Results tagged “Antonio Villaraigosa” from South Bay Pipeline

Here's a round-up of local lawmakers' remembrances of Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Councilwoman Janice Hahn:

Ted Kennedy was a true champion for those that needed it most, especially the working men and women throughout the nation. 

The Kennedys are, without a doubt, this country's greatest public servants; and Ted Kennedy served with great compassion and courage for fifty years.

His legacy will live on as we continue his lifelong goal of working to ensure that every American has access to quality, affordable health care.

Rep. Jane Harman:

I met a young, handsome Ted Kennedy in Los Angeles at the 1960 Democratic Convention.  I was a student at Smith College in Massachusetts in 1962 when he was elected to fill John Kennedy's Senate seat.  I doubt anyone saw his incredible talent then-surely I didn't. 

But then I was lucky enough to work in the Senate as counsel to California Senator John Tunney, and to learn from Ted Kennedy and his incredible staff during his extraordinary service on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the 1970s, where his leadership on civil rights and voting rights showed a Watergate-wounded country a way forward.  And over the years-especially after he married our Washington DC neighbor Vicki Reggie Raclan-we became friends.

For one who loves public policy, more good policy bears his stamp than any other Member of Congress.  His courage fighting a terminal illness this past year was an inspiration.  Our country needs to pause-as we surely did when his brothers died-and to contemplate that this Kennedy probably leaves the greatest legacy of them all.

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa:

Ted Kennedy was more than a Senator, he was an American legend. Born into one of our country's most prominent families, Ted did not rest on his laurels, but instead forged his own political path.

As the 'liberal lion' of the Senate, he kept vigilant watch over the legislative body he so passionately served, as both a defender of social justice and a deal-maker who reached across the aisle to work with conservative colleagues.

He was the original change agent and we mourn his passing.

My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Vicki, his children, grandchildren, and all his family during this difficult time.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:

He was known to the world as the Lion of the Senate, a champion of social justice, and a political icon. Most importantly, he was the rock of our family: a loving husband, father, brother and uncle.

I have personally benefited and grown from his experience and advice, and I know countless others have as well. Teddy taught us all that public service isn't a hobby or even an occupation, but a way of life and his legacy will live on.

Attorney General Jerry Brown:

All through the years, Ted Kennedy has been a voice for the voiceless, fighting injustice and championing compassion and equality. America has lost a wonderful human being.

Sen. Curren Price:

Senator Ted Kennedy was a champion for civil rights, justice, educational opportunity and the right of all Americans to have access to health care. The African American community has lost a dear friend. We mourn the passing of a staunch ally who was always steadfast in his support of the American principals of equality; fighting hard to preserve these principals during his nearly 50-years of public service. Senator Ted Kennedy will be missed by all of us who have long valued his service and dedication to our nation.

Sen. Jenny Oropeza:

Our nation has lost a great leader. His tireless efforts on behalf of the poor, the disadvantaged, and immigrants have changed the lives of millions and made the American promise of a better life a reality for so many. His work has strengthened our nation and ensured its continued role as a beacon of hope for the world.

The public service of the Kennedy family sparked my imagination for what's possible to achieve for others and the nation and pointed the way to serve my community and our state. When I was discouraged about how slow the progress has been on issues I have fought for, such as health care, the environment, education and immigration, I could look to Senator Kennedy and be inspired by how he never gave up.

While the loss of Sen. Kennedy is a tragic loss to all of us, his life stands as an inspiration that should encourage everyone who cares about those less fortunate to redouble our efforts. To do less would dishonor the words Ted Kennedy spoke when he addressed the Democratic Convention in 1980 as he acknowledged that it would not be he who would lead the Democrats to victory in the 1980 to fight for our ideals. His memorable words, 'For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die' meant it was up to others to carry the torch. Let us pray without out him to lead us, we are up to the task.

Sen. Rod Wright:

Because of his work in health care, education, civil rights and so many other areas, of all of the Kennedy brothers, Senator Edward Kennedy's legislative legacy proved to be the most enduring.

