Antonio Villaraigosa for Los Angeles: News Articles

A confident Villaraigosa still thinking big for L.A.

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Antonio Villaraigosa has reigned over Los Angeles for four years with the same guile and keen political instincts he used to dethrone the sitting mayor in 2005.

Those skills have won him national attention and allowed him to recover from what he refers to as "the mistake that looms over all others": the self-inflicted humiliation two years ago of an affair with a television news anchor that ended his 20-year marriage and damaged his standing with many voters.

He is now cruising toward what supporters see as an all-but-certain reelection March 3. The political figures who might have mounted a serious race against him backed away, leaving a group of opponents with little name recognition or support and virtually no money to address those shortcomings.

But he has not silenced doubts about his ability to follow through when the excitement subsides and the TV cameras are gone. For instance, Villaraigosa has boasted for years of his promise to plant 1 million trees across Los Angeles, calling it a cornerstone of his environment agenda. Yet only 200,000 trees have made it into the ground.

After four years, Villaraigosa says he has laid a foundation to alleviate traffic, create jobs and turn L.A. into the greenest big city in America, but his detractors -- and even some influential supporters -- still wonder if he can match his ability to campaign with a sustained effort to complete a major project.

That concern is heightened by Villaraigosa's flirtation with yet another campaign -- this time for governor in 2010. He offers no guarantee that if elected he would complete a second term as mayor.

'We were bold'

Villaraigosa's political achievements are substantial. Crime is down and hundreds of new police officers patrol the streets. And last fall, he helped win passage of a half-percentage point sales tax that will generate billions of dollars for mass transit projects, including the Subway to the Sea that he promised in his 2005 campaign.

"If you were to say to anybody that we would have passed a half-penny sales tax in the middle of a recession with a two-thirds vote, with opposition from across the county, most people would have said you were crazy," Villaraigosa said in a recent interview. "We weren't crazy, we were bold."

Early in his term, he failed to bring the Los Angeles Unified School District under his control. But then he rebounded with an orchestrated political coup: He tapped an array of companies that do business with City Hall to raise a record $3.5 million and get three favored candidates elected to the board so he would control the majority. In December, that majority replaced the superintendent with Villaraigosa's deputy mayor for education.

Villaraigosa has gained enough influence over the board that he says voters should "absolutely" hold him responsible for reforming the schools.

And he has enacted policies to rid L.A.'s port of smog-belching trucks and replace the city's controversial anti-gang program.

But the ultimate payoffs for those political victories -- less traffic, better-performing schools, cleaner air and fewer street gangs -- are still years away at best. Under current plans, the subway would not reach Westwood until 2032. By then, the 56-year-old mayor would be 79 and long out of office.

One measure of Villaraigosa's political strength is that city figures voice doubts about him in private. Few are willing to criticize him publicly.

Eli Broad, the billionaire philanthropist and civic activist, couches a criticism in a half-compliment, urging Villaraigosa to set aside aspirations for higher office and focus on his work in Los Angeles.

"I think he can become a great mayor. He has it in him. I sure hope so," he said.

During an interview in his spacious third-floor City Hall office, Villaraigosa acknowledged that many of his far-reaching promises, such as making Los Angeles the greenest big city in America and fixing a school district with 50% dropout rates at many high schools, will take more time.

"I asked the city to dream with me, and I've been bold," Villaraigosa said. "We have focused our efforts to build a foundation . . . and made a lot of progress."

He dismissed any suggestion of underachievement, reciting a list of accomplishments that he said already have made Los Angeles a better place to live. Among them: a 24% drop in violent crime; traffic improvements that include more left-turn signals and 1 million repaired potholes; the expansion of city after-school programs; and the construction of 1,044 housing units for the homeless.

And he is unapologetic about the campaign promises he has not fulfilled, including establishment of a low-cost prescription drug program for residents or installation of reversible lanes on major streets. Voters elected him to tackle big challenges, he said, even if that meant pursuing many goals at once.

"I don't think you have the luxury when you're mayor of a global city like Los Angeles to tinker around the edges or just focus on a couple of areas," he said. "You've got to address the broad spectrum of issues and challenges."

Inside the mayor's office, Villaraigosa can be impatient and occasionally short-tempered. He's been known to scold staffers in public or in front of their colleagues.

