Villaraigosa

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke publicly for the first time Monday about the breakup of his 20-year marriage, saying he was responsible for the split even as he refused to talk about what caused it. In a somber meeting with reporters at City Hall, Villaraigosa declined to answer questions about whether the break with his wife, Corina, was triggered by another romantic relationship.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday waded into the heated contest to choose his successor, calling for two ads aimed at Latino voters that attack candidates Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel to be taken off the airwaves. Both were financed with independent donations not controlled by the candidates. Villaraigosa, who has not made an endorsement in the race, said a TV ad from the super PAC Lots of People Who Support Eric Garcetti falsely portrayed Greuel as a supporter of Proposition 187, the 1994 state ballot measure that sought to deny illegal immigrants access to public education and other services.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been selected chairman of this summer's Democratic National Convention, elevating his role as a surrogate in the Latino community and raising his national profile at a time Villaraigosa considers his political future. A formal announcement was scheduled Wednesday in Washington, with the mayor planning to join President Obama on Wednesday night for a presidential fundraiser in Los Angeles. As convention chairman, Villaraigosa will wield the gavel during the event in Charlotte, N.C., which opens with a festival on Sept.

California ports are going green. In a speech at the 28th World Ports Conference on Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the city's port is at the forefront of pushing for clean energy alternatives and reducing pollution. The conference, which kicked off Tuesday in Los Angeles, attracted port officials from around the world to discuss issues such as climate change, piracy and other problems affecting ships and the ports where they dock. Greening ports was at the top of many minds.

Re "Mayor urges Latinos to back Obama," July 13 In an address at the National Council of La Raza conference, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa urged Latinos to vote for Barack Obama as the best hope to reform the federal immigration policy. In his address, he invoked immigrants at Ellis Island and was thankful that there had not been a wall to keep Irish immigrants out. The mayor is either ignorant of the facts of Ellis Island immigration or just blatantly misstating them. Those who arrived through Ellis Island applied to enter the country legally, and not all who applied were admitted.

TAMPA -- The last person many would expect to see at the Republican National Convention is the chairman of the Democrats' rival effort next week. But there was Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Sunday night, mixing and mingling with reporters and GOP strategists at a late-night dinner here. Villaraigosa, who will head up the Democratic National Convention next week in Charlotte, N.C., was spotted at the swanky Mise en Place supper club after dining with GOP strategist Ana Navarro.

Re "Promises, promises," Opinion, July 16 Jim Newton doesn't give L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa enough credit. Congress' passage of the transportation bill, including the America Fast Forward provision that Villaraigosa championed, was a giant step forward for transit advocates. For the first time, a national transportation bill provides a funding vehicle that allows local transit agencies to borrow federal funds to build transit projects now, with the commitment that the funds will be paid back over time.

WASHINGTON -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa applauded President Obama for "doing what's right by our values" after the administration announced it would halt deportations for some illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, a priority for Latino voters. "This is the right thing to do. I applaud the president for doing it, and I think it's going to mean a great deal to the many families who live in terror that their kids may get deported through no fault of their own," Villaraigosa, one of the most prominent Latino surrogates for Obama's reelection campaign, said during a conference call with reporters Friday.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa defended his performance during a platform kerfuffle at the Democratic National Convention this week, saying that he took the actions called for by President Obama and followed procedure when Democrats realized they had left the words “God” and “Jerusalem” out of the party platform. Such a change requires a two-thirds vote by delegates, and on Wednesday they were asked to approve language invoking God and affirming Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's pick to run the pension system for public safety employees has dropped out of the running, saying Wednesday he didn't want to "get wrapped up in the politics" of the agency. Ray Joseph, 40, had been slated to appear Wednesday before the City Council for a final confirmation vote. But the Maryland resident told The Times he had grown concerned about the possibility that the next mayor, who takes office July 1, would want somebody else to run the retirement system.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa came out swinging against the city's labor unions last week, urging lawmakers - and the next mayor - to abandon or pare the 5.5% raise that comes due for many city employees on Jan. 1. Villaraigosa set a defiant tone as he unveiled his latest budget, his last before he leaves office after eight years, saying city workers need to contribute more toward their healthcare costs. Yet amid the tough talk, the mayor's spending plan shows he already has the money to cover those costs if the unions are unwilling to deal.

WASHINGTON -- Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa may be nearing the end of his term, but that isn't keeping him from traveling to the nation's capital to push two of his pet causes - an overhaul of immigration laws that would provide a path to legal status and citizenship for immigrants who are in the country illegally and increased federal funding for transportation projects. Villaraigosa, whose term ends June 30, said again that he would like to be California governor one day. "But the last time I looked, there is somebody in the job," he said during his visit Thursday.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg donated $350,000 to the Los Angeles school board campaign this week, records show. Bloomberg's contribution, which was filed Tuesday, will enlarge the already sizable war chest of the Coalition for School Reform, a political action committee led by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The goal of the coalition is to back candidates who will support the policies of L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy and pledge to keep him on the job. Before the March primary, Bloomberg contributed $1 million for the three board races - the largest contribution ever made in an L.A. school board campaign.

Nearly seven years ago, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa launched a program to plant 1 million trees. Since then, the city has planted more than 400,000 trees - in fact, 407,000 and counting. So is the program a success or a failure? As Villaraigosa prepares to leave office, should we be thrilled to have 400,000 trees we otherwise wouldn't have had, or should we be disappointed that his campaign promise has gone less than half fulfilled? And here's another question: Should we care?

Heading for the exit at City Hall, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday proposed to cancel the last installment of the pay raises that he and the City Council granted thousands of city workers in late 2007. The raises, which totaled 25% over five years, contributed to a succession of budget shortfalls that forced the city to furlough workers and cut public services. Although Villaraigosa and the council persuaded city unions to delay some of the raises, Monday's budget was the first to propose that any of the increase be rescinded.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Wednesday that city employees should pay considerably more for their healthcare and retirement benefits to avoid “giant balloon payments” in coming years. Appearing on KTTV's “Good Day L.A.,” Villaraigosa argued that workers should contribute as much as 20% of their salaries toward their retirement benefits, up from the 11% that most pay now. “If we're going to keep [pensions], they've got to be sustainable,” he said. “Even 11% is not enough.

Police have evacuated a section of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office at City Hall because of a suspicious package. According to mayoral spokesman Peter Sanders, an employee in the mayor's office alerted officers after he opened a letter that contained a white powder. Police evacuated a section of the third floor of City Hall, where the mayor's office is located, in order to investigate, he said. Villaraigosa was in the office at the time the letter was opened but left for a meeting shortly afterward, Sanders said.

Ten weeks before he leaves office, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday offered a $7.7-billion budget that would begin reversing years of cuts to basic city services such as tree trimming and sidewalk repairs while avoiding employee layoffs and furloughs. Buoyed by an estimated $111-million uptick in revenue, Villaraigosa's spending plan for the coming year provides money to add 65 firefighters, purchase 533 new vehicles at the Los Angeles Police Department and trim an additional 35,000 trees - leaving the city on its most solid footing since it was engulfed in crisis five years ago. The mayor also offered a long-term blueprint for financial recovery that would require the city's elected officials to be far less generous to their public employees than he and the council were during his eight-year tenure.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled a $7.7-billion budget Monday that begins to restore funding for tree trimming, sidewalk repairs and other services, offering the most positive financial news for residents since the city was engulfed in a budget crisis five years ago. Buoyed by an extra $111 million in revenue, Villaraigosa's plan closes the budget deficit without layoffs or furloughs and provides money to add 65 firefighters, purchase...