Now that the Lakers are about to clinch the Western Conference championship, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon wants to change the terms of his bet on the series with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. As part of the new deal, he wants to come to L.A. and talk immigration reform.

The original bet between the two would have L.A. taking controversial, anti-immigrant Sheriff Joe Arpaio off of Phoenix's hands should the Lakers lose. If the Suns lose, as now seems likely, Villaraigosa vowed to send Republican gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner to the desert city. Now Gordon wants to keep Arpaio in the unlikely event that the Lakers lose and instead come to SoCal to talk about the city's boycott of Arizona and other issues pertaining to immigration reform.

“Instead of sending the sheriff to you, I'd like to volunteer to come to L.A. at my own expense when the Suns win,” Gordon writes (PDF). “While there, I'd like us to sit down and discuss how our cities can unite to push for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level. Also, I'd like the chance to speak to your City Council about rescinding your boycott of Arizona.”

Gordon, by the way, is a Democrat, so the prospect of receiving Whitman and Poizner could be a real threat.

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