Subject:

Antonio Villaraigosa

  • Blogs

    May 12, 2010

    Layoffs Blocked At Trio Of L.A. Schools

    ​A day after Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa decried layoffs at a trio of struggling area public schools as discriminatory, a judge blocked the teacher cuts at the campuses, siding with an ACLU lawsuit's claims. The Wednesday ruling by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Highberg ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 11, 2010

    L.A. City Official: 1,761 Jobs Must Go

    ​Maybe Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks was right when he called Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's budget proposal for the next fiscal year a "fantasy." Along with optimistic revenue projections, the document stated that only about 750 layoffs would be needed. On Tuesday, the city's chief ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 11, 2010

    Villaraigosa Decries Teacher Layoffs At Los Angeles Unified Schools

    ​Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday decried layoffs at the Los Angeles Unified School District because, he argued, they often end up leaving the most vulnerable schools with the newer, less-experienced teachers. At a press conference scheduled Tuesday afternoon the mayor was expected to "c ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 7, 2010

    Who's Right? Villaraigosa and Riordan, By The Numbers

    ​Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former Mayor Richard Riordan went to war this week over the city's fiscal future. In the Wall Street Journal, Riordan predicted the city will go bankrupt by 2014, and charged his successor with fecklessness in the face of a crisis.One of Riordan's claims was that ci ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 23, 2010

    Where's Antonio? Chatting with Obama, Hanging with James Cameron

    It was a big week for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who gave his annual "state of the city" speech on Tuesday, even though he said it wouldn't be that kind of speech. Instead, the mayor largely talked about his proposed budget and the Los Angeles of his youth.Office of the Mayor of L.A.LAP ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 20, 2010

    Villaraigosa 2010-11 budget: look for Wall Street-style backdoors, city asset sales, flip-flops

    The mayor will release his official Los Angeles 2010-11 fiscal year city budget today, and it's widely expected to contain more flip-flops than a sidewalk sale at a 99-cent store. The Los Angeles City Council appears stunned by yesterday's announcement by Antonio Villaraigosa that the city doesn't n ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 19, 2010

    Librarians Stake Out Mayor Villaraigosa's House To Protest City Cuts

    Getty House, the mayor's official residence.​Once upon a time there was a big-city mayor who ignored a looming budget deficit by trekking to Europe, appearing on a soap opera and hosting an Oscar party. He avoided the problem until last-minute, when it was almost too late. But the mayor had a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 19, 2010

    Villaraigosa Opens the Bidding at 750 Layoffs and Transfers

    ​In advance of tomorrow's State of the City address, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa sent a letter to the council today listing 3,546 positions he intends to cut out of next year's budget.Most of those are vacant, but the list does include 750 filled positions that would be cut through layoffs or trans ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 16, 2010

    Where's Antonio? Lunching at the Getty, Talking Immigration at a Private Club

    Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was light on public events this week, which may be a good thing if he was rolling up the sleeves and working instead.Villaraigosa hangs at swanky City Club at Wells Fargo Center.​Then again, maybe not -- read more about the recent fruits of his labor in an L. ... More >>

  • News

    April 15, 2010

    City Hall's 2010 DWP Debacle

    How Beutner, Carr, Carson, D'Arcy, Freeman, Greuel, Raj, Santana, Szabo, Villaraigosa & Co. pushed L.A. to the cliff edge

  • Blogs

    April 14, 2010

    Mayor Villaraigosa Lists Gifts, Including Cufflinks From Hillary

    ​Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa this week filed his annual "statement of economic interests" with the state Fair Political Practices Commission. Obtained by the Weekly, it's a list of valuable gifts he has received, including some interesting ones ...

  • Blogs

    April 9, 2010

    Transportation Projects Will Create Half-Million Jobs For L.A.