Antonio Villaraigosa, last week:

"Michael Jackson's music touched millions of fans across the globe," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "Donations will help the City of Angels provide the extraordinary public safety resources required to give Michael the safe, orderly and respectful memorial he deserves."

Antonio Villaraigosa, today:

The mayor, who had been on vacation in South Africa during the event, said he disagreed with his staff's decision to put up a website requesting public donations to help cover the city's cost.

"I thought it was ridiculous," the mayor told reporters during a visit to Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.

Will those who donated get their money back?

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is in Africa, is asking fans of Michael Jackson to help defray the costs to the city of today's memorial.

"Michael Jackson's music touched millions of fans across the globe," Mayor Villaraigosa said. "Donations will help the City of Angels provide the extraordinary public safety resources required to give Michael the safe, orderly and respectful memorial he deserves."

This is costing the city something like $4 million. Also, the CHP probably spent quite a bit shutting down the freeways today.

In his first inaugural address in 2005, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa asked his fellow Angelenos to "dream with me." He vowed to reduce crime and reform the education system, laying out an ambitious plan to take over the LAUSD. Four years later, crime is down. As for that other thing, don't ask.

Today Villaraigosa will take the oath for a second term, which we now know he intends to complete. Judging from an excerpt from his inaugural speech just released by the mayor's office, the next four years will be less about big dreams and more about big digs:

Angelenos, I offer this oath today. In the next four years, we are going to judge ourselves plain and simple - based on what we build. We intend to write our record in concrete rather than poetry, focused on deadlines over headlines. And you have this in writing, we are going to track our promises and put the results online.

In other words: build with me, Los Angeles.

Unlike the school takeover, that goal seems highly achievable thanks to federal stimulus funds. To take just the local examples: LAX and the Port of L.A. would both like stimulus funds for their big modernization plans.

UPDATE: Full text after the jump.

Readers, let's get to it:

A man was shot dead early this morning in a San Pedro alley.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is staying put.

Check out pictures of a Torrance vigil for two American journalists held prisoner in North Korea for allegedly illegally entering the country.

A former youth sports executive accused of embezzling money from the Redondo Beach Youth Football and Cheer Association will stand trial, a judge decided Monday.

The newest parts of Plaza El Segundo could include more service-oriented businesses.

The Board of Airport Commissioners approved Monday a pared-down $3.32 billion spending budget for the upcoming  fiscal year.

So first, Jan Perry suggested the city may not be able to foot the bill for the Laker parade. Like players diving for a loose ball, the city's elected officials then struggled to get credit for saving the parade while safeguarding the city's finances.

Yesterday, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced that the city would split the cost 50/50 with the Lakers. Now, Council President Eric Garcetti says that Villaraigosa was speaking out of turn, and that the city council has sole jurisdiction over this. And he says that in fact private donors will cover the city's half of the costs -- about $1 million or so.

Not to be upstaged, Villaraigosa will hold a press conference in about 10 minutes announcing that the parade has been saved. He will be joined by Laker hero Derek Fisher.

Credit KNBC with the scoop. Over the weekend, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was spotted in a Larchmont bookstore with Lu Parker of KTLA.

Witnesses say they did not hold hands or kiss, but appeared very chummy. Parker was seen touching the mayor's chest and stomach while they spoke. She was also seen looking at a book about Kenya and overheard saying to Villaraigosa, "We should buy it for our trip."

The LA Times goes to KTLA for confirmation, and gets it:

Parker could not be reached for comment. She has told KTLA-TV officials that she and the mayor started dating in March, and that the limited number of interviews she had with Villaraigosa were in October and November.

"There is no concern as to the ethics whatsoever,'' said Don Corsini, general manager of KTLA-TV, which like The Times is owned by Tribune Co. "As far as I'm concerned, it's a personal matter.''

Villaraigosa's last romance with a TV anchor, Mirthala Salinas, ended badly for him, and really badly for her. She was subjected to a Telemundo ethics investigation and quit rather than accept a transfer to Riverside.

