Some Allies Urge Speaker Not to Run for Mayor

Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, who hopes to become the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since the 19th century, has been urged not to run by several allies, including politically powerful Latinos who have backed him in the past.

Latino political organizers said they do not think Villaraigosa or Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles), the other likely Latino mayoral candidate, can muster the votes to win a citywide election in 2001.

Although a surge in voting during the past five years has made Latinos a powerful force in California politics, Latinos still make up less than one-fifth of Los Angeles voters.

That has made some Latino political power brokers reluctant to back a Villaraigosa mayoral bid. “The numbers really favor somebody from the San Fernando Valley or the Westside,” said one Villaraigosa confidant, who said his reservations thus far have failed to deter the speaker. “Antonio’s an ambitious guy,” he said.

Although electing a Latino mayor would make history, there is little urgency to do so among some of the most important sources of Latino political strength. The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, for instance, has been careful not to align itself with any of the potential mayoral candidates.

Federation head Miguel Contreras said he does not feel it is necessary to elect a Latino mayor. “We’re more interested in a progressive candidate rather than one of a specