Officials hope the program will find jobs for 16,500 residents ages 14 to 24, up from 15,000 last summer and 5,000 hired in 2005, the year Villaraigosa took office.
"I think all of us remember our first job," Villaraigosa said at a news conference on the steps of City Hall, backed by a crowd of 300 teens wearing green Hire LA's Youth T-shirts.
"Struggling with how to do it and realizing you can do it and then a light bulb comes on and you say, `Maybe I have to go to school to improve my skills.' All that leads to a great future with opportunity."
Villaraigosa said this year's program is bolstered by a $20.3 million federal grant under President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Villaraigosa, who has made a half-dozen lobbying trips to Washington, D.C., said the federal money is a sign the administration is aware of cities' needs.
"I think it's important for the White House to understand that this is where the
"Hiring young people is about investing in our cities again. It's about committing to the next generation of America's workforce."
The program is good news for teens in Los Angeles County, where the unemployment rate hit a record 11.4 percent in March, with an estimated 565,000 residents out of work.
A recent study by Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., also predicted that fewer than 1 million U.S. teens will find jobs this summer - the lowest number in more than a half-century.
"Every kid needs a job," Schwarzenegger said. "It doesn't matter if they come from a Democratic household or a Republican household. It makes the kid feel proud.
Deputy Mayor Larry Frank said the annual program is designed to create new jobs in private firms and government agencies rather than displacing existing workers.
"That would hurt our overall effort to improve employment," Frank said. "The firms we are working with are not looking to replace workers with students. These are new jobs or increasing services or internships."
He lauded a partnership in which participants receive six weeks of training in a Los Angeles Community College District campus, then are assigned to an after-school program run by Los Angeles Unified.
"What we are hoping is that once the summer is over, these young people will be able to find slots to continue with the after-school program and be encouraged to return to school to get an AA degree and then go on to a four-year college," Frank said.
The federal stimulus money, along with $4 million allocated by the city, will be used to secure jobs in the private sector and to pay salaries for those who secure certain jobs with the city, from parks and recreation to environmental cleanup. There's also a program for students to work part-time and receive help preparing for the California High School Exit Exam.
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