"The mayor has impatience for results and has a sense of urgency," said Robin Kramer, his chief of staff, adding that Villaraigosa expects creative thinking from those who work for him. "He starts with the ethos, 'Well, that was good. We can do better.' "

His strongest and most politically advantageous success as mayor has been a steady drop in crime. When he was sworn in on the steps of City Hall in the summer of 2005, Villaraigosa promised that his first priority would be to lead the "fight to make our neighborhoods safer."

Last year, New York, Chicago and other urban centers saw an increase in the telltale marker of violent crime: homicides. Los Angeles had a 4% decline, led in part by a drop in gang killings.

The LAPD recorded 381 slayings in 2008, down from 517 five years ago and a far cry from the city's bloodiest year, 1992, when more than 1,000 people were slain. The drop in crime came despite a worsening economy that some thought would push crime rates up.

How much credit the mayor deserves for that improvement is debatable.

Villaraigosa says the decline is "in no small part" due to the priority he has given to increasing the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department. Initially, he vowed to hire 1,300 additional officers within five years. After taking office, he reduced that to 1,000, which he says will be achieved by July 2010.

As of early February, the force had a net gain of 694 officers. Villaraigosa raised trash collection fees to pay for the extra officers, a step that previous administrations had avoided for fear of angering homeowners.

A centrist appeal

The underlying political calculus is obvious: Los Angeles' previous two mayors failed to deliver on pledges for major expansions of the LAPD and were criticized because of it. In a city infamous for riots, gangs and police beatings, the drop in crime has emerged as the hallmark of Villaraigosa's administration. It also broadens the centrist appeal of Villaraigosa, a former teachers union organizer, past head of the local American Civil Liberties Union and the city's first Latino mayor in 133 years.

Rick Caruso, the shopping mall developer and former head of the city Police Commission, chafes at the mayor's claiming credit for improved public safety. He points out that crime in Los Angeles began to decline in 2002, when Chief William J. Bratton took over the LAPD and James K. Hahn was mayor.

"I think if you ask people in the city, 'Has the livability of the city increased?' . . . I think the answer is that there hasn't been a hell of a lot of progress," he said.

But Caruso backed away from a chance to make that argument in a campaign, deciding not to run against Villaraigosa. And Bratton, who could claim the credit the mayor seeks, has instead become a key ally.

This month, the chief appeared in a Villaraigosa campaign ad, asserting that crime, measured against the city's population, is down to levels not seen since the 1950s.

"The credit goes first to our brave men and women in uniform, but also to a mayor who gave us leadership," he said.

Villaraigosa has stuck to the goal of expanding the police force despite what has become his biggest problem in office: the city's precarious financial situation. Los Angeles faces a shortfall of $400 million to $500 million in the next budget year, its biggest fiscal challenge since at least the early 1990s. A likely consequence will be reduced services and employee layoffs or buyouts.

When Villaraigosa took office, he cast himself as a fiscal conservative, vowing to eliminate the $295-million "structural deficit" -- the difference between the cost of services and the revenue the city receives to pay for them. He ended the city's practice of dipping into its emergency reserve fund, and he estimates he was able to trim $200 million off the deficit before the deepening recession reduced tax revenue.

Some City Council members have pushed to slow the increase in the number of police officers, saying the city cannot afford them. And some council members say -- though seldom in public -- that Villaraigosa's budget proposals have focused too much on short-term fixes.

Last year the mayor proposed delaying an $81-million payment to the city's employee pension fund. The move would have saved money that year but ultimately would have cost $85 million after penalties and a rearranged payment schedule. The council rejected the idea.

In late 2007, months after the city's top financial expert warned of "some serious threats on the horizon," the Villaraigosa administration negotiated employee pay increases that will cost more than $200 million by 2012.

"Someone needs to explain to me how that made sense," said attorney and mayoral candidate Walter Moore, who is the best known among the nine underfunded hopefuls running against the mayor. Moore has raised a little over $208,000, compared with Villaraigosa's $2.9 million.

Strong union ties

Villaraigosa said that predicting the recent financial collapse would have required clairvoyance beyond even that of the best economic forecasters. As recently as a year ago, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. was still predicting a slight increase in city tax revenue in 2008.

"Nobody foresaw this level of crisis," he said.

One major reason for Villaraigosa's political dominance has been his strong relations with the most powerful force in Los Angeles politics: the city's labor unions.

Villaraigosa has challenged labor in some cases. For instance, he refused demands by the Engineers and Architects Assn., a city employees union, for a large pay raise.

