Antonio Villaraigosa

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Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa
41st Mayor of Los Angeles
Incumbent
Assumed office  July 1, 2005
Preceded by	James Hahn
63rd Speaker of the California State Assembly
In office February 26, 1998 – April 13, 2000
Preceded by	Cruz Bustamante
Succeeded by	Robert Hertzberg
Member of the Los Angeles City Council from the 14th district
In office 2003 – 2005
Preceded by	Nick Pacheco
Succeeded by	José Huizar
Born	January 23, 1953 (1953-01-23) (age 56) Boyle Heights, California
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Corina Villaraigosa (divorced 2007)
Profession	Politician
Religion	Roman Catholic

Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He was elected on May 17, 2005, defeating incumbent mayor James Hahn. Prior to his election as mayor, Villaraigosa was the California State Assemblyman for the 45th District, the Speaker of the California State Assembly, and the Los Angeles City Councilman representing the 14th District. Before being elected to public office, Villaraigosa was a labor organizer. Villaraigosa attended the unaccredited People's College of Law, but after graduation, he failed the California Bar exam on all four attempts.

Villaraigosa served as a national co-chairmen of Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 Presidential campaign, and as a member of President Barack Obama's Transition Economic Advisory Board.^[1]

Contents 1 Early years and education 2 Personal life 3 Early political career 4 Mayoralty 4.1 Election 4.2 Ethics 4.3 Transportation 4.4 Education 4.5 Economic policies 4.5.1 Taxes 4.6 Energy and the environment 4.7 Water usage 4.8 Reputation 4.9 Honorary Degrees and Awards 4.10 2009 Election 4.11 Nepotism Issues 5 Future 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links

[edit] Early years and education

Born Antonio Ramon Villar in the City Terrace neighborhood of Los Angeles County's eastside, Villaraigosa attended both Catholic and public schools.^[2] He attended Cathedral High School but was expelled from the Roman Catholic institution after getting into a fight after a football game. He graduated from Roosevelt High School,^[2] and with the help of his English teacher Herman Katz, went on to attend East Los Angeles College.^[2] Villaraigosa eventually transferred to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he completed a bachelor's degree in history. Villaraigosa was a leader of MEChA at UCLA.^[3][4] At this time, he went by the name "Tony Villar", but began using his birth name "Antonio" in the 1980s.^[2]

After UCLA, Villaraigosa attended the People's College of Law (PCL), an unaccredited law school in Los Angeles. Villaraigosa failed the California Bar Exam four times and is not licensed to practice law. ^[5]

After PCL, he became a field representative/organizer with the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA).

[edit] Personal life

Villaraigosa has two daughters, Marisela Villar and Prisila Villar-Contreras, born of a previous, nonmarital relationship.^[6]

As Antonio Villar, he married Corina Raigosa November 28, 1987^[7] and adopted a combination of their last names as his family name. The couple have two teenage children, Natalia and Antonio Jr. On June 8, 2007, Villaraigosa announced he would be separating from his wife. On June 12, 2007, Corina Villaraigosa filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences. Villaraigosa acknowledged on July 3, 2007, that he was in a relationship with a Spanish-language television reporter, Mirthala Salinas.^[8][9][10]

In a New Yorker profile published shortly before the divorce, Villaraigosa acknowledged that he and Corina had had difficulties over the course of their marriage. “In a twenty-year marriage, there are many ups and downs," Villaraigosa said."^[2] The New Yorker also reported that in 1994, while Corina was undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer, Villaraigosa was involved with a friend's wife, and Corina filed for divorce at that time.^[6][2] The couple reconciled two years later.^[2] The New Yorker magazine reported that Villaraigosa's actions had infuriated colleagues who had helped portray him as a family man and lost him key supporters.^[6][2]

[edit] Early political career

In 1994, Villaraigosa was elected to the California State Assembly, and in 1998, he was elected Assembly Speaker. Villaraigosa ran for election as mayor of Los Angeles in the 2001 citywide contest but was defeated by Democrat James Hahn in a run-off election. In 2003, Villaraigosa defeated incumbent Councilman Nick Pacheco to win a seat on the Los Angeles City Council representing the 14th District.

[edit] Mayoralty

[edit] Election

Villaraigosa placed first in the Los Angeles mayoral election of March 8, 2005, and won the run-off election on May 17, receiving 58.7% of the vote. On July 1, 2005, Villaraigosa was sworn in as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since 1872, when Mayor Cristóbal Aguilar (mayor from 1866 to 1868 and again from 1870 until 1872) served as mayor.