She's now doing a morning radio show on AM 690.

The latest from the Villaraigosa for Governor Mayor campaign:

"I'm not going to make a promise I can't keep," Villaraigosa told The Associated Press when asked whether he would complete a full term if re-elected.

If memory serves, Villaraigosa promised in 2003 that he would serve a full four-year City Council term, and that didn't hold. Evidently he has learned from past mistakes.

Of Jerry Brown's 25 random things, #24 is probably the newsiest:

24. The first time I became Governor, I followed an Actor (Ronald Reagan).

(Hint, hint.)

Gavin Newsom hasn't done a "25 random things" yet, but he has posted this to his Facebook page:

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - San Francisco is planning to build a new recycling plant that will convert large batches of so-called "brown grease" into biodiesel.

Yuck.

Also on Facebook, Antonio Villaraigosa posted this story, which starts off talking about his divorce and the failed LAUSD takeover effort, before pivoting thusly:

And yet the Los Angeles mayor is soaring again in the City of Angels. He is running virtually unchallenged for re-election in March against a field of under-funded unknowns. He is widely discussed as a likely 2010 gubernatorial candidate.

The story quotes Villaraigosa downplaying the gubernatorial speculation. But the story itself contributes to such speculation, and here Villaraigosa is linking to it on Facebook, so is he in a roundabout way encouraging such speculation?

Meta.

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has put an end to speculation that he might join the Obama administration:

Villaraigosa said he had a "conversation" with Obama in mid-November about joining the new Democratic administration, but told the incoming president that he would stay in Los Angeles to focus on his reelection campaign and ongoing efforts to address the city's financial troubles and other pressing issues.

"I'm honored and flattered to have been considered for an appointment in the Obama administration," Villaraigosa told The Times on Monday. "I made it clear I love what I do. And I feel that at this moment in my life, this is the job in which I can best serve my city and country."

The Washington Post reported over the weekend that Villaraigosa was being considered for Secretary of Labor and for director of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Seriously?

Obama is said to be considering former representatives David E. Bonior (D-Mich.) and Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) and at least one prominent Hispanic, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, for labor secretary.

Villaraigosa is one of two Latinos on Obama's transition economic advisory board, which may help to fuel these rumors. The Obama transition folks appear to be getting some pressure from Latino groups to make some high-profile Latino appointments:

Hispanics are hoping to see representation beyond New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), who is the leading candidate to become commerce secretary. In addition to Labor, Villaraigosa is thought to be in the running to lead the department of Housing and Urban Development.

From the Page, here's the seating chart from today's meeting of the Transition Economic Advisory Board in Chicago. L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was between Laura Tyson and William Daley:

Tomorrow there will be a meeting in Chicago of President-elect Barack Obama's Transition Economic Advisory Board. One of the members is L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and he's heading out there for the meeting. He's one of only two elected officials on the 17-member board.

"I'm honored to serve on the Transition Economic Advisory Board to help President-elect Obama bring economic relief to our families, invest in our infrastructure and to start putting people back to work," Villaraigosa said in a statement.

Also on the board are heavy hitters like Warren Buffett, Robert Rubin, Robert Reich, Lawrence Summers and Paul Volcker. Summers, a former Treasury Secretary, is considered a top contender to get that job back. Others on the list are likely nominees to other major economic posts.

By contrast, Villaraigosa is running for re-election next year, and possibly governor in 2010, and it would be a major surprise if he left all that behind to go join the Obama Administration.

You might think the mayor of Los Angeles wouldn't have much cause to quarrel with the governor of Alaska.
Both are local officials and their top issues don't exactly line up. (His: gang crime, failing schools. Hers: natural gas delivery, bridge building.)
But in this highly charged political season, perhaps it was inevitable that two media megastars would find something to fight about.
That something: the port container fee (a.k.a. SB 974, by Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach).
Gov. Sarah Palin wrote a letter last month urging Gov. Schwarzenegger to veto the legislation, which would levy a $60 fee on containers at the Ports of L.A., Long Beach, and Oakland to pay for clean air programs. Palin argued that the bill would increase the cost of commodities for Alaskan communities that are inaccessible by road, and get all their goods by sea.
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who supports the fee, came out today with a press release blasting Palin and even questioning her motives:

"I am disappointed that Governor Sarah Palin has chosen to put private interests ahead of the people's interest instead of joining the bipartisan coalition of business organizations, environmental groups, local officials and law enforcement in supporting SB 974."