But he has repeatedly acted in ways that have helped the city's large private-sector unions. Shortly after taking office, he helped settle a threatened hotel workers' strike on terms favorable to the employees.

He later brokered a long-running dispute between downtown Los Angeles' largest commercial property owner and 10,000 security guards who wanted to unionize.

His proposal for reducing air pollution from the thousands of trucks that serve the city's huge port would also make it easier for the Teamsters to unionize drivers. And a solar-power initiative he has pushed, Measure B on the March 3 ballot, was written in a way that would guarantee work to unionized electricians.

"The role that he's played has been extremely important . . . and in key industries in which we could not afford to have strikes and disputes," said Maria Elena Durazo, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and one of the mayor's closest confidants. "Labor obviously feels. . . that with the mayor, just as with President Obama, we have a seat at the table."

Ultimately, observers say, Villaraigosa's political future will not turn on his ability to appease allies or even unify a fractious city, as essential as those political skills are for any mayor of Los Angeles. He need only examine the failed gubernatorial bids of former mayors Tom Bradley and Richard Riordan.

Villaraigosa must demonstrate that he can effectively govern and produce tangible results in a city government that's notoriously complex and unwieldy. That opportunity will present itself again in the coming months, when Villaraigosa must address the city's dire budget crisis and negotiate new contracts with the city's police and fire unions.

"I would say, for a mayor to run for higher office, his record for mayor is tremendously important and will be significantly scrutinized," said Cal State Fullerton political scientist Raphael Sonenshein, an expert on L.A. government. "In politics, the best recommendation for your next job is your current job."

LA Times: Reelect Villaraigosa

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

It has been nearly four years since Antonio Villaraigosa defeated Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn after decrying the incumbent's lackluster performance, suggesting that Hahn's lack of managerial mastery was reflected in a city still failing to live up to its potential.

Now Villaraigosa is in some sense where Hahn was then, presiding over a city that, even before the recession hit, lacked the buoyant civic spirit that so many voters expected the new mayor to spark. No one doubts Villaraigosa's energy or enthusiasm, but Los Angeles has not recaptured the tone of optimism and creative possibility that were its hallmarks in the 1980s and again in the post-riot, post-earthquake 1990s. Unlike many of its urban counterparts across the nation, it hasn't mustered the confidence that it can overcome seemingly intractable problems such as gang violence, transportation gridlock, poverty and homelessness.

Programs to improve Los Angeles and to engage the city's people in serious conversations about the region's future often seem little more than media campaigns. Major policy statements are announced -- such as the promising vision of the "city of boulevards" -- and are never mentioned again. Worthy initiatives such as the one to effectively guide and oversee the city's gang programs cannot be evaluated without the test of time, yet are still trumpeted as outstanding successes.

Villaraigosa missed a chance to lead educational reform by agreeing with teachers unions to an unworkable compromise for governance of the Los Angeles Unified School District, then he steamrolled his plan through the Legislature before finally being stopped by the courts. He squandered goodwill with his less than straightforward handling of his extramarital affair.

Villaraigosa's chief triumphs are as power broker and deal maker. No candidate for City Council, the school board or most Los Angeles-based districts in the Legislature stands much of a chance without his backing. Ballot measures go nowhere without him.

He has used those skills to benefit the city. His drive to fulfill a campaign promise of a "subway to the sea" turned into a ballot measure and overwhelming support from voters to tax themselves for the Metro and other transportation projects. He capitalized on Hahn's best decision -- to hire William J. Bratton as police chief -- by backing Bratton and by eliminating the trash-collection subsidy to help pay to expand the police force. Although slow to respond to the personnel fiasco that was the Fire Department, he did respond, replacing the fire chief. He is trying to get Los Angeles to more vigorously follow the lead of smaller cities, such as San Francisco and Santa Monica, in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cleaning up the environment. He has taken a measure of responsibility for Los Angeles schools, and stands poised to be judged on their record.

Los Angeles mayors rarely accomplish much of what they hope to achieve, and Los Angeles usually moves at much the same pace no matter who is in charge. But there is no denying that in getting transit funding and enlarging the Los Angeles Police Department, this mayor has succeeded.

We still hold out hope that Villaraigosa can become a great mayor. For now, he is a good mayor, and one worthy of reelection. That's especially true given the field of opponents, none of whom we can support. We endorse Villaraigosa. Four more years.

