Among the patchwork of ethnic communities that shape the everyday life and politics of Los Angeles, few groups have been romanced as much by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as Southern California's substantial Jewish population.
Villaraigosa, who spent part of his childhood in the once-Jewish dominated neighborhood of Boyle Heights, is known to pop up at synagogues throughout the Westside and San Fernando Valley, without fanfare, and has been a fixture at some of the city's biggest Jewish events, whether it was last month's commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day at Pan Pacific Park or a major pro-Israel rally during the war with Hezbollah.
Today, Villaraigosa will lead a contingent of Los Angeles city and community leaders to Israel for a weeklong visit, his third trip to the Jewish homeland during his political career.
The purpose of the mission, which has been in the works for months, is to learn from Israel's impressive security apparatus to make improvements at Los Angeles International Airport and the city's mammoth seaport, as well as sharing L.A.'s "green" environmental technology.
But the trip also comes at a politically opportune time for Villaraigosa, who is about to embark on a reelection campaign for mayor and is widely considered a natural candidate for governor in 2010.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who could be a major Democratic rival in any bid for higher office, made a trip to Israel in early May with a group of Northern California community and business leaders.
There is a "certain expectation" that candidates must make at least a symbolic visit to Israel if they hope to have a connection to a broad segment of the Jewish community and understand the issues they hold dear, said Steven Windmueller, dean of Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama made a visit, as have governors, mayors and members of Congress, he said.
"Israel has become a barometer," Windmueller said. "Jews vote, and, when you've got in the state of California probably somewhere in the neighborhood of a million Jews . . . that's a strong voter base."
Tom Bradley was the first L.A. mayor to aggressively court Jewish voters while building a coalition of political support in the ethnically divided city, and his success was not lost on those who followed, Windmueller said.
