Villaraigosa Aims to Make Most of 'Latino Mayor' Role
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa seemed famous enough for comedian George Lopez to have some fun with him. The mayor had been on the covers of Newsweek and Time magazines, on "The Today Show," and countless times in local, national, and international media outlets.
So writers at the ABC sitcom "The George Lopez Show" scripted the comedian imitating Villaraigosa. Then they wondered: How about getting the mayor himself on the show?
The result, which culminates in Villaraigosa's brief appearance in the episode that airs tonight on KABC-TV Channel 7, marks another moment in which Villaraigosa has had to define where his mayoralty and his ethnicity meet, and on whose terms.
As much as Villaraigosa has cast himself as the city's camera-ready multiethnic uniter, he has found it impossible -- and politically inexpedient -- to shed his Latino identity.
In many ways, the title of "first Latino mayor" of modern Los Angeles that trailed Villaraigosa after his win has given him enormous political benefits. He won meetings with top Democrats during two visits to Washington, and is widely considered a bright star of the Democratic Party. Time listed him among "The 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America."
But the small details and unscripted asides that surrounded his campaign and have seeped into his administration show the subtle ways in which Villaraigosa chooses to mediate his ethnic identity.
Mayoral news conferences now are entirely bilingual, and frequently the Spanish-language press leads the questioning. The mayor repeats his points in both languages. Villaraigosa still makes quips about his own halting Spanish, a symptom of the mostly English upbringing he shares with countless bicultural Latinos in Southern California.
Every so often, his office's statements refer to his historic win. A Sept. 30 statement expressing admiration for Constance Baker Motley, the first African American female federal judge, who died Sept. 28, starts: "As the first Latino Mayor of Los Angeles in over 130 years
When a Villaraigosa event calls for food -- from his private inner-circle party on election night to a brunch at the Getty House on Sunday -- the cuisine is fusion, from local favorite Cha Cha Cha.
Then there was the tequila at the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project dinner.
In July, Villaraigosa received an almost ecstatic welcome, complete with fireworks and sound effects, at the annual gala for the voters' rights group in Commerce.