And there's the rub. Will it be four more years? He has acknowledged his interest in running for governor next year, and that poses a quandary for Angelenos. We want and deserve a mayor who is a national figure, able to go toe-to-toe with the mayors of New York or Chicago for federal funding or attention, able to command respect and attention for Los Angeles. That kind of stature goes hand in hand with political ambition and personal aspiration -- Tom Bradley ran for governor, and so did Richard Riordan. A mayor worth having may be one who is predisposed to moving up the ladder.

The Times rejects the naive calls for Villaraigosa to spend more time in the city, at his desk. A metropolis like Los Angeles needs a leader who spends a lot of time on airplanes, pressing our case in Washington, Sacramento, Wall Street and elsewhere. If some of those stops are devoted to political fundraising, so be it; that's part of the game. But Villaraigosa owes it to Los Angeles to show that most of his time on the road is spent pursuing the interests of the people back home. It's fine for his political career to benefit from his good work for the city; sometimes, though, it seems as if the city is the one along for the ride.

Being a successful mayor requires more than just a five-year breeze through town. The whole point of vesting the mayor with more executive authority, as voters did in adopting a new City Charter in 1999, is to also vest him with accountability. And that works only if the mayor expects to be on the spot when it's time to assess programs and initiatives he started. Villaraigosa already has served a longer tenure as mayor than he did as Assembly speaker, and much longer than he did as a councilman, but the job requires more staying power than just a term and a half. We're not telling him not to run for governor; rather, we're noting that in endorsing him for a second term, we are asking him to finish this job before he takes another.

First term smooth sailing for Villaraigosa

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

This is what it means to be Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa:

A friend and ally of President Obama and former President Clinton.

A frequent visitor to Washington, D.C., and Sacramento for lobbying trips. A rumored candidate for governor in 2010. A widely sought speaker and one of Time Magazine's top 25 Hispanic leaders.

Oh, and there's that little matter of a re-election campaign going on now - one he's expected to win March 3 by a huge margin, given the absence of high-profile challengers.

He is running the campaign as if he has no opponents at all, refusing to appear at debates or forums with any of them. Because he is not accepting city matching funds, he is not required to appear with them.

"I don't take umbrage that people want me to debate," Villaraigosa said "What I say is `Judge me by what I've done.' I'm going to knock on doors and talk to voters."

What he has done is subject to debate.

Villaraigosa can tick off a range of accomplishments, from boosting the Los Angeles Police Department to improving the environment. But critics see him as more focused on publicity and jet-setting than making the city a better place.

Walter Moore, an attorney who has raised $200,000 for his own mayoral campaign, making him the leading challenger in fundraising terms, takes exception to all of Villaraigosa's claims - from reducing crime, improving the environment and even the filling of potholes and the mayor's favorite program, the 'Subway to the Sea.'

"His Subway to the Sea is nothing more than an alliterative slogan," Moore said. "It would cost far too much, take far too long and extend just nine miles along a single street in a city that comprises 469 square miles."

Moore, who often uses humor and mockery in his public appearances, deadpans: "They say the mayor spends only 11 percent of his time on city business. If I'm elected, I'll spend at least twice that amount."

Citing success

But Villaraigosa lays claim to a series of successes, such as getting voters to agree to pay higher fees and taxes to fund 1,000 more officers in the Los Angeles Police Department - expected to be reached next year - that has brought about successive years of drops in crime.

As part of that, Villaraigosa was able to gain control of the anti-gang efforts of the city as he has worked with Police Chief William Bratton to reduce gang crime.

Other accomplishments he cites include:

Environment: The Department of Water and Power is on its way to 20 percent renewable sources of electricity by 2010 and 35 percent by 2020. The Port of Los Angeles has a program in place to reduce truck pollution. Los Angeles International Airport's expansion is on schedule, including green technology.

Traffic: Villaraigosa persuaded voters to approve Measure R, a half-cent on the dollar sales tax measure that will help build his Subway to the Sea and provide funding for improvements throughout Los Angeles County.

Education: Although he lost his effort to get full control of the Los Angeles Unified School District, he now controls 10 schools in the inner city where he is pushing reforms. Also, his top adviser on schools, Ramon Cortines, was recently named LAUSD superintendent, and Villaraigosa has helped elect a majority of the Board of Education. He also has funded an expansion of LA's BEST after-school program.

Over the last three weeks, Villaraigosa has begun his re-election campaign.