    Metro​Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa touted the half-million jobs a recent study concluded would be the spoils of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's ambitious, 30-year plan to expand light rail throughout the region. The Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation paper, whic ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 7, 2010

    Villaraigosa Can't Impose Three-Day Work Week; City Credit Gets Another Wall Street Downgrade

    ​It turns out Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was more bark than bite Tuesday when he announced that he would pursue putting most city services on a three-days-a-week schedule to take a bite out of Los Angeles' deficit. The city's chief legislative analyst, Gerry Miller, said Wednesday that the ma ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 6, 2010

    City Gets Slapped By Credit Rating Agency Over Budget Mess

    ​Fitch Ratings withdrew its AA- grade for $720 million worth of bonds issued by the Department of Water and Power after the City Council last week rejected any increases in electricity rates for DWP customers. The result is that the department will have to pay more to borrow money to maintain ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 6, 2010

    Breaking: Mayor Villaraigosa Wants To Shut Down L.A. City Services Two Days A Week

    ​Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday ordered the city administrative officer to draw up a plan that would shut down all city services besides police, fire and revenue-generating operations (the convention center, for example) for two days a week as a result of L.A.'s perilous bud ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 2, 2010

    Where's Antonio? Chatting with Seacrest, Pushing a Rate Hike

    With Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa battling the L.A. City Council over a DWP rate hike this week, he didn't have much time to hit the luncheon-and-dinner-awards circuit he's so fond of. L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (bobble head version)​But it was a week full of TV and radio interviews ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 31, 2010

    Councilman Calls B.S. On Mayor Villaraigosa's Utility Hikes

    Councilman Greig Smith.​In a rare rebuke of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa by a Los Angeles City Council member, Valley representative Greig Smith characterized the mayor's recent plan to raise Department of Water and Power rates by as much as 28.4 percent as a disingenuous rush job. In an open l ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 30, 2010

    City Council Approves Relatively Small DWP Hike

    ​The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday again defied the mayor and called for a smaller hike in Department and Water and Power rates than what Antonio Villaraigosa called for. The .6 cents per kilowatt-hour increase was approved despite Villaraigosa's backing of a plan that would have hiked r ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 29, 2010

    Villaraigosa Backs Off Massive Rate Hike Plan (For Now)

    ​Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday threw his support behind a one-time, "small" rate hike for customers of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, acknowledging that his proposal for a series of increases in electricity rates that would reach 28.4 percent for some was too ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 26, 2010

    Schwarzenegger Backs Mayor Villaraigosa's DWP Rate Hike

    ​On a day when the Los Angeles Times reported that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's proposed DWP rate hikes of as much as 28.4 percent are only the tip of the iceberg for L.A.'s electricity customers, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an endorsement of the mayor's plan. "This new proposal is grea ... More >>

  • News

    March 25, 2010

    Bleak House at L.A. CityView 35

    How eight layoffs at the gavel-to-gavel channel threaten more than jobs

  • Blogs

    March 22, 2010

    Mayor Villaraigosa Complains About Not Being Able To Tax Residents More

    ​Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa decried the hurdles involved in raising city taxes during a discussion about the sources of the city's huge deficit, which will grow to nearly $700 million in July. In an interview with National Public Radio published over the weekend, the two-thirds vo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 15, 2010

    Mayor Villaraigosa Proposes $2.50 Per Month Water-And-Power Rate Hike

    ​As expected, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday proposed a $2.50 per month rate hike for customers of the city's Department of Water and Power as part of a "carbon surcharge" that would have the DWP buy solar power and retrofit L.A. businesses and homes with energy efficient ele ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 12, 2010

    Where's Antonio? Flying to D.C., Hanging with His Cousin...Again

    Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa flew out of town again this week, and attended another swearing-in ceremony for his cousin, California State Assembly Speaker John Perez. This time around, the mayor didn't blow a good chunk of his workday glad-handing in Sacramento.L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraig ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 12, 2010

    Mayor Villaraigosa Optimistic That 'Subway To The Sea' Can Happen In 10 Years

    ​Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa returned from a trip to Washington, D.C. optimistic about his plan to accelerate several transit projects, including his beloved "subway to the sea" that would take rail from the Miracle Mile to Santa Monica. His plan to compact 30 years worth of work in ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 11, 2010

