Posted on 06/19/2006 3:52:55 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
With Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa visiting the Capitol today in an attempt to salvage his ambitious plan to take over and reform the historically troubled L.A. Unified School District, the Democrat has emerged as an unusual factor in this year’s unusual governor’s race. The former Assembly speaker, a rising Democratic superstar, is still officially neutral in the race between moderate Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Democratic challenger, Treasurer Phil Angelides.
Villaraigosa, a darling of LA progressives when he first ran for mayor in 2001 -- the LA Weekly, for one, devoted issue after issue to extolling his various fantastic qualities -- is taking on the powerful teachers unions in his bid to place the sprawling LA school district under the governance of a council of some two dozen mayors of communities within its boundaries, a council which he as LA’s mayor would dominate. As Villaraigosa, a former teachers union organizer, is very well aware, the unions have historically had tremendous influence over the school board. In order to avoid going the initiative route, an option now firmly under discussion in his circles, Villaraigosa needs support from the state. Governor Schwarzenegger endorses his plan. But support in the Legislature is far less certain, so much so that the mayor’s good friend and close ally, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, essentially summoned him last week to Sacramento for a rescue operation.
While Schwarzenegger supports Villaraigosa’s plan, Angelides does not. The powerful California Teachers Association (CTA), whose members participate in the various councils of the Angelides campaign and which contributed $1 million to the highly controversial pro-Angelides independent expenditure campaign principally funded by Sacramento development kingpin Angelo Tsakopoulos, is leading the fight against the mayor’s plan in the Legislature.
Ironically, Angelides supported a mayoral takeover scheme in Sacramento when his friend, the late Mayor Joe Serna -- a one-time farm worker who was the first elected Latino mayor of a major California city -- took on the Sacramento school board in 1996.
But the school takeover, while Villaraigosa’s top issue, is just one reason why he and Schwarzenegger have a certain simpatico.
The former action superstar’s longtime friend and ally, the moderate former mayor of LA, Dick Riordan, was a very important supporter of Villaraigosa when he first ran for mayor in 2001, breaking through in dramatic fashion in the first round of voting before losing the run-off to James Hahn. Schwarzenegger is known to like the style of Villaraigosa, a charismatic and dapper figure.
In more concrete and recent terms, Schwarzenegger has proved to be a key ally in other areas. His Big Bang Bonds infrastructure package was a godsend to Villaraigosa, as the transportation bond piece of it contains what would be crucial funding for the mayor’s dream of building “the subway to the sea” along the Wilshire Blvd. corridor. The governor also supported Villaraigosa’s hoped for park bonds, although that had to be taken out of the final version of the package in deference to Republican wishes to focus on more basic infrastructure needs.
The governor and mayor are also allied in the drive to bring a National Football League franchise to LA. The two men lobbied the NFL owners in Dallas earlier this spring.
Finally, Schwarzenegger appointed the mayor’s sister, Mary Lou Villar, a judge of the superior court.
Then there is the question, as many whisper rather loudly in Democratic ranks, of ambition. Villaraigosa would like to be governor of California. If Schwarzenegger is re-elected, he will be term-limited out of office by the 2010 elections. Angelides, on the other hand, could be in office through 2014. Villaraigosa, at 53, is youthful and mediagenic. But waiting eight years rather than four could leave him out of office by the time his turn came around and not so much the fresh face.
Villaraigosa’s ally, Assembly Speaker Nunez, also has ambitions. Many say he would like to succeed Villaraigosa as LA’s mayor. At the Capitol reception for Mexican President Vicente Fox, Nunez, introducing the governor, gave a ringing endorsement of his leadership, describing Schwarzenegger ("the man responsible for getting California moving again") in far more fulsome terms than he ever has Angelides, whose campaign he co-chairs.
Angelides styles himself in his campaign for governor as “the anti-Arnold.” But the real anti-Arnold, in the sense of being an ever persistent and effective foe of Arnold Schwarzenegger, was Nunez.