He has a full-blown television campaign on the air that is expected to use the entire $2.7 million he raised and, in the past two weeks, has opened three campaign headquarters in East Los Angeles, South Los Angeles and the Valley, and has been going around doing a series of interviews advancing his candidacy.

Events are scheduled for the final weekends leading to an election that turned out to be less of a contest for Villaraigosa than many had expected.

There are no major well-financed challengers against him - the last was billionaire developer Rick Caruso who decided against running this year.

Four years ago, it was a much different field, with Villaraigosa seeking to oust incumbent Mayor James Hahn, with several well-known and well-financed opponents.

The money raised by Villaraigosa this campaign is far below the 2005 election - where more than $19 million was spent on the mayor's race.

Villaraigosa has pressed his case for his accomplishments over the past four years - and has acknowledged at least some of his mistakes.

At a recent Daily News editorial board meeting, the first thing Villaraigosa raised was his divorce from his wife of 20 years, Corina, and the later admission he was having an affair.

It stalled, for a time, what had been a long honeymoon between Villaraigosa and the city.

"I'd like to start with the elephant in the room," Villaraigosa said.

"The fact is I made a big mistake in the way I handled my personal affairs. I acknowledge that and take responsibility for it.

"A lot of people had a lot of hope for me. And, it hurt me. A lot of people were disappointed. I learned a lot from it.

"I'm not going to suggest that everyone supports everything I've done.

"There are differences. But people do feel good about Los Angeles now. I think people feel mostly positive about the city."

The mayor's refusal to appear at events with the other candidates is a sore point with many of those challengers, who appeared at a forum last Sunday in the CBS Studios commissary at an event sponsored by the Daily News and the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils.

Besides Moore, one of the more active candidates is David Saltsburg, who is better known as Zuma Dogg, a City Hall gadfly who reinvented himself as a self-described watchdog and community activist.

Saltsburg sheds the Zuma Dogg persona, for the most part, at forums, but he can readily resort to it to make a point.

He has developed a following of sorts and has been able to use his campaign to get a number of television and radio interviews as well as the appearances at forums throughout the city.

Part of his campaign has been against Villaraigosa and what Zuma Dogg sees as the consolidation of power within the Mayor's Office.

"Do you trust this mayor with all this money?" he asked during one recent council meeting. "I sure don't."

His strength, he says, lies in what he has learned from traveling around the city and talking to people about what they care for and how they would like to see the city run.

A `big mistake'

Other candidates

Zuma Dogg said he is motivated by the teachings of W. Edward Deming, who helped rebuild post-World War II Japan and whose production techniques were later instituted by Ford Motor Co.

Candidate David R. Hernandez, a civic community leader who has run for a number of other offices, is best known for his lawsuit challenging the decision by the county Board of Supervisors to drop a cross from its official seal.

"What's important is for us to listen to the public," said Hernandez, who also is involved with neighborhood councils. "We have a wealth of dedicated individuals in the community. As mayor, it would be my responsibility to empower you and make sure you know how your money is being spent."

Phil Jennerjahn, an actor, positions himself as the conservative alternative to Moore, saying he would provide leadership that he believes Villaraigosa has failed to offer.

"I offer a very different style of leadership," Jennerjahn said, adding he would bring a more conservative philosophy to crack down on illegal immigration.

"The mayor hasn't done anything special when it comes to traffic that any other competent mayor couldn't have done," Jennerjahn said. He believes the mayor has been too slow in growing the LAPD and should not involve himself with the LAUSD.

"The mayor has no `magic touch' and needs to stay away from the schools," Jennerjahn said. "I think the LAUSD is too large and might benefit in being broken down into more manageable parts."

Craig X. Rubin, a pastor and operator of medical marijuana clinics as well as an actor, said he decided to run to try to help the city create jobs.

"We have a horrible economic situation, with 10 percent of the people out of work," Rubin said. One of his top priorities, he said, would be to seek to protect medical marijuana clinics.

He also believes Villaraigosa claims too much credit for the drop in crime in the city, while raising taxes and fees. If elected, Rubin said, he would roll back the increased charges.

Carlos Alvarez, at 22, is the youngest candidate in the race and is a legal assistant and a self-proclaimed socialist.

If elected, he said, he would try to change the city's economy to promote increases in the minimum wage and expand housing opportunity and health care to all residents.

Other candidates in the race, who did not respond to questions, include Deputy City Attorney Gordon Turner, general contractors Bruce Darian and union meat packer James Harris.

