Villaraigosa’s dreams of a political comeback are coming true – again

Former LA mayor and gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa wants voters to know he’s navigated a multibillion-dollar budget, tackled violent crime and fought to expand bus and train lines.

The former speaker of the state Assembly says he is the only Democratic candidate with the experience to handle the difficult task of governing California.

But Villaraigosa left City Hall in 2013 — years ago in the political world. President Obama was in office, singer Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” was at the top of the charts and Apple Watches weren’t even a thing.

Because of his distance from elected office, combined with a respectable but shadowy fundraising effort, Villaraigosa lacks a high-profile platform to attract attention in today’s fractured media landscape, a key ingredient he needs to remind voters about his experience and accomplishments as mayor and state attorney.

Recent polls show Villaraigosa, 73, slipping to the bottom of the field, though none of the Democratic primary candidates has a large margin.

Villaraigosa also ran for governor in 2018, coming in third in the primary behind Democratic challenger Gavin Newsom, who went on to win and is now serving his second term, and prominent Republican businessman John Cox.

Political strategist Mike Madrid, who worked for Villaraigosa in that campaign, said that the former mayor’s absence from politics in previous years is a major fault in this race.

“He is a determined, determined person,” said Madrid. “But there are strong strong winds.”

Villaraigosa got a boost last week when the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California pledged $1 million to an outside committee supporting him.

His supporters say voters are not paying attention to the governor’s race because eyes are on President Trump, immigration and the war on Iran.

But the new funding is small compared to some of his competitors. Billionaire Tom Steyer is tapping tens of millions of his own money to run ads. Tech companies and billionaire Rick Caruso are backing Matt Mahan, the mayor of San José, with millions.

Another contender, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), is a potential candidate. Swalwell launched his campaign on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and is a regular on cable news shows, while former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter, also running, most recently served in Congress and campaigned for the US Senate two years ago.

With the June primary approaching, Villaraigosa’s campaign is in danger of fizzling out.

Angeleno Celine Mares holds a copy of Newsweek with newly elected Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as he is sworn into office on the steps of City Hall on July 1, 2005.

(David McNew/Getty Images)

When he left the Compton church earlier this month, he rejected Mahan’s support from tech companies and billions of dollars in the race.

“When you have large sums of money influencing the election, there is great concern for those of us who care about our democracy,” said Villaraigosa. “As much as they say it’s about freedom of speech, it actually ends speech.”

(During his 2018 gubernatorial bid, Villaraigosa became California’s biggest benefactor, using his wealth to gain political influence. Supporters of charter schools, including Netflix founder Reed Hastings and philanthropist Eli Broad, spent nearly $23 million in efforts to boost his campaign.)

Earlier in the morning, he joined runners in a 10K street race in LA’s Chinatown, setting off fireworks, taking pictures and looking as energetic as when he was mayor and would hit the streets to fill potholes himself.

Villaraigosa wandered into the runners’ VIP tent, saw a bowl of fortune cookies and made a beeline. “You have an active mind and a brilliant mind,” he read aloud.

“Antonio V.!” a middle-aged man shouted as the former mayor passed by.

A few minutes later, Villaraigosa changed out of his black and white Veja sneakers and jeans for dress shoes and a suit for the church service in Compton, where the Black audience gave him a warm welcome.

Building a coalition of Black and Latino voters helped him win the 2005 LA mayoral race against then-Mayor Jim Hahn, and brought a lot of attention to the former high school dropout, who was raised by a single mother in east Los Angeles.

Newsweek magazine featured Villaraigosa on its cover, “Latino Power: LA’s New Mayor and How Hispanics Will Change American Politics.”

But national glory can pass. Today, voters don’t care about identity politics, said Fernando Guerra, a political science professor at Loyola Marymount University who has known Villaraigosa for decades.

Guerra said Villaraigosa is struggling to differentiate himself in the race because his polling is not the same as the moderate approach taken by Mahan. Another contender, former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, cooperates with Villaraigosa when it comes to personal details: They are both from the LA area, Latino and very close in age.

