Hillary Clinton speaks at East Los Angeles College amid protests

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Democratic front runner Hillary Clinton vied for votes in Southern California on Thursday by vowing to raise the national minimum wage and create jobs.

She met privately with a group of politically influential black pastors during a stop at the California African American Museum in Exposition Park. Then she attended a fundraiser hosted by Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar.

"Hillary Clinton is by far the most qualified candidate for U.S. president who brings with her a wealth of experience, toughness, tenacity and compassion," Huizar said.

In the afternoon, Clinton attended a rally at East Los Angeles College, where she derided presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump as a "loose cannon" and a "risk we cannot afford."

"Now as president, creating good jobs and raising income will be my number-one priority," she said. "And we will follow the lead of California and raise the minimum wage."

Her speech rallied supporters at the college, which serves heavily Hispanic cities in the East L.A. area. She touched on several topics, including immigration and Latino issues.

Several protests were held outside and several Bernie Sanders-supporters interrupted her speech, prompting her to cut it down to about 14 minutes.

Members of Union del Barrio, MEXA of East Los Angeles College, LA Brown Berets and several other student and community-based organizations marched from Belvedere Park to East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park to protest what organizers call Clinton's attacks on working-class communities of color and her 2002 vote as a senator in favor of the resolution authorizing military action against Iraq.

Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was in Beverly Hills on Wednesday night for a gun-control event at the Four Seasons Hotel. Some attendees said they're still undecided between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.

The former president also campaigned in Koreatown on his wife's behalf.

An Eyewitness News exclusive poll conducted by SurveyUSA shows that in California, Hillary Clinton leads Sanders 57 to 38 percent. The poll also shows that Hillary Clinton can defeat Donald Trump 56 to 34 percent in a hypothetical general election match-up.

City News Service contributed to this report.