Recharging batteries*

I guess even Energizers need to be recharged.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced he is taking most of this week off on vacation. While no official reason was given, the mayor wants to spend some time with his kids, who are on spring break.

Villaraigosa, who has been known to cram in as many as a half-dozen events in a day, will not be completely out of the news for long.

He is planning to go to Washington, D.C., where the United States Olympic Committee is to announce on Saturday whether Los Angeles or Chicago are to be the nominee for host city of the 2016 Olympic Games.

There is no telling what the USOC – a group that marches to its own drum – will do. On paper, Los Angeles should be a lock, given all the venues immediately available and the city's history with the Olympics. But Olympic officials also are fond of taking credit for rebuilding interest in sports and might prefer Chicago's ambitious proposals for all new facilities.

But, back to the mayor.

If his week off is like any of his other recent “vacations,” no one will know he's gone as his press operation is expected to crank out one item after another to let us know he's making decisions.