Tension Between Mayor, Angelides

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.

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 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.

There is also a matter of personal ambition: Villaraigosa is widely seen as a top Democratic candidate for governor in 2010 -- provided that Angelides loses.

For Angelides, support from Villaraigosa, a major political star, is crucial, especially in Southern California. But the mayor’s top priority is his school takeover plan. And it should come as no surprise that Angelides is distancing himself from that: The effort’s No. 1 opponent, the California Teachers Assn., has spent more than $1 million promoting Angelides for governor.

With that backdrop, the mayor was less than enthusiastic when asked outside Starbucks whether he supported his party’s nominee for governor.

“I’m a Democrat, as you all know, but I’ve not made any endorsements at this time,” Villaraigosa told a media cluster as Angelides waited nearby for the camera crews and reporters to turn his way.

With his school plan in jeopardy, thanks largely to the clout of the teachers union in the Legislature, Villaraigosa plans to lobby for the proposal Monday in Sacramento. That, he said, is a higher priority than announcing support for Angelides.

“At some point, I would campaign for him, should I endorse him,” Villaraigosa said. “Right now, I’ve got to focus on this issue.”

As he walked to his SUV, Villaraigosa said he had asked Angelides to back his school proposal -- to no avail. “I think right now he’s probably focused on his campaign, just like I’m focused on mine,” the mayor said.

Angelides described his refusal to take a position on the schools issue as a matter of principle. “That’s a decision for the local community to make,” he said, echoing remarks he made during his primary campaign.

Angelides also brushed off speculation that Villaraigosa’s potential interest in a 2010 race for governor might lead him to prefer a Schwarzenegger win.

“Oh, nooo -- no, no,” Angelides said. “Antonio Villaraigosa and I have shared values. We know that this governor’s cut schools, turned his back on kids who need healthcare, and that together, we can do much better for California.”

If Angelides wins the November election, he will be the party’s presumed favorite for a second term, most likely forcing Villaraigosa and other Democrats with an eye on the job to wait until 2014 to run.

The intra-party split comes as Angelides is trying to rally every major California Democrat behind his candidacy. Apart from Villaraigosa, he has been successful. His rival in the primary, state Controller Steve Westly, endorsed Angelides the morning after the election last week -- and called the treasurer “brilliant.”

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.

This week, the candidate hired a campaign media consultant, Bill Carrick, who produced television ads against Villaraigosa for former Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn in 2001 and 2005. Angelides did not support Villaraigosa in those campaigns, but party leaders who know both men played down talk of any political grudge as the source of the current chill.

“I don’t believe he would hold that against Angelides,” Los Angeles County Democratic Chairman Eric Bauman said of the mayor.

For Schwarzenegger, the clash among Democrats is good news, particularly given the mayor’s iconic status among many Latinos, a crucial constituency in the race. The governor has endorsed the schools plan.

“Gov. Schwarzenegger applauds Mayor Villaraigosa’s courage in fighting for the children of Los Angeles to give them a hand up at a better future by reforming the public school system,” said Steve Schmidt, manager of Schwarzenegger’s reelection campaign. “It is disappointing to see, once again, Phil Angelides’ lack of political courage to put the kids first, to put the teachers first and to support Mayor Villaraigosa’s very important proposal.”

State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles), co-chairman of the Angelides campaign and a close friend of Villaraigosa, said it was just a matter of time before the mayor endorsed the candidate.

Angelides said he and Villaraigosa would be “getting together in the next few days” to talk things over.

“Look,” Angelides said, “we’re going to have a very united Democratic Party. The mayor’s a friend of mine.”