The feisty speaker, a one-time Golden Gloves boxer, harried the former Mr. Universe at every turn. But the antagonism between the two men grew into a warily mutual respect as adversaries as Schwarzenegger’s fateful 2005 special election agenda unfolded.
Finally, as I exclusively reported last summer, Nunez joined Schwarzenegger in marathon negotiating sessions at the governor’s LA mansion in an effort to avert the showdown at the ballot box. Although the effort did not succeed, Nunez came to appreciate and admire Schwarzenegger in the process. The stage was set for the speaker, the governor, and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata to work together on this year’s massive infrastructure bonds package.
It was no surprise this spring when Villaraigosa and former Governor Jerry Brown appeared at separate stops of the Schwarzenegger-Perata-Nunez statewide jet tour celebrating the bipartisan bonds passage.
Then there is the question of realpolitik.
“We all get a second term,” said one former governor a few weeks ago. Not since 1942, when Culbert Olson was defeated, has a California governor been defeated while running for a second term. He was defeated by Earl Warren, later chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The last incumbent governor to be defeated was legendary Democrat Pat Brown. After eight years as governor, and eight years as state attorney general just before that, he was going for a third term in 1966 when he ran up against Ronald Reagan.
Quite a few major California Democrats expect Schwarzenegger to defeat Angelides. Which does not mean that Villaraigosa will not endorse Angelides in the end.
One potential rival of Villaraigosa’s in a future gubernatorial race, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, is already out there for Angelides. Newsom likes Schwarzenegger, too, and hosted the governor’s global warming summit at San Francisco City Hall. In fact, he calls the governor “incredibly genuine and generous,” which is not exactly the norm for the crew around “anti-Arnold” Angelides.
But he has already campaigned with Angelides, appearing with him in San Francisco last week when the candidate made a third attempt at getting attention for his children’s health care proposal, which he says he modeled after Newsom’s program in the City by the Bay.
Is something like that in the future for Villaraigosa and Angelides? Probably not so long as Angelides follows the CTA’s lead on Villaraigosa’s school takeover plan.
Oh, this should be good. :-}
The former action superstar’s longtime friend and ally, the moderate former mayor of LA, Dick Riordan, was a very important supporter of Villaraigosa when he first ran for mayor in 2001, breaking through in dramatic fashion in the first round of voting before losing the run-off to James Hahn. Schwarzenegger is known to like the style of Villaraigosa, a charismatic and dapper figure.
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Schwarzenegger appointed the mayor’s sister, Mary Lou Villar, a judge of the superior court.
Then there is the question, as many whisper rather loudly in Democratic ranks, of ambition. Villaraigosa would like to be governor of California. If Schwarzenegger is re-elected, he will be term-limited out of office by the 2010 elections. Angelides, on the other hand, could be in office through 2014. Villaraigosa, at 53, is youthful and mediagenic.
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some little nuglets
He is backing Arnold.....I thought this was common knowledge?
Bill tries to make it sounds like it is not a sure thing.
Oh well, Progressives stick together, I guess. ;-)
By the time V can be Gubinor, we'll be part of Aztlan or the NAU. ;-)
He should support the most liberal candidate: Arnold.
Not at all, he is making efforts to keep the radical stuff down to keep himself electable.
It is known he wants to be Governor in the future, and probably has VP desires as well.
If Antonio expects to be the Democratic nominee for CA.governor in the near future it seems to me he is going to have to back Angelides. Either that or he is conceding the race is over.
I guess it would say a lot about our nation if a MeCHa member and adherent rose to state or national prominence.
W.A.S.S.
He's playing the game.
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Agreed.
That he is.
Villaraigosa is no conservative, but so far I'm glad we got him instead of Hahn. I seriously doubt Hahn would have done ANYTHING to upset the UTLA or LAUSD, so Mayor V can't be all bad.
Of course, Hahn WAS mayor for a term and he did do nothing so I guess I was right...
Quite the Dynamic Duo..
They remind me of these fellas...
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