Posted on 06/30/2005 5:10:35 PM PDT by calcowgirl
LOS ANGELES – Antonio Villaraigosa wants to fix the schools. Uncoil gridlock. Ease racial tensions. Develop more affordable housing. Extend the subways. Hire more police. Even build more dog parks.
But in aspiring to reshape the nation's second-largest city – or at least inspire it – Los Angeles' mayor-elect will need to lift the stature of the office to match his ambition, bucking a historically weak mayoralty that at times frustrated his predecessors.
In Los Angeles, there is a need "to dream and think big," says Villaraigosa, who will be publicly sworn in Friday on the steps of City Hall.
At a recent hearing on schools, over which the mayor has no authority, Villaraigosa promised to "use this bully pulpit to hold people accountable." For inspiration he looks to the city's first black mayor, Tom Bradley, who built support for downtown development, subway construction and the 1984 Olympics.
Bradley "was a uniter of people. He wasn't afraid to tackle big problems and take risks," Villaraigosa said. An aging Bradley counseled Villaraigosa years ago, "Don't quit what you are doing."
The charismatic Villaraigosa, 52, is promising to reinvigorate the office after the uneven term James Hahn, who was best known for not being known at all. Villaraigosa ousted his fellow Democrat in a May runoff, carrying most of the city's neighborhoods and showing a big-city Hispanic candidate could attract votes from across the racial spectrum.
The first Hispanic mayor elected since Los Angeles' pioneer era, Villaraigosa quickly gained an international profile as the new face of urban politics – a poor, troubled kid from the barrio who used a mix of street smarts and hard work to ascend to the hallways of power.
Despite his sudden celebrity, Villaraigosa assumes an office known for its lack of clout. The City Council here can block decisions made by mayoral commissions that run agencies, including the police and fire departments. The outgoing city councilman's charm and political skills – he is a former Assembly speaker – will be challenged by the realities of governing where a tangle of government entities share power.
Education, a top issue for voters, is run by the Los Angeles Unified School District. County supervisors hold a strong hand in health care and law enforcement. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority runs the buses and subways.
"Your power as mayor of Los Angeles depends on ... what kind of vision you can promote," said Raphael Sonenshein of California State University, Fullerton, who has written widely about city government. "Everything he wants to do requires the cooperation of other political people."
Hahn looked the part of a mayor – tall, square-shouldered, salt-and-pepper hair – but he never seemed eager to play it.
Villaraigosa can't seem to wait.
He has said the mayor, as in New York City, should control the school system. He plans to be a force at the transportation authority. And in a flurry of activity since election day, he helped settle a hotel labor dispute, warned city departments to trim fat from their budgets and appeared at a school after fights between black and Hispanic students.
His activist's instincts echo the advice of former Mayor Richard Riordan.
"It's much easier to get forgiveness than to get permission. Just do it," said the Republican, who has advised Villaraigosa. "If you have a will to make something happen, you can make it happen."
Along with his own impatient energy, Villaraigosa arrives in office with a convincing victory. In a low-turnout election, he won 59 percent of the vote after broadening his Hispanic base to include significant numbers of blacks, along with white liberals and moderates.
That popularity translates into high expectations. City schools are a dead end for many students. Housing costs have made a mortgage unthinkable for many working people. City traffic is among the nation's worst, as is the air quality. Gang violence persists.
Like Bradley before him, Villaraigosa has a national stature and can call on allies from Washington, D.C. to Sacramento, including Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, whose 2004 presidential campaign Villaraigosa co-chaired. The guest list for his inaugural runs from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to big-city mayors from coast to coast to former Vice President Al Gore to representatives from dozens of countries on six continents.
Along with his change-heavy agenda, Villaraigosa has said the obvious – he realizes he'll make mistakes.
"There's an even bigger risk in not being bold and not trying to reach beyond your grasp," Sonenshein said. "He may not have to achieve everything to be successful."
Stay tuned, and hold on to your wallet.
Riordan was a great mayor and he couldn't get much done, even sometimes even using his own money.
Translation:
Fix the schools = raise taxes
Uncoil gridlock = raise taxes
Ease racial tensions = raise taxes and bring more illegals in
Develope affordable housing = raise taxes
Hire more police = raise taxes
build more dog parks = raise taxes
Let's support succession and just give it back. I'm serious.
And make clear to all why he failed the bar exam so many times...
secession perhaps?
He also wants people to refer to him as DON Villaraigosa de Los Angeles. Where's Zorro when you need him.
OH,
yeah,
and flag waving, foam at the mouth representatives of Aztlan, Mecha, and Lulac...in brown berets.
(whoopee!)
The key, of course, is trustworthy bag men, folks who can pick up bribes, payoffs, kickbacks, skims, almost always in cash or marketable material, and deliver them without dipping into the take. The contracts can be awarded, official checks issued, folks put on the payroll and so on, al through existing procedures. It is the inward cash flow that can be tricky.
whatta laugh!
he wants to do what democrats have wanted to do since fdr and lbj.
This looks a lot like the kind of fawning press Schwarzenegger got right after he was elected. It'll last just as long as it takes to actually propose some changes, then the affected groups will scream bloody murder. People love reform in the abstract, but hate it in the flesh.
Redefine it to what? Westwoodish, early 70s dope smoking radicalism?
Someone have that photo of him as a Westwood hippie boy to post?
What part of ILLEGAL is it you don't understand.
All it takes is money.
He redifined it the day he was elected.....as a branch office of Mexico.
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