The Nation attributes Villaraigosa's success in 2005 to his adding a significant number of African Americans to his earlier coalition of "Latinos, labor and white lefties", noting 2005 endorsements by Representative Maxine Waters (a Hahn supporter in 2001), influential resident and basketball star Magic Johnson, and City Council member (and former police chief) Bernard Parks.^[11]

[edit] Ethics

While a member of the California state Assembly, then state Assemblyman Antonio Villaraigosa wrote the first letter to then President Bill Clinton on Carlos Vignali Jr.'s behalf on May 24, 1996 requesting clemency from Vignali Jr.'s drug trafficking conviction for which he had been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. Released in March 2002 by the congressional Committee on Government Reform, "Justice Undone: Clemency Decisions in the Clinton White House" details Hugh Rodham's involvement in the Vignali, Jr. pardon, when revelations surfaced that then President Clinton granted clemency for Vignali Jr. The granting of clemency occurred after payments were made to Clinton's brother-in-law, Hugh Rodham, the brother of former first lady and New York state senator and current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The report takes to task top L.A. elected officials, including then–state Assemblyman Antonio Villaraigosa, county Supervisor Gloria Molina, then–state Senator Richard Polanco and U.S. Representative Xavier Becerra, among others, for lobbying on behalf of Vignali Jr., in light of his drug conviction and the fact that DEA agents long suspected Vignali Sr. to be involved in drug trafficking.

During his 2001 mayoral campaign, Villaraigosa expressed regret for writing the letter. "I wrote that letter without talking to prosecutors on the other end," Villaraigosa said in an interview. "I shouldn't have done that."^[12]

Villaraigosa's first act as mayor was to require all city commissioners, his entire staff, and all city employees to sign an ethics pledge.^[13] On May 2, 2007, the Los Angeles Times reported that Villaraigosa was under investigation for ethics violations. "The executive director of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission...accused Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of 31 violations of campaign finance and disclosure laws stemming from his 2003 campaign for the City Council." ^[14]

[edit] Transportation

One of Villaraigosa's main transportation-related goals is to extend the Purple Line subway down Wilshire Boulevard to Santa Monica. Proponents have dubbed the project the "Subway to the Sea." Villaraigosa worked to persuade Congressman Waxman to repeal the ban on subway tunneling in Los Angeles, which occurred in 2006. Metro has estimated that it will cost $4.8 billion to complete the subway, at $300 million a mile, and would take approximately 20 years.^[15]

On November 4, 2008, Los Angeles County voters passed Measure R, a half-cent sales tax increase that is projected to generate up to $40 billion over thirty years for transportation, including funding for the "Subway to the Sea." Its passage was credited in large part to Villaraigosa, who lobbied the MTA and County Board of Supervisors to place it on the November ballot, and helped organize the fundraising efforts.^[15]

One of Villaraigosa's first executive directives banned road construction during rush hour in traffic-plagued Los Angeles.

Villaraigosa served as Chairman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and oversaw the final approval of the EIR for the proposed Exposition Line, the opening of the Orange Line busway through the San Fernando Valley, and the beginning of tunneling on the Eastside extension of the Metro Gold Line light rail.

[edit] Education

Villaraigosa sought to gain control of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) as one of his top priorities as mayor, but later backed away from the plan.^[16]

In his first State of the City address, he announced his intention to assume full control of the Los Angeles Unified School District, through a bill passed by the State Legislature.^[17] The school board and teachers' union immediately protested^[16] and support in the community was lukewarm. Consequently, Villaraigosa reached a compromise with leaders of the teachers' unions and state legislators that would create a Council of Mayors of the 28 cities served by LAUSD.^[17] The votes of each mayor would be proportionate to the city's population, thus giving Villaraigosa over 80% of the vote, and most often, the final say of what happens, while requiring him to seek consensus from a few other cities.^[17]

AB 1381 was passed by the state legislature and signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.^[18] The plan continues to receive significant opposition among the Los Angeles Board of Education, Board President Marlene Canter, then-superintendent of LAUSD, Roy Romer, among others. The bill was ruled unconstitutional in Superior Court, a decision that was affirmed on appeal.

