Mayor Garcia Says He Spoke With Michelle Obama At WH Staged Event...But City Hall Still Hasn't Released Docs Showing What She Said When He (And Councilman/Now Vice Mayor Richardson) Invited Her To Attend Opening Ceremony Of LB Library Named In Her Honor

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Mayor Garcia Says He Spoke With Michelle Obama At WH Staged Event...But City Hall Still Hasn't Released Docs Showing What She Said Months Ago When He (And Councilman/Now Vice Mayor Richardson) Invited Her To Attend Opening Ceremony Of LB Library Named In Her Honor

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(November 15, 2016, 8:40 a.m.) -- Yesterday (Nov. 14), Mayor Robert Garcia used a White House staged event (touting the outgoing Obama administration's homeless veterans efforts in which LB City Hall participated and was recognized.) The President didn't attend; First Lady Michelle Obama was present instead...and Mayor Garcia sent a Facebook dispatch saying that he "had a chance to meet and talk with First Lady Michelle Obama."

We don't know for how many seconds the Mayor and First Lady spoke or what was said, but we do know that Mayor Garcia didn't speak with Mrs. Obama in person on Sept. 10 -- because he couldn't -- because she didn't attend the opening ceremony for the new Long Beach library named in her honor. As LBREPORT.com has reported, Mayor Garcia and then-Councilman (now Vice Mayor) Rex Richardson sent Mrs. Obama an invitation leaving a date open for her convenience.

As LBREPORT.com also learned (via a Palm Springs TV station's report) within hours of the library opening, Mrs. Obama was likely in Palm Springs on the date ultimately selected by the City for the library opening ceremony.

Neither Mayor Garcia (nor LB School Board member Meghan Kerr who spread the Mayor's WH narrative) mentioned any of this to their Facebook followers.

Also yesterday (Nov. 14) LBREPORT.com spoke with City Hall's Public Records Coordinator at which time we said that documents provided to us on Nov. 10 didn't include Mrs. Obama's response to the City's invitation (or the response of a White House staffer that the Mayor/Vice Mayor invited in Mrs. Obama's stead and to our current knowledge didn't attend.)

LBREPORT.com coverage here.

The City's Public Records coordinator indicated he'd follow-up on the matter. Further as we learn it.