By TRACI CARL
Associated Press Writer

MEXICO CITY -- Mexicans who have lived years in Los Angeles should be legalized as permanent U.S. residents, the city's mayor said Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference near the end of his two-day visit to Mexico, Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn said he believed Mexicans who have established
themselves in California should be allowed to stay legally.

"I think that what we are looking for is some kind of legal status that needs to be recognized for people who have been in Los Angeles for a number of years," he
said.

Hahn, who took office in July, wants to win over his city's Hispanic voters after defeating former state legislator Antonio Villaraigosa. Villaraigosa would have been
Los Angeles' first Latino mayor since 1872.

Hahn made his comments after helping announce a new, daily Aeromexico flight from Ontario, Calif., to Hermosillo, Mexico. The mayor has asked airlines to look at
expansion plans outside of Los Angeles, specifically in Ontario, because of overcrowding.

Los Angeles International Airport has scaled back its expansion plans to emphasize security over capacity. A revised plan would increase the airport's capacity to 78
million passengers per year by 2015, instead of the 89 million previously envisioned.

Aeromexico officials said they had been considering adding another flight from Ontario since before the Sept. 11 attacks, and that the new flight-- scheduled to begin
in January-- was expected to pay off in the long run.

Hahn described his two-day visit to Mexico as successful. On Monday, he announced the opening of an international business development office to enhance the
city's already booming trade relationship with the United States' southern neighbor.

"We are more than friends," he said Tuesday of the relationship between Mexico and Los Angeles. "We are business partners."

The mayor said he wanted relations with Mexico to continue to grow.

"What we want to make sure is that the terrible events of Sept. 11 don't reduce opportunities for our countries," he said.

He lamented the fact that thousands of Mexican immigrants have lost their jobs because of the U.S. economic downturn, and he said his government was working to
get the city's economy back on track.

"We want to minimize the impact to those lives as much as possible," he said.

When asked about security concerns after the attacks, he said security at the Los Angeles International Airport is at a "very high level." But he added that he'd like to
see the National Guard not only help search passenger bags, but guard the airport's perimeter.