[edit] Economic policies

[edit] Taxes

Villaraigosa has tripled the city's trash collection fee from $11 per month to $36.32 per month for single-family homes. Villaraigosa supports Proposition O, which currently adds $10.22 to the property tax bill of a $350,000 home and will eventually climb to $35. The mayor also campaigned last fall for two education bond measures that will increase the size of property tax bills over the next decade.^[19]

[edit] Energy and the environment

Villaraigosa has pledged to make Los Angeles the greenest city in America.^[20]

Villaraigosa has pursued an environmental agenda since being elected three years ago and committed Los Angeles to the Kyoto protocol within days of taking office. “We had the dirtiest air in America,” he told the Financial Times. “It was incumbent on us to take a lead in greening and cleaning the nation.”^[20]

Los Angeles generates 10 per cent of its energy from renewable sources, having started at 2 per cent when Villaraigosa was first elected. Los Angeles is on track to generate 20 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2010 and will reach 35 per cent by 2020, outstripping Kyoto targets as well as those set for California by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.^[20]

Villaraigosa also launched a Clean Trucks program that banned nearly 2,000 diesel vehicles built before 1989 from entering the ports. Operators were offered incentives to switch to cleaner trucks and almost 600 companies signed up. By 2012, 16,000 diesel trucks will have been taken off the road as a result of the scheme. “It’s the most far-reaching clean-air action plan in the nation,” Villaraigosa told the Financial Times. ^[20]

Villaraigosa also set aside a large parcel of industrial land around the Los Angeles River to create what city officials are dubbing a “clean-technology corridor”. Discussions have started with international companies about relocating to the corridor and a range of incentives are available for businesses opting to move to the city. The site will include a research facility that will draw on the engineering talents of local higher-education institutions, such as the California Institute of Technology and UCLA. About 20 acres has also been set aside for a manufacturing center, which Villaraigosa hopes will attract new businesses.^[21]

[edit] Water usage

On August 10, 2007, The Los Angeles Times published an expose on water usage by Villaraigosa at his private residences.^[22] During the Summer of 2007, Villaraigosa challenged Los Angeles residents to slash their water use by 10% in the face of a historic drought. "Los Angeles needs to change course and conserve water to steer clear of this perfect storm," Villaraigosa said then. But DWP records obtained by the Los Angeles Times show that "Villaraigosa has been contributing to that storm," according to the Times. He and his family used 386,716 gallons of water at their Mount Washington home, far higher than the average of 209,000 gallons. Villaraigosa blamed his high water use on "gophers that chewed holes through a rubberized drip-irrigation system."

[edit] Reputation

Villaraigosa was featured on the cover of Newsweek and in Time as one of the country's 25 most influential Latinos. His marital infidelity issues appear to have damaged his reputation locally and nationally.

Villaraigosa has received criticism because of his membership in MEChA while attending UCLA and his support for immigration reform.^[23][24] He has also been criticized because of the high frequency in which he holds press conferences, attends photo-ops, and travels out-of-town (including campaigning for Hillary Clinton). An LA Weekly article by Patrick Range McDonald published on September 11, 2008, presented an analysis of a 10-week period from May 21 to August 1, and determined that "On direct city business—such as signing legislation and meeting with city-department heads—his schedule shows the mayor spent 11 percent of his time...Yet the 11 percent of Villaraigosa's time that the Weekly has identified as being spent in L.A. on actual city work—running, fixing or shaping government policies and actions—reveals that he frequently spends that limited time huddling with special-interest groups who have helped him attain higher office."^[25] Villaraigosa responded to the criticism in the article by stating, "They didn't get to see what I was doing privately, with meetings here (at City Hall) or in other places. Everyone who knows me, knows I work hard. That's why both Sen. Clinton and Obama wanted me to campaign for them."^[26]

A November 4, 2008 election day poll conducted by Leavy Center at Loyola Marymount University found that Villaraigosa had a job approval rating of 61 percent.^[27][28]

[edit] Honorary Degrees and Awards

On May 6, 2006, Villaraigosa was awarded an honorary degree by Loyola Marymount University (LMU), and was the Class of 2006 Commencement Speaker. On May 12, 2006, he was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters by the University of Southern California (USC) and was the Class of 2006 commencement speaker.^[29][30]

On September 24, 2007, Mayor Villaraigosa received the Seven Seals Award, the highest honor awarded by the Department of Defense to a civilian. The award is symbolic of the seven services that comprise the reserve components and is bestowed upon employers who actively support their employees in the National Guard and Army Reserve.^[31]

[edit] 2009 Election

Political experts questioned Villaraigosa's future in state and national politics after his relatively poor performance in the 2009 election. Villaraigosa received only a bare majority of the vote, despite running against a field of nine relative unknowns and spending 15 times as much money as the second place finisher. One columnist summarized Villaraigosa's poor showing as follows: "Villaraigosa stepped into the batter's box on Tuesday, swung and missed twice, and legged out a weak infield hit.".^[32] Villaraigosa's poor showing comes at a time when his opposition for higher office, such as governor or senator, is solidifying, with Mayor Gavin Newsom and Attorney-General Jerry Brown now in the race.^[33]

