The Mayor's Next Move

Whither Antonio Villaraigosa? That's the question Patrick Range McDonald posed in his May 24 cover story (“Have Baggage — Will Travel“) — and readers had much to say in response.

“Excellent article!” Melanie Pinkard enthuses. “Unbiased, well written and utterly ruthless. Villaraigosa's antics have always sickened me. He has the moral compass of a street pimp, and the IQ of a dust mite. Good riddance! However, with his ready smile and sudden need for money, perhaps he should apply at Walmart. He'd make a wonderful greeter.”

David Tulanian is more concerned about one of the ideas floated in the article. “It is clear that Villaraigosa constantly reinvents himself. But 'scholar-in-residence' at UCLA or USC? What, may I ask, qualifies him for such an esteemed position? He failed the bar exam four times … Globe-trotting Villaraigosa, a mayor-in-absentia, doesn't deserve a scholar-in-residence position.“

Mpiscal offers a contrary view. “Patrick, really? The mayor pushed school reform more than any other mayor, and that includes Richard Riordan. One way to judge how much the mayor pushed the education conversation is to see what the teachers unions think of him. They HATE him. He stood up for the kids and that is all that counts. Who cares what he drinks, what he wears, and where he sits at a Lakers game? You lost your way on this one. Shame on you.“

J. Lynch is just hoping we can change the subject. “Now that Tony Villar is history, I hope this is the last time you put this grinning jackass on the cover.“

The Wrath of Trekkies

In our May 17 issue, Amy Nicholson reviewed J.J. Abrams' new movie, Star Trek Into Darkness (“Paradise Lost in Space“). And her second-sentence revelation about the identity of its villain — not a spoiler, she insisted, but a “selling point” — had some readers fuming. The giveaway in the online headline didn't help, either.

Writes Alex Mitrovich, “I realize it is your job to review movies, but I just wanted to let you know that your title completely ruined the surprise for me. You state that it's 'not a spoiler,' which shows that you probably weren't very familiar with the production or franchise to begin with. A giveaway should have been that he wasn't even called Khan until halfway through the movie, not to mention that he wasn't listed as 'Khan' on IMDb.com until recently. … Hopefully you do some research next time.”

William thinks Nicholson's choice is an indictment of her entire gender. “I know this is going to sound bad, but sending a woman to review Star Trek is kinda asinine, evidenced by the fact that her intent was to ruin the movie. I have a feeling deep down inside she hates these kind of movies, so she figured she'd screw everybody by telling everything that happened. You guys might lose some readers over this.”

You Write, We Read

Please send letters to L.A. Weekly, 3861 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA 90230. Or write us at ReadersWrite@laweekly.com. Full name and contact info preferred.

Editor's note: In a previous version of this column, a reader suggested Antonio Villaraigosa had never received a law degree. That is incorrect; he failed to pass the bar exam but did not fail to graduate law school. We regret the error.

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