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Chuy Garcia Calls For Higher Pay For Health Care Workers, More Police Officers

CHICAGO (CBS) -- In the race for Chicago mayor, challenger Jesus "Chuy" Garcia spoke Saturday in favor of higher pay for home health care workers and committed himself to work toward a $15 an hour floor salary.

Garcia told a receptive crowd at the Service Employees Union headquarters that Mayor Emanuel's approach to a living wage is too little, for too few.

"It was raised to $13 an hour. That's good, but it's not enough," he said. "And we can't wait till 2019 to make that a reality. Families need relief today."

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Garcia said he has a loved one with a progressive disease and may need to find that person home health care. The crowd cheered as he signed a pledge committing himself to the $15 floor.

Outside the meeting, when asked if he is trying to speak with the third-place finisher in Tuesday's primary, businessman Willie Wilson, about an endorsement, Garcia said, "We may. We continue our dialogue."

Garcia also said he is not impressed with the police department's latest community policing initiative.

One day after Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy named Eric Washington his first deputy chief of community policing, Garcia dismissed it as window dressing.

"He promised 1,000 additional police men and women four years ago. Now he can boast that we have one community policeman in Chicago," Garcia said, punctuating the statement with a drawn-out "Wow!" and noted that it comes less than six weeks away from an election."

Garcia said it is one more example of a promise Mayor Emanuel has made, and broken.

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