[edit] Nepotism Issues

The Los Angeles Times recently published an investigative report questioning the assignment of high-paying government jobs to those with close family or other personal connections to those in political power, pointing out that California taxpayers pay Marisela Villar, daughter of Villaraigosa, $68,000 for work as a "field representative" answering constituent calls and arranging community meetings. Ms. Villar reportedly has no degrees or other particular qualifications for the position, to which she was appointed by close political allies of her father.^[34] "It looks like nepotism," said Tracy Westen, chief executive of the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles. "It's the kind of thing the public doesn't like: people using their power and influence to provide cushy jobs to friends and family." ^[34]

[edit] Future

Villaraigosa is reportedly running for Governor of California in the 2010 election. His political staying-power has been brought into question not only by his anemic showing in the March 2009 mayoral election, but also in the May 2009 municipal elections when his hand-picked candidate, close ally former councilman Jack Weiss, went down to defeat despite Villariagosa's endorsement, campaigning and political fundraising efforts. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-city21-2009may21,0,7790592.story?track=rss (maeve.reston, david zahniser latimes, March 20 2009) NEED CITE FORMAT

[edit] See also

• Los Angeles mayoral election, 2001

[edit] References

This article's citation style may be unclear. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking.

[edit] Further reading

• Bruck, Connie. "Fault Lines". The New Yorker, 21 May 2007, pp. 44-55.
• Reaching across LA's ethnic divide, David Willis, BBC News Los Angeles (May 17, 2005).

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Antonio Villaraigosa

• Biography from the Office of the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles
• Mayoral campaign
• Schmal, John P. "The Four Latino Mayors of Los Angeles," HispanicVista, May 23, 2005

Political offices
Preceded by James Hahn	Mayor of Los Angeles, California July 1, 2005 – present	Incumbent
Preceded by Nick Pacheco	Member of the Los Angeles City Council, 14th District 2003–2005	Succeeded by José Huizar
Preceded by Cruz Bustamante	Speaker of the California State Assembly February 26, 1998–April 13, 2000	Succeeded by Bob Hertzberg
Preceded by Richard Katz	California State Assembly Majority & Democratic Leader Nov 30, 1996–February 1998	Succeeded by Kevin Shelley
Preceded by Richard Polanco	California State Assemblyman, 45th District 1994–2000	Succeeded by Jackie Goldberg
Order of precedence in the United States of America
Preceded by Arnold Schwarzenegger Governor of California	United States order of precedence Mayor of Los Angeles, California	Succeeded by Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

v • d • e Mayors of Los Angeles, California S. Foster · Hodges · Wilson · Nichols · Coronel · S. Foster · Dr. Foster · S. Foster · Requena · Nichols · Marchessault · Mellus · Woodworth · Marchessault · Mascarel · Aguilar · Turner · Aguilar · Toberman · Beaudry · MacDougal · Cohn · Toberman · Thom · Spence · Workman · Bryson · Hazard · Bonsali · Rowan · Rader · Snyder · Eaton · Snyder · McAleer · Harper · Stephens · Alexander · Rose · Sebastian · Woodman · Snyder · Cryer · Porter · Shaw · Bowron · Poulson · Yorty · Bradley · Riordan · Hahn · Villaraigosa

v • d • e Speakers of the California State Assembly White · Bigler · Hammond · Wall · Fairfax · Stow · Farley · Beatty · Whiteside · Stratton · Moore · Burnell · Barstow · Machin · Sears · Yule · Ryland · Rogers · Shannon · Estee · Carpenter · Berry · Cowdery · Parks · LaRue · Parks · Jordan · Howe · Coombs · Gould · Lynch · Coombs · Anderson · Pendleton · Fisk · Prescott · Beardslee · Stanton · Hewitt · Young · Wright · Merriam · Levey · Little · Craig · Jones · Peek · Garland · Lyon · Collins · Silliman · Lincoln · R. Brown · Unruh · Monagan · Moretti · McCarthy · W. Brown · Allen · Setencich · Pringle · Bustamante · Villaraigosa · Hertzberg · Wesson · Núñez · Bass

