Antonio Villaraigosa

Former Assemblyman Paul Koretz has hired Parke Skelton of SG&A Campaigns to direct his campaign for the District 5 seat on the Los Angeles City Council, according to the Daily News.
 
Skelton is a veteran of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's 2005 campaign currently manages Hannah-Beth Jackson's bid for the 19th state Senate District. He will serve as overall consultant for Koretz's campaign. Koretz has also hired Nancy Dolan, of Nancy Dolan & Associates, to head his fundraising efforts.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa admonished the U.S. Congress for failing to pass the emergency financial rescue package Monday.
 
"As mayor of one of the cities hardest hit by our nation's foreclosure crisis, I implore our Congress to put politics aside and get back to work for the American people," Villaraigosa said in a statement.

DENVER – Antonio Villaraiosa, widely seen as a potential Democratic candidate in the 2010 race for governor, wouldn’t get into specifics about the race for California’s top job while attending the Democratic National Convention.

Villaraigosa, who was elected as mayor of Los Angeles in 2005, was tight-lipped on the prospects of a run for the governor’s mansion.

“I’m focused on 2008, electing Barack Obama and Joe Biden. I’m focused on my re-election in 2009,” he said. “Nothing about 2010. I love what I do, I’m focused on my work.”

Standing in the lobby of the Grand Hyatt today, Villaraigosa was equally tight-lipped about a potential candidacy for Gavin Newsom, the San Francisco mayor who in recent weeks has been making moves towards a run.

Although so far he does not appear to be facing any serious competitors for reelection to L.A.'s top political post in 2009, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa isn't taking any chances and has raised a warchest of $1.6 million just in case someone decides to take a run at him.

According to a report in today's Los Angeles Times, Villaraigosa raised the bulk of that cash during a fundraising tear this spring when he held more than a dozen events and hopscotched across the country including at least one lucrative stop in San Francisco.

Even if the mayor doesn't need the dough to be reelected in Los Angeles, the money could come in handy to seed what many observers think will be a gubernatorial run in 2010 to succeed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Los Angeles Mayor and rising Democratic Party star Antonio Villaraigosa appeared before several thousand cheering Teamsters Union members and environmental advocates Tuesday in Oakland to speak on behalf of linitiatives aimed at improving air emissions coming from the Port of Oakland and to provide better working conditions for non-union truck drivers employed there.

While Villaraigosa faces the same issues back home from the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach complex, the political significance of his appearance in Northern California would seem to further signal the seriousness of efforts to improve his statewide name-recognition as he contemplates running to succeed Arnold Schwarznegger as governor in 2010.

DVDs aimed at children will have anti-smoking public-service announcements on them if they feature scenes with tobacco use, according to an announcement Friday morning in Los Angeles by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and leaders from the motion picture industry.

The state will produce those ads, which will appear in movies rated G, PG or PG-13. The six largest movie studios: Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros., have signed off on the agreement between the state's health department and the Motion Picture Association of America.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A campaign fund for Attorney General Jerry Brown reported more than $200,000 in campaign contributions over the weekend, possibly a start for a campaign for the 2010 gubernatorial race. The $205,000 reported on Sunday included several donations from prominent labor unions whose support is critical for any Democratic candidate in California.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa arrives in San Francisco today for a fundraiser tied to his 2009 reelection campaign.

But as the San Francisco Chronicle reports today, the fundraiser is raising some eyebrows. Included on the guest list are such high-profile San Franciscans as former Mayor Willie Brown and District Attorney Kamala Harris.

Villaraigosa and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom are both considered potential foes in the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary.

When asked if her attending the fundraiser is a swipe at Newsom, Harris tells the paper: "There is no way that Gavin would think this is a swipe at him. Gavin and I have a very good working relationship. My friendship with and my support for Antonio Villaraigosa is not to the exclusion of Gavin Newsom. I have room in my heart for more than one mayor."

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took a shot at President Bush at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Miami this weekend.

"It's time to put the issues of poverty and opportunity back at the front and center of our national conversation. I believe it begins with sending a message to Washington that we will no longer mortgage our nation's future on an endless war while shortchanging the critical investments in America and Americans," Villaraigosa said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Meanwhile, the mayor is preparing to officiate at his first gay marriage ceremony today. Bruce Cohen, who produced “American Beauty,” will be wedded to art consultant Gabriel Catone.

California Attorney General and former governor Jerry Brown is still the prohibitive favorite for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2010, according to a new analysis by a political insider.

In a posting this week on the California Majority Report Web site, longtime Democratic operative Steve Maviglio continued to list Brown in the top spot in his rankings of Democratic would-be governors, based on name recognition and measured steps Brown has taken to build support.