"For far too long the lives and health of people in port communities throughout the world have subsidized lower transportation costs which is why I have urged Governor Schwarzenegger to sign the legislation to help reduce deadly diesel emissions and reduce traffic congestion.

"Enactment of SB 974 go hand-in-hand with Los Angeles Clean Trucks Program where we are working to reduce diesel truck emissions and I applaud the leadership of Senator Lowenthal and the bipartisan support of the California State Legislature in joining this effort."

It's on!

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is in the exploratory phase his campaign for governor in 2010. At the California delegation breakfast in Denver this morning, Newsom gave what might be an early version of his stump speech. 

He spoke about the frustration of having to defend California to people from out of state, especially as regards the budget standoff.

"Things aren't going as well as they should in the state of California," he said. "We have gotten very good at identifying problems. We're very good at finger-pointing."

But, he said, not so good at problem-solving. And that's where his record as mayor came in -- solving budget deficits, cutting carbon emissions while growing the economy, etc. If Newsom does decide to run, expect to hear a lot more along these lines.

The most interesting portion of the speech, however, was when Newsom called out an unnamed "superstar" of the Democratic Party who had criticized teachers unions at a panel the two were both on earlier in the week.

"What is that solving?" he asked. "What is that doing to educate children?"

Though Newsom did not name the perpetrator, he did share a panel earlier in the week with Newark Mayor Cory Booker. According to the Washington Post, Booker used the occasion to talk about his frustration with teachers unions, on issues such as merit pay.

"Cory is one of the best and the brightest," Newsom said later, arguing that he wasn't referring to anyone in particular. "It's naive to have the first line of attack be to go after the unions and teachers. I hate hearing Democrats say that. Unions could shut down reform if they want to. Why would you demonize people who are responsible for reform?"

With so many union leaders in the audience, Newsom seemed to be working to win labor endorsements for a gubernatorial run. Perhaps to that end, he drew a contrast between the "takeover" approach to school reform and partnering with schools, which he said was his preferred method in San Francisco. That could be interpreted as a reference to L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who tried unsuccessfully to take over the L.A. Unified School District and who could be a rival for the governorship in 2010.

Villaraigosa, who also spoke at the breakfast, said he had not heard the comment because he was visiting with the New York delegation during Newsom's speech.

"Gavin and I are friends," he said.

I'm used to seeing Tommie Williams on Tuesday nights at Carson City Council meetings. Why should things be any different in Denver?

I walked into a diner not far from the Denver Post offices about 10 p.m. Tuesday night, and there she was, getting coffee with two friends.

Tommie is known for speaking her mind during public comment periods, often by ripping Mayor Jim Dear. She said she had just flown in and was hoping to score tickets to Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco Field. (Isn't everybody?)

Down the street, I went to a party for "rising stars" in the Democratic Party, among them Controller John Chiang -- about whom I have already said quite a bit -- and Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

And lo and behold, who did I see there but two other Carson political figures: City Treasurer Karen Avilla and Lambert Adouki, a campaign consultant now working on Dear's recall. Such familiar faces made it feel like a regular Tuesday night in Carson, only with alcohol.

The party seemed like the place to be for California political figures. Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez was there, along with L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Compton Councilman (and soon be Assemblyman) Isadore Hall, and, of course, Sean Penn.

The word is that Villaraigosa will be heading out to Pueblo, Colo., after the convention to stump for Obama, and has already been cutting Spanish-language radio ads targeted at swing states like Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada. He'll have to campaign pretty hard to match the effort he put in for Hillary Clinton in the primary, but he's off and running already.

Here's Karen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Lambert: