Subseries: OA/ID Number: 10072 FolderlD: Folder Title: [The Crime Bill File #1]: Crime Bill and Mayors: [Conference Calls and Meetings with Mayors] Stack: Row: Section: Shelf: Position: S 27 7 1 2 THE WHITE HOUSE WAS HIN GTO N August 26, 1994 Conference Call in the Oval Office DATE: August 26, 1994 LOCATION: Oval Office TIME: 3:10-3:40 , From: Marcia Hale 'iC^-t^ I. PURPOSE To thank seven Mayors for their support and tire efforts to ensure the passage of the crime bill. II. BACKGROUND The Mayors participating in this conference call were extremely supportive of the crime bill over the past months. They will speak to you about how much this will mean to their individual cities. III. PARTICIPANTS The President, Attorney General Janet Reno, Mayor Rudolf Giuliani of New York, Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago, Mayor Jerry Abramson of Louisville, Mayor Richard Riordan of Los Angeles, Mayor Ed Rendell of Philadelphia, Mayor Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City, and Mayor Norm Rice of Seattle. IV. PRESS PLAN POOL V. SEQUENCE OF EVENTS The President will speak. The Attorney General will speak. The Mayors will speak in the following order; 1. Mayor Giuliani 2. Mayor Daley 3. Mayor Rice 4. Mayor Riordan 5. Mayor Rendell 6. Mayor Cleaver 7. Mayor Abramson The President will make closing remarks. The President and the Attorney General leave the Oval Office. VI. REMARKS Talking points are attached. POTUS/RENO Rudolph Giuliani New York Mayor's phone: 516-324-6342 (Giuliani home) IGA Contact: Jackie 212-788-2965 Richard M. Daley Chicago Mayor phone: 312-744-2327 Roseanne will answer IGA Contact: Laura Steele Norm Rice Seattle phone: 206-684-8856 Francis Carr will answer IGA Contact: Mark Murray 206-684-8126 Richard Riordan Los Angeles phone: 208-726-1096 (or -1097 if the other is busy) IGA Contact: Steve Sugarman 213-847-3576 Noellia Edward Rendell Philadelphia phone: 215-581-4573 Dave Davis will answer staff: Marge Staton Emanuel Cleaver Kansas City, MO phone: 816-274-2595 IGA Contact: Kevin Smith Jerry Abramson Louisville, KY phone: 502-574-3065 IGA Contact: Kathleen Partlow August 26 Conference Call Rudolph Giuliani New York Richard M. Daley Chicago Norm Rice Seattle Richard Riordan Los Angeles Edward Rendell Philadelphia Emanuel Cleaver Kansas City, MO Jerry Abramson Louisville, KY THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release August 26, 1994 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN CONFERENCE CALL WITH ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO AND MAYORS The Oval Office 3:20 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Hello? I'm just listening to your war stories; you sound good. I think they did help — all those calls you mentioned. They made all the difference. The Attorney General and I =ire here on the phone, and we want to begin by just thanking you for everything you have done. I think it's obvious that this was a very tough battle in the House and in the Senate; that the outcome was often in doubt, and you guys hung in there tough, and you made a huge difference, and we are very, very grateful to you. I know that you know well that among the things that this crime bill does is to create 100,000 new police officers -- a 20 percent increase in police on the beat in the United States and communities all over this country. And in just a few minutes, I'm going to sign an appropriations bill here that make available the first round of resources to make the crime bill a reality next year. We've already put some new police officers on the street through the funds we provided last year as a downpayment on the crime bill. The bill I'm about to sign will provide funds to train and hire 15,000 more police within the next 12 months. I know that some of you put police officers on the streets with last year's funds, but you probably all know that we received ten times — ten times -- as many applications for police hiring as we could afford, including many that were well-qualified. That is a real rebuke to those who say that there's no real need for this police funding. In the next two months alone, we're going to give you the resources to hire 2,500 more police officers in c;.'.':ies that were only turned down last year and this year because we didn't have enough money. Let me emphasize, too, that this appropriations bill, consistent with the crime bill, provides significant money to fight violence against women, to lock up criminal aliens, for prisons, and for boot camps and drug courts and the other prevention programs that we believe so strongly in, and also to help enforce the Brady Bill. This is the downpayment. We're looking forward to seeing you all here when we sign the crime bill and celebrate it, but now I think we all know that the responsibility is on those of us who fought so hard for this to make sure the money is well spent, to make sure the implementation works, and to make sure that we make people safer and more secure on our streets. General Reno, would you like to say something? ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: I really appreciate all your efforts. I've been to most of your cit.ies. You've been there with me, you've shown me what works. You've shown me how much you have needed the resources, both in terms of punishment, policing and prevention that can really make a difference. Your police chiefs have done such an incredible job with limited resources. .And we look forward to working with you, with them to make sure this bill is administered the right way; that it's MORE - 2 - implemented in the way that can make sure we get resources to you as soon as possible and as effectively as possible. I leave from here to go to a meeting on the implementation, and we're going to be prepared to form that real partnership that we've been developing to address your needs the way it should be addressed in each of your communities. Thank ever so much for all that you've done. THE PRESIDENT: Thanks, Mayor. She did. MAYOR GIULIANI: (Laughter.; We lost the Attorney General, Mr. President. THE PRESIDENT: Can you hear them now? ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: Now I can hear them. MAYOR GIULIANI: No, we can't hear the Attorney General. THE PRESIDENT: Can you hear her now? THE MAYORS: No. THE PRESIDENT: Say something. ATTORNEY GENERAL RENO: Hello. (Laughter.) THE PRESIDENT: She can hear you. Mayor Giuliani, are you on? MAYOR GIULIANI: I am. THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead. Mayor. MAYOR GIULIANI: Mr. President, I congratulate you and all the mayors who have fought so hard for this bill. The bill really — and the law, now — presents a balanced approach to America's most critical problem. It's going to give us help with policing, it's going to give us help with corrections, with prevention programs that give young people hope for a better future — maybe a future in which we have less crime to have to deal with, which I really believe can be possible. And the ban on assault weapons is, I think, more valuable than people even realize. And particularly, I want to commend you for your leadership in getting the ban on assault weapons passed. You could have sacrificed that a couple weeks ago and gotten this bill through without as much political aggravation for yourself. But you hung in there and fought for it and we really respect you for that. Most important, however, I think, is the way you achieved this victory, because it transcends ideology. You brought Democrats and Republicans together so that we can stand together for something that we believe in. And it really presents a model for all of us on how to accomplish positive results. So, Mr. President, we appreciate your perseverance and your leadership. And I was very honored to participate with the other mayors, all of whom exhibited tremendous leadership when they came to Congress last week and really stood up for what they believed in. I think they all deserve a great deal of praise. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Mayor, I have to say, I think the fact that you and Mayor Riordan and some of the other Republican mayors were willing to stand up and be counted on this made it easier for the House and the Senate members of your party who MORE - 3 - wanted to join in this endeavor to stay with it. And I can't thank you enough for that. I think, you know, we have got to find a way to do the public's business on issues that affect all Americans without regard to their party. And there is nothing more profoundly significant than this. I just — I can't say enough to thank you. We tried to take this crime bill beyond the debates of the past, beyond what I like to call the false choices that have been imposed too often on political debates. This bill has got prevention and prisons and punishment and police in it, and I think will help to empower communities to make their streets safer.