    The Traveling Mayor Imposes Travel Freeze

    ​Buried in Thursday's news that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and city controller Wendy Greuel have issued a city spending freeze was a mandate that "travel has been suspended" with some exceptions. It's fascinating because, as you might have read here, the mayor has been everywhere b ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 10, 2010

    Mayor Villaraigosa Skips Town Again Amid Budget Crisis

    ​As the city's historic budget crisis loomed, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa went to Guadalajara, San Antonio and Europe. He's been to the Grammys, the Oscars and his own Academy Awards party. The mayor even found time to make an appearance on the soap opera All My Children recently, e ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 1, 2010

    Villaraigosa Has The Biggest, Most-Expensive Mayor's Office In Decades

    Mayor V.​We said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa practically looked heroic earlier this month when he stepped up to call for the agonizing cuts -- 1,000 workers -- that the City Council avoided in the face of L.A.'s $212 budget deficit. But over the weekend La Opinion newspaper pointed out that Vil ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 22, 2010

    Villaraigosa Uses Budget Ax On Neighborhood Councils

    ​Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday announced he's folding the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and the Community Development Department into one entity in order to shave 27 positions from the ailing city budget. Some activists, however, were up in arms, as Neighborhood Em ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 19, 2010

    Villaraigosa Shuts Down Two Departments To Save City Cash

    ​Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Friday announced he's shutting down two departments, Environmental Affairs and Human Services, in a bid to shave money off the city's ailing budget. The duties of those small agencies would be folded into other departments, but 46 positions would be ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 18, 2010

    Villaraigosa Cites Girlfriend's Expertise on Pay Cuts

    ​At a press conference this morning to announce new stimulus spending, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa renewed his call for the City Council to act quickly to address next year's $485 million deficit.Villaraigosa, who has called for 1,000 layoffs, suggested that outcome could be avoided if unions agree ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 15, 2010

    Villaraigosa Promises No Bankrupty For L.A. On His Watch

    Mayor V.​Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says he will "guarantee" the city will not go bankrupt on his watch despite perilous red tape that will eat up most of the municipal budget's reserves by July. "There is no scenario, none, while I am mayor of Los Angeles where this city will eve ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 11, 2010

    Villaraigosa Promises Another Wave of City Worker Layoffs

    For a guy who hasn't made full use of his mayoral powers over the past four and a half years, and instead has opted to fly around the world and make guests appearances on such TV shows as Project Runway and All My Children, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is suddenly acting kind of like, well ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 9, 2010

    Mayor Villaraigosa Allegedly Snubs Black Leaders

    Rev. Eric P. Lee.​Earlier this month we had a little chuckle over Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's slippage into a form of black-speak during a ceremony kicking off L.A.'s African-American Heritage Month. Mayor V. jived it up and called Jamie Foxx "this brother." Well, it turns out some African-Am ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 18, 2010

    Today In WTF: Villaraigosa Feeling Good, Looking Good - Unlike City

    ​It was fascinating to read over the weekend how Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has lost weight, enjoyed a yoga regimen and cut out some meat from his diet. "I'm at a great place with my family and kids, my sisters, and you could put Lu in there as well," he said, referring to his beau, KTLA News ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 15, 2010

    Villaraigosa Gets Down To Business ... Show Business

    ​In this edition of 'Where's Antonio,' we track the mayor of the second largest city in the United States to a Hollywood film shoot. No, he's not lobbying the industry to keep more location shoots in Los Angeles following the news that such production is down by nearly 30 percent. He's not fee ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 7, 2010

    City Establishes 'Gang Intervention Training Academy'

    Mayor V.​The city of Los Angeles is facing a tide of $400 million in red ink, intermittent fire-company closures and probable layoffs. So if you're like us, you were probably just thinking, wow, what the city really needs right now is a "gang intervention training academy." Don't get us wrong ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 10, 2009

