Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to join San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Monday for a speech at Los Angeles City College and a fundraiser at the Biltmore Hotel benefiting his campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

Clinton and Newsom will visit Los Angeles City College's new Science and Technology Building and talk to faculty and students about education for green technology jobs, including in solar installation and weatherization.

The site was chosen "to underscore Newsom's determination to restore excellence to California's education system and reject a budget process dominated by special interests and favoritism that hurts our kids and our economy," Newsom campaign manager Nick Clemons said.

Clinton's endorsement, announced Sept. 15, is already paying dividends for Newsom in his uphill race against Attorney General Jerry Brown, according to Dan Schnur, director of USC's Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics.

"Two weeks ago you were hearing whispers about whether Newsom might run for a down-ticket office instead," Schnur told City News Service. "You're not hearing those whispers anymore."

The endorsement gives Newsom "a huge shot of credibility," Schnur said.

"Normally this is the type of endorsement you want to save closer to the primary, but Newsom has needed to do something dramatic to let people know he intends to seriously contest this nomination," Schnur said. "There's no better way to send that signal than this."

Schnur said that "with the possible exception" of President Barack Obama, "there's no more valuable endorsement in Democratic politics than Bill Clinton."

Clemons said Clinton "will be an incredible asset in reaching Democratic voters with Mayor Newsom's vision of reforming Sacramento to get our state back on track."

Clinton will participate in additional events on Newsom's behalf later in the campaign, Clemons said.

As expected, Brown downplayed the significance of Clinton's support of his opponent.

"The people in California are hurting," Brown told NBC4 when the endorsement was announced. "When they elect the next governor, they're going to say, 'What are you going to do about my life?' not 'Who's standing behind you?' but 'Are you standing behind us?"'

Brown, the state's governor from 1975-83, has not declared his candidacy. However, he formed an exploratory committee last week, allowing him to raise funds with a higher limit on contributions.

To Schnur, a "significant factor" in the endorsement was Bill Clinton's continuing dislike of Brown for his accusation during the 1992 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination that he illegally steered state contracts to the Rose Law Firm, where his wife was a partner. Bill Clinton denied the accusation.

"Most people have long since forgotten about the bad blood between Bill Clinton and Jerry Brown in 1992," Schnur said. "Bill Clinton is not one of those people."