By all accounts, 2011 was a breakout year for Andrea Alarcon that saw her star rise high over L.A.'s political scene. Under Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's wing, the 33-year-old Loyola Law School grad, single mother and scion of the Alarcon political clan — bright, attractive and generally well-liked — moved from volunteer appointments on obscure transportation commissions to powerful president of the Board of Public Works, where she earns a $130,000 salary with say-so over the department's... More >>>