Clinton Hails L.A.'s shift to LED Street Lights

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

LOS ANGELES -- Calling it a "great day in Los Angeles," former President Bill Clinton joined Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday in unveiling what is billed as the largest effort by a U.S. city to reduce pollution by retrofitting incandescent street lights with more efficient LEDs or light emitting diodes.

Over a five-year period starting in July, the city will retrofit 140,000 of its residential street lights with LEDs, officials said during City Hall news conference. The project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 40,500 tons and save $10 million annually.

"This is the best place in the world -- in the U.S. at least -- to lead this," Clinton said, citing the city's ongoing environmental efforts. "This is like taking 6,000 cars off the road.

"If every major city followed your lead, we could eliminate 2 1/2 coal-fired power plants."

Villaraigosa hailed the effort, saying it would help make Los Angeles the "cleanest, greenest big city in the U.S. We are building a bridge to a sustainable future."

As the two men spoke, they were flanked by video displays showing workers installing the LEDs as part of a pilot project in the San Fernando Valley.

Nearby charts illustrated how the city's energy usage would fall from 197 million kilowatt-hours to 132 million kilowatt-hours over the next 10 years.

Clinton said money from the $787 billion federal stimulus package President Obama plans to sign Tuesday includes funds for environmental efforts similar to the Los Angeles street light program.

"If we help you to live green," Clinton said, there could be a time when "every major city could be without a landfill."

The ex-president began the Clinton Climate Initiative in August 2006 to help fight global warming. It is a partnership with the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group, an association of large cities worldwide, including Los Angeles, that have pledged to accelerate their effort to reduce greenhouse emissions.

"The solution to the climate crisis isn't far off in the future -- it's in the buildings we inhabit, our civic infrastructure and the way we organize our lives," Clinton said at the 2007 Greenbuild International Conference in Chicago.

Clinton's visit to Los Angeles comes a day after the C-SPAN 2009 Historians Presidential Leadership Survey ranked him 15th among the 42 men who have served as president, up six spots from a year ago. Clinton was ranked third in economic management and fourth in pursing equal justice for all, but 37th in moral authority.

L.A. mayor's star on the rise again as higher office beckons

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

LOS ANGELES – Barely a year ago, Antonio Villaraigosa's political star seemed anything but luminous.

His wife divorced him after he admitted an affair with a Spanish-language television reporter. A court blocked his high-profile move to seize control of Los Angeles' troubled school system. News columnists charged that a notorious self-promoter was getting his public comeuppance.

And yet the Los Angeles mayor is soaring again in the City of Angels. He is running virtually unchallenged for re-election in March against a field of under-funded unknowns. He is widely discussed as a likely 2010 gubernatorial candidate.

Villaraigosa, who emerged from a difficult upbringing in the tough urban district of City Terrace to take over City Hall in America's second-largest city, is leading again with passion and swagger.

Despite questions of personal character, Villaraigosa has consolidated his power with public charisma and backroom chutzpah. With a month to go before the election, he has chased away serious challengers, vacuuming up campaign dollars despite the city's $1,000-per-person limit.

"He is a powerful politician with a brand name across the nation in political circles," said Jaime Regalado, director of the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles. "The perception is that he can do somebody harm if you get on his wrong side. Politicians who want a future in L.A. have pretty much decided not to challenge him."

In an interview in his office, beneath a panoramic oil painting of the city skyline, Villaraigosa boasted of reshaping the sprawling metropolis.

He's touting his record

The former Assembly speaker pointed to his campaign leadership in winning 67 percent approval last November for $40 billion in transportation programs featuring a much-hyped "Subway to the Sea." He touted downtown revitalization and a 26 percent reduction in street gang murders. He even bragged about adding left-turn traffic signals and filling potholes.

"My predecessor … did 297,000 potholes," Villaraigosa said. "In three and a half years, I did a million potholes."

He didn't close the door on running for governor next year in the Democratic primary, barely a year after Los Angeles' March 3 mayoral election. Yet he strongly suggested that he couldn't imagine leaving the gig he has now.

"The pundits all think they know what I am going to do," Villaraigosa said. "But I'm gonna tell you something. When I say I love this job, I really do. I was born and raised here. I believe this is the city of America's hope and future. This is the city where you come to reinvent yourself. This is the city that really judges you on the content of your character and what you do."

Villaraigosa amassed $1.5 million in a blizzard of fundraising last summer. That apparently was enough to keep at least one widely discussed potential challenger – Rick Caruso, a wealthy developer who served on the city's police commission – out of the race.