v • d • e Mayors of the 50 largest cities in the United States     Michael Bloomberg, New York City, NY Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles, CA Richard M. Daley, Chicago, IL Bill White, Houston, TX Phil Gordon, Phoenix, AZ Michael Nutter, Philadelphia, PA Phil Hardberger, San Antonio, TX Jerry Sanders, San Diego, CA Tom Leppert, Dallas, TX Chuck Reed, San Jose, CA Dave Bing, Detroit, MI John Peyton, Jacksonville, FL Gregory A. Ballard, Indianapolis, IN Gavin Newsom, San Francisco, CA Michael B. Coleman, Columbus, OH Will Wynn, Austin, TX Mike Moncrief, Fort Worth, TX W. W. Herenton, Memphis, TN Pat McCrory, Charlotte, NC Sheila Dixon, Baltimore, MD John Cook, El Paso, TX Tom Barrett, Milwaukee, WI Thomas Menino, Boston, MA Greg Nickels, Seattle, WA Karl Dean, Nashville, TN John Hickenlooper, Denver, CO Adrian Fenty, Washington, D.C. Oscar Goodman, Las Vegas, NV Jerry Abramson, Louisville, KY Sam Adams, Portland, OR Mick Cornett, Oklahoma City, OK Bob Walkup, Tucson, AZ Shirley Franklin, Atlanta, GA Martin Chavez, Albuquerque, NM Ashley Swearengin, Fresno, CA Bob Foster, Long Beach, CA Kevin Johnson, Sacramento, CA Scott Smith, Mesa, AZ Mark Funkhouser, Kansas City, MO Frank G. Jackson, Cleveland, OH Will Sessoms, Virginia Beach, VA Mike Fahey, Omaha, NE Manny Diaz, Miami, FL Ron Dellums, Oakland, CA Kathy Taylor, Tulsa, OK R. T. Rybak, Minneapolis, MN Lionel Rivera, Colorado Springs, CO Charles Meeker, Raleigh, NC Muliufi "Mufi" Hannemann, Honolulu, HI Robert Cluck, Arlington, TX

v • d • e Mayors of cities with populations of 100,000 in California     Antonio Villaraigosa (Los Angeles) Jerry Sanders (San Diego) Chuck Reed (San Jose) Gavin Newsom (San Francisco) Ashley Swearengin (Fresno) Bob Foster (Long Beach) Kevin Johnson (Sacramento) Ron Dellums (Oakland) Miguel A. Pulido (Santa Ana) Curt Pringle (Anaheim) Harvey Hall (Bakersfield) Ronald O. Loveridge (Riverside) Ann Johnston (Stockton) Cheryl Cox (Chula Vista) Jim Ridenour (Modesto) Bob Wasserman (Fremont) Sukhee Kang (Irvine) Pat Morris (San Bernardino) John Drayman (Glendale) Keith Bohr (Huntington Beach)^ William H. Batey II (Moreno Valley)^ Thomas E. Holden (Oxnard) Mark Nuaimi (Fontana) Paul S. Leon (Ontario) Donald Kurth (Rancho Cucamonga) Bob Kellar (Santa Clarita)^ Jim Wood (Oceanside) William Dalton (Garden Grove) Susan Gorin (Santa Rosa)^ Elliot Rothman (Pomona) Steve Nolan (Corona)^ R. Rex Parris (Lancaster) Dennis Donohue (Salinas) Bill Bogaard (Pasadena) Frank Scotto (Torrance) Michael Sweeney (Hayward) James C. Ledford Jr. (Palmdale) Lori Holt Pfeiler (Escondido) Carolyn Cavecche (Orange) Sharon Quirk (Fullerton)^ Pat Hume (Elk Grove) Tony Spitaleri (Sunnyvale) Jacqui Irwin (Thousand Oaks)^ Ernest Gutierrez (El Monte) William D. Shinn (Concord)^ Paul Miller (Simi Valley) Jesus Gamboa (Visalia) Osby Davis (Vallejo) Roosevelt F. Dorn (Inglewood) Patricia M. Mahan (Santa Clara) Eric R. Bever (Costa Mesa)^ Gina Garbolino (Roseville) Rick Trejo (Downey)^ Rudy Cabriales (Victorville) Roger Hernandez (West Covina)^ Harry T. Price (Fairfield) Jesse M. Luera (Norwalk) David Golonski (Burbank) Christy Weir (Ventura) Gayle McLaughlin (Richmond) Tom Bates (Berkeley) Carol L. Klatt (Daly City) ^Mayor selected from city council

Persondata
NAME	Villaraigosa, Antonio Ramon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Villar, Antonio Ramon, Jr.
SHORT DESCRIPTION	mayor of Los Angeles, California
DATE OF BIRTH	January 23, 1953
PLACE OF BIRTH	Boyle Heights, California
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH