Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Monday Antonio and Mirthala

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis

While everyone is waiting Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to emerge from self-imposed media exile and begin his political rehabilitation we will review:

Here is a round-up from Kevin Roderick at LA Observed:

George Skelton: “Villaraigosa was heralded as a rising star until very recently. Now he’s in danger of flaming out….Turns out he lacked the self-discipline to avoid scandal.” LAT
Gregory Rodriguez: “In both mayoral campaigns, Hahn aides whispered to me and others about having a ‘nuke bomb’ about Villaraigosa’s alleged extramarital lapses…Having followed his career, covered him and talked to countless others about him in the years since, I am not the least bit surprised by his current predicament.” LAT
Tony Castro: “Praying for the mayor is her way of handling her anger and disillusionment about his affair – an affront she, like a lot of Latinas, is taking personally. So much of an affront, political analysts say, that it threatens his longtime core support: Latinas for whom Villaraigosa was once the Latino prodigal son.” DN
Tim Rutten: “Clearly, the mayor would not be in the fix he’s in â€” and it’s quite a fix â€” without the emergence of a vigorous online media that is reshaping the city’s political landscape….Salinas and Villaraigosa have behaved recklessly in an environment that, for better or worse, has become unforgiving.” LAT
Earl Ofari Hutchinson: “She is not a nameless, faceless woman swept up in an impassioned affair with Villaraigosa. She is a respected and influential newscaster known to thousands of viewers. They rely on her to present an objective and honest appraisal of the personalities and the issues that she reports on. That’s not to say that Salinas didn’t report objectively about Villaraigosa. It just raises questions.” DN
“All I can say is that if I were him, I wouldn’t make any plans to run for the Democratic nomination [for governor] in 2010,” said [Larry] Gerston, a political science professor at San Jose State. LAT
Chris Weinkopf: “Villaraigosa has so far shown no sense of wrongdoing, let alone contrition. It’s ironic, because he should know better than anyone the heartbreak a departing dad can inflict.” DN
Mariel Garza: “Villaraigosa will do a little squirming, give us all the sad eyes (except maybe a special wink for that cute young reporter on the side), and wait it out until Paris Hilton gets in trouble again and the cameras move on….But Salinas might have to go to Salinas to get a job in Spanish-language TV news after this.” DN
Editorial: “If Salinas is telling the truth, then the station was guilty not just of violating journalistic standards, but of violating the integrity of one of its star reporters.” DN
“While Salinas insists she has conducted herself in an ‘appropriate way,’ her former lover is fighting for his political life.” U.K. Sunday Mail:
“He seemed so great, San,” says L.A., her voice cracking just a bit. “A great image â€” hardworking, charismatic, so politically adept â€” you know, one of those captivating guys that brings people together and gets things done….And we all bought it.” San Antonio Express-News

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City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa is interviewed by reporter Mirthala Salinas of Telemundo at Factorâ€™s Famous Deli on May 19, 2005 in Los Angeles

And here is Kevin Roderick over at KCRW:

Tabloid Culture

As most everybody now knows, Antonio Villaraigosa has a girlfriend on the side. He’s had her for most of the two years he’s been in charge at City Hall.

We all learned about it because the little Daily News outhustled the Times and forced the mayor to cop to his secret life.

In this same spot three weeks ago, I admitted to not knowing if the mayor was having an affair. I had heard the rumors, like most of the journalists who observe Villaraigosa.

I knew that he came with a reputation as a womanizer.

But I never tried to prove he was cheating on his wife, Corina — I didn’t care that much.

I care more now, after a flurry of plot twists that would make for a pretty steamy telenovela.

Ok, the press was giving Hizzoner a PASS and a big one at that…..let’s move on…..

Telemundo 52 reporter Mirthala Salinas, top left in red, at a news conference by Villaraigosa outside Gov. Schwarzeneggerâ€™s office in Sacramento on June 20, 2006, when the mayor was stumping for a bill that would give him more control over the L.A. Unified School District.

Flap’s friend Mayor Sam has some juicy links, tidbits and poop:

Latinas in Los Angeles are reportedly dropping their support for the Mayor in droves. Many of them who supported Villaraigosa in the past are saying never again. One woman interviewed by the Whittier Daily News prays and lights candles for the Mayor and his estranged wife as a way of “handling her anger and disillusionment.”

Reports are that Mayor V plans to begin a major rehabilitation effort starting Monday including an all out assault on potholes and alleged spiritual counseling from Cardinal Roger Mahoney.

Well, maybe Bill Clinton will be called in for damage control as well. But, what about Sabrina Kay and the mystery Metro LAPD officer and for that matter as Luke Ford raised yesterday, what about these possibles:

Cecile Ablack

Tina Choi, planning commissioner

Unnamed Deputy on mayorâ€™s security detail

Cynthia Ruiz (president of the Board of Public Works of the City of Los Angeles)

Celine Cordero (Homeland security for Los Angeles)

Jennie Carreon de Lacey (LAUSD school administrator)

Patricia Higuera (more, more) Pregnant Latina La Raza Activist Attorney

Haco Hoang – Policy analyst for mayor, Poli Sci prof gets smashed on this thread

Serena Zeise, Special Assistant to the Mayor.

Flap understands why Cardinal Mahoney will counsel Mayor Villar – SEX ADDICTION. Mahoney knows all about this affliction, now doesn’t he?

Los Angeles City Planning Commissioner and Philanthropist Sabrina Kay

More from Mayor Sam:

Radar Online reports that Mayor Villaraigosa’s situation definitely presents a big problem for Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Writing in the Daily News Earl Ofari Hutchinson says that the Mayor’s relationship with Mirthala Salinas “crosses the line” and raises troubling questions when an elected official has an affair with a journalist.

Newsbusters points out that he LA Times makes quite a dumb point in an editorial claiming that Republicans seem to get away with affairs more than Democrats. I guess they forgot about Bill Clinton avoiding conviction on impeachment. The more I think about it I don’t see the point of the Times’ logic.

The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin is living in some kind of fantasy world. The paper editorializes that these sex scandals won’t hurt the Mayor and that he has some kind of “potential.”

Ok, is that enough for Monday morning?

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosaâ€™s admission that he has a relationship with TV anchor Mirthala Salinas comes less than a month after he announced his separation from his wife of two decades, Corina Villaraigosa. She filed for divorce the next day.

One more…….

A woman scorned

Corina might be the most sympathetic character in the affaire d’mayor. But Mirthala Salinas, the proverbial other woman, loses a lot as well. Besides being cast as the evil interloper and a serial-Latino-politician-dater, her rising journalistic star is falling. She’s lost her credibility, her reputation and maybe even her high-profile job at Telemundo. After that, not even Rocky Delgadillo would date her.

OUCH……

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