    Senator V? One Pundit Thinks Villaraigosa Is Going Senatorial In 2012

    ​He's an utterly ambitious career politician with the $2,000 suits, million-dollar smile and billionaire friends, but you all know him simply as Mayor V. Observers have wondered what Antonio Villaraigosa was going to do next after letting the gubernatorial race pass him by. One pundit thinks ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 8, 2009

    Villaraigosa Tours Like A Rock Star

    If you were surprised to read that City Hall has once again put off the issue of whether to ask the owners of Staples Center to reimburse taxpayers for its ​Michael Jackson memorial show, or if you're angered after finding out that after two years of deliberations at least one City Council mem ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 3, 2009

    HuffPo L.A. Gets Off to Shaky Start

    Whenever a news media outlet starts, and publicizes, its debut coverage of Los Angeles with a top ten list from local billionaire Eli Broad -- not to mention what's essentially a press release from a big time, local politician ... in this case, L.A. County Board Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky -- you kno ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 20, 2009

    L.A. City Council Members Set To Earn More Pay Than The Governor Of California

    ​Thats right folks. If the a state pay commission has its way the governor's salary and those of other state elected officials will get an 18 percent reduction starting next month, putting the pay for Los Angeles City councilmembers in a rarified air above that of the governor of 36 million pe ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 12, 2009

    LAFD Short Staffed, But LAX Gets New Fire Station

    Los Angels Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Councilman Bill Rosendahl were on hand at LAX Thursday to break ground for a more than $13 million fire station. The state-of-the-art facility will offer 27,500 square feet of space for 14 firefighers scheduled to be on-hand 24 hours a day.LAFD​The fe ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 9, 2009

    Mayor's Housing Plan Left Homeless

    As we reported previously, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's pro-density housing policy took a hit when the state Supreme Court ruled last month that the city could not require the kind affordable housing units it tried to attach to otherwise upscale developments like Geoff Palmer's west-of-downtown Pier ... More >>

  • News

    November 5, 2009

    L.A. Light Rail? Or Keep Your Car?

    Villaraigosa's rush aside, the sales-tax increase won't pay off for decades

  • Blogs

    November 5, 2009

    Was Antonio Villaraigosa Napping at an MTA Meeting?

    Was Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa napping at a Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board meeting in late October?According to Hollywood community activist John Walsh, who attended the meeting, the answer is an unqualified YES!L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa​On his blo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 2, 2009

    Villaraigosa Rail Car Deal A 'Fail'

    A rail-car-manufacturing deal that was touted by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as a major job-maker for recession-ravaged L.A. fell through over the weekend, sending his go-go transportation agenda a little off track. The plan was to have Italian rail-car maker AnsaldoBreda build a 650-job factory in ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 30, 2009

    Villaraigosa Lofts a Hail Mary at Transit Projects

    ​​Perhaps to remind us that he can attract media attention simply by suggesting pie-in-the-sky ideas, Mayor Villaraigosa yesterday and today made headlines by declaring that he will do in 10 years what everyone says will take 30. That is, he vowed to fast-track several rail projects throughout L ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 28, 2009

    L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Reworks His Image

    Los Angeles Daily News reporter Rick Orlov wrote a fascinating item in his "Tipoffs" column yesterday, noting that L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is reworking his image by making staff changes and looking at what public services the city can afford.Kyle T. WebsterL.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa​ ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 27, 2009

    Dear Mayor: Last Year Called; It Wants Its Issue Back

    Some of us are rooting for the mayor. He's struggled under a crumbling economy, a weak-mayor city council structure and a school district that, despite his promises, is clearly out of his hands. In 2005, a time that seems so go-go compared to today, Antonio Villaraigosa sat in the mayor's chair with ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 23, 2009

    Villaraigosa's Lease Up for Washington D.C. Digs

    Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa often talks about flying to Washington D.C. so he can grab some of those federal dollars for the city of Los Angeles -- it's one of the main excuses he gives to reporters for regularly traveling out of town.L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa​But probably few tax ... More >>

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