Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia  is in Washington, D.C. today at the invitation of President Obama for the Cinco de Mayo reception with White House officials, U.S. mayors, members of Congress, and Cabinet secretaries to discuss the President’s initiative to end veteran homelessness.

Garcia  affirmed the city’s pledge to end veteran homelessness by the end of 2015 in a press conference last week.

“I am honored to represent Long Beach at the White House as a guest of the President,” Garcia said in a statement. “I am also eager to update the administration on our progress to end veteran homelessness in our city by the end of the year.”

According to Garcia’s Deputy Chief of Staff Daniel Brezenoff, the mayor will be providing an update to White House staff, sharing data on homelessness, and Long Beach’s “plans to house the remaining homeless vets,” in addition to talking about trade and port issues. 

In a tweet sent at around 2:30PM, Garcia said, “The first thing President Obama said to me when I walked into the blue room was ‘I love young Mayors.’”

Garcia will return to Long Beach Wednesday and will be absent at tonight’s City Council meeting.