Bernie Sanders to Speak at Campaign Rally in Irvine

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will speak Sunday at a campaign rally at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. 

Gates to the public event, billed as "A Future to Believe In," will open at 3 p.m. and the program is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

Sanders is also set to hold rallies Monday in Lincoln Heights and Santa Monica High School.

Following last Tuesday's Kentucky and Oregon primaries, Sanders holds 1,533 delegates, trailing behind front-runner Hillary Clinton, who is only 90 delegates short of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination

On Saturday night, Sanders told supporters at Kimball Park in National City, "We need a massive federal jobs program to put our people back to work,'' calling for the federal government to rebuild the nation's infrastructure, including water treatment facilities and roads.

The 74-year-old Sanders also pledged that if elected he would "create an economy that works for all of us, not just wealthy contributors.''

"(America needs) a democracy that does not mean a campaign finance system in which billionaires buy elections,'' said Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who would be the nation's first Jewish president.

Sanders also called on America to "invest in young people in jobs and an education, not in incarceration'' and to "make public colleges and universities tuition-free.''

Sanders also said he supports the right of states to legalize marijuana and would vote for an initiative likely to be on California's November ballot to do so if he lived here.

Sanders also visited Friendship Park on the U.S.-Mexico border on Saturday and repeated past calls for "comprehensive immigration reform,'' after hearing the stories of families who can only see their loved ones on weekends.

"I would hope that the Republicans in Congress understand that we have a very, very broken immigration system and that it must be reformed and that they should in fact work with Democrats to pass comprehensive immigration reform,'' Sanders said. "If not and if I am elected president of the United States, I will use the executive powers that the president has to do that the best that I can.''

Sanders' opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has called for comprehensive immigration reform to create a pathway to citizenship. Businessman Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has called for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to deter illegal immigration and deporting people without legal permission to be in the country.

Due to security concerns, attendees at Sunday's event at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater should not bring bags, and carry only small personal items, such as keys and cellphones. Weapons, sharp objects, chairs, signs, banners and sticks will not be permitted.

The rally is free and open to the public. Admission will be first come, first served. Limited parking is available for $10.

City News Service contributed to this report.