“What made it difficult is that [Villaraigosa said]’Here’s my way,’” Guerra said.

Strategist Madrid asked if voters wanted to hear about the candidate’s experience at a time when anti-Trump messages resonated with Californians. “They want a fighter,” he said.

Since leaving the mayor’s office, Villaraigosa has enjoyed success in the wealthy private sector. He bought a $3.3 million home in the LA area of ​​Beverly Hills Post Office in 2020. Recent campaign filings show he has spent the past few years advising companies including healthcare company AltaMed, Financial Lender Change Company and crypto currency exchange Coinbase Global.

Then mayor Antonio Villaraigosa holds a news conference at the Department of Water and Power on Hope Street on July 22, 2005, urging all of Los Angeles to conserve energy in an effort to ensure Southern California avoids blackouts.

(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

He also worked for several years with Actum and briefly advised the Newsom administration on infrastructure projects.

“It’s not that I didn’t like the public sector,” said Villaraigosa, explaining his decision to run again. When talking about his desire to serve, he created a serious image of the aughts in Los Angeles, taking credit for the city’s renaissance, the sky full of construction cranes and few homeless people on the streets at that time.

“Most people look back on those years and say they were some of the best years we’ve had in the last 25 years — at least,” Villaraigosa said.

Stuart Waldman, president of the business group Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., argues Villaraigosa’s experience in the private sector and distance from elected office is a good thing.

“Look at what the economy was like, look at what the city was like” under Villaraigosa, Waldman said. “That is what he will be judged on.”

Villaraigosa began his career working for labor and civil rights organizations before entering politics. Elected to the State Legislature in 1994, he pushed through legislation that banned assault weapons and created health care for children. His outgoing personality made him a popular fundraiser for Democrats in Sacramento and paved the way for him to be elected speaker of the House.

As mayor of LA, he reduced gang crime through a system that used ex-gang members to trade. Voters supported his ballot measure to expand LA’s transit system by spending new sales tax money during the Great Recession. He reduced pension costs after a bitter battle with city unions. At the same time, he established himself as a national leader in climate and education issues.

Her fame rose after she had an affair with a television reporter which led to the breakdown of her marriage.

The media scene that covered Villaraigosa at that time is becoming less and less, as young people get news from TikTok videos, message boards or Instagram posts.

Reflecting on the recent layoffs of TV news in Los Angeles, Villaraigosa called himself “lucky” to have dozens of newspaper and television reporters covering him as mayor, recalling that he would receive dozens of cameras at his press conferences.

Asked to compare his 2018 gubernatorial campaign to this one, he said, “I didn’t have to reintroduce myself last time the way I had this time.”

Villaraigosa spent significant time in Mexico in recent years seeing his ex-wife Patricia Govea, a fashion designer. He was in Mexico 80 percent of the time, six years ago. So I went to Mexico a lot.” The divorce of the two was finalized last year.

During a debate before Jewish voters in west LA last month, Villaraigosa seemed to embrace the fact that he was the only Angeleno on stage, introducing himself by saying, “It’s good to be home.”

He told the crowd about his work as president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and criticized UCLA — his alma mater — for its handling of incidents against Jewish students on its campus.

It remains to be seen whether he will have a hometown advantage. In the 2018 race for governor, Newsom won more votes than Villaraigosa in Los Angeles County. While Villaraigosa did well in the Latino communities of central LA and the Eastside, Newsom held more votes in affluent, white neighborhoods.

But at the Compton church, a security guard approached Villaraigosa and told him that he had worked on his 2005 campaign, and others promised to vote for him.

“I know he has a record,” said Valerie Bland, a 63-year-old long beach porter, as she watched Villaraigosa work on the homes. “I never looked at anyone else.”

Former Assembly speaker Fabian Núñez, Villaraigosa’s longtime friend and managing partner at Actum, hopes voters will consider Villaraigosa’s record.

“We have temporary memories in this country,” said Núñez.