"I think that was his strategy – to avoid serious competition for a second term – and he did it," said Victor Griego, a Democratic political consultant and veteran labor activist in east Los Angeles.

The $2.7 million that Villaraigosa raised by Dec. 31 dwarfs the $200,000 raised by his closest mayoral rival, attorney Walter Moore. His haul also exceeds the $1.2 million raised by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom for an exploratory campaign for governor.

Mayor's race a warm-up?

Under California election law, Villaraigosa could legally transfer unused funds from his mayoral bid to a gubernatorial run. But the mayor scoffs at holding anything back. "I intend to spend it all," he said.

In fact, the former teachers union organizer plans to blanket Los Angeles with a ground game of multiple campaign field offices and a strong media campaign in California's largest television market.

No Los Angeles mayor has ever become governor, but the mayoral race could well boost Villaraigosa's political power if he does run in 2010.

Mayor kicks off African American Heritage Month events

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

February is African American Heritage Month, but events kick off today at Los Angeles City Hall with a red carpet award ceremony. Actress Alfre Woodard, singer Natalie Cole and the Rev. James Lawson will be honored at 10 a.m. inside Council Chambers by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for representing the spirit, dream and hope of Los Angeles.

Festivities will continue with musical performances and speakers on the South Lawn, where Villaraigosa will present the awards again and unveil a sculpture of President Barack Obama, designed by Artis Lane. Both ceremonies are open to the public. Here's a list of upcoming African American Heritage Month events.

Villaraigosa, Bratton announce new LAPD gang unit

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

The Los Angeles Police Department has created a special rapid-response unit to combat gang violence, and the city will expand a popular summertime anti-gang program as part of the city's effort to continue a drop in gang violence.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William Bratton announced the initiatives today during a morning press conference at the LAPD's Rampart station. Bratton appointed Comdr. Michael Williams to head the Strategic Operations unit to respond quickly to gang shootings and other gang-related violence, giving him the authority tap officers from other units to help prevent retaliation murders.

"If you engage in violence, if you stick your neck up in the air, we're going to lop it off," Bratton said in a warning to gang members.

The city currently has 430 known street gangs, although gang murders have declined 26% in the last year, according to Bratton and the mayor. They both credit the effort to hire an additional 1,000 officers for helping to drive down gang violence.

The commander also will coordinate the police response with the city's Gang Reduction and Youth Development program, which oversees gang intervention and prevention counselors.

Jeff Carr, who heads the city's anti-gang program, said officials also plan to expand the Summer Night Lights programs that keeps parks and community centers open late in areas with high-gang crime. The program will be expanded to 25 sites this summer, compared with eight last summer. Carr said the city also is launching a special academy to train anti-gang counselors. Because some counselors will be ex-gang members, the academy also will conduct criminal background checks and drug tests on counselors to ensure they are not lured back into gang culture.

Villaraigosa outlines foreclosure resources

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Even as the American dream is "crumbling before our eyes," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday warned residents about a dramatic increase in families falling prey to scams based on foreclosure rescues and loan modifications.

The mayor, joined at a press conference on the steps of City Hall by officials from banks, nonprofits and legal aid groups, outlined free resources that residents can use to prevent foreclosures and renegotiate home loans.

"It may sound like an obscure issue dealt with by banks and lenders, but all across the state and city families are falling prey to scam artists and financial predators," Villaraigosa said.

"They tell you to give them money up front, they offer dream deals and promise to rework your loans for a small fee and then they take your money and run."

In a typical situation, the perpetrators promise to help a homeowner renegotiate a mortgage and avoid foreclosure in exchange for an upfront payment. That is illegal in California unless the firm meets specific license and registration requirements set by the state Department of Real Estate.

Those carrying out the schemes often walk away with the money without following through on their commitment.

JP Morgan Chase, which has more than 2,500 mortgage counselors to assist borrowers via telephone, is also opening 24 homeownership centers around the nation, including five in Southern California, where homeowners can meet with mortgage counselors, said company spokesman Brian Finch.

"If you think you are unable to make your mortgage payments, we encourage you to contact your mortgage lender or mortgage servicer immediately," Finch said.

"We have real options to help homeowners prevent foreclosure. At Chase, since 2007, we have helped more than 330,000 families prevent foreclosure, primarily by modifying their mortgage terms."