California Election 2006 Watch: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Refuses to Endorse Fellow Democrat California Treasurer Phil Angelides for Governor
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mrs. Villaraigosa, and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the Mayor’s inauguration, July 1, 2005.
Los Angeles Times: Tension Builds Between L.A. Mayor, Angelides
Villaraigosa declines to endorse the candidate, who’s refused to back takeover of school district.
Tension between Antonio Villaraigosa and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Angelides surfaced Friday as the Los Angeles mayor declined to say whether he backed his own party’s candidate to unseat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The rift between two of California’s top Democrats became clear just after they appeared with Magic Johnson to celebrate the opening of a Starbucks on Crenshaw Boulevard.
Why, of course. Should California Treasurer Phil Angelides win the governorship it freezes out Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa from running for governor for at least eight years. In this period of time, Villaraigosa may actually be held accountable for his governance of Los Angeles instead of being the poster child for the Hispanic National Caucus of the Democrat Party.
Minutes after Villaraigosa’s tepid remarks on his candidacy, Angelides refused to take a stand on Villaraigosa’s plan to take over the Los Angeles public schools.
The dual snubs were part of a broad conflict between the two Democrats.
Villaraigosa’s plan to REFORM “TAKE OVER” Los Angeles Schools is nothing but a power grab. Everyone on the LEFT and RIGHT knows this. The California Teachers Association who endorsed Angelides in his partisan primary race against California Controller Steve Westly hates the idea.
Why would Angelides wish to endorse this plan? For a few Latino votes delivered by Villaraigosa?
Questionable
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, August 30, 2005.
Villaraigosa is torn between party loyalty and the potential rewards offered by his new alliance with the Republican governor. He plans to campaign with Schwarzenegger for bond measures on the November ballot that could offer Los Angeles billions of dollars for schools, housing and traffic relief. And the governor would decide where much of that bounty went.
Phil Angelides will get little help from Antonio Villarigosa this Fall. Will the Governator benefit?
You betcha – all the way to re-election.
In the meantime, the Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, also a potential Democrat governor candidate has been campaigning with Angelides.
On Monday, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, another potential candidate for governor, threw his support behind Angelides and campaigned with him at a North Beach health clinic. Newsom, highly popular in his city, has also offered to gather every Bay Area Democratic official in a room to urge them to work for Angelides’ election.
Newsom’s unabashed support only underscored the unusual nature of Villaraigosa’s reticence. Nearly all of California’s other top Democrats, including U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, supported Angelides during the primary.
Is Arnold practicing a little “DIVIDE AND CONQUER” with the Dims? Apparently so, and to the detriment of Phil Angelides.
Flap continues to handicap and easy re-election for Arnold, despite lack of enthusiam from his own party.
Stay tuned…….
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California Election 2006 Watch: Angelides v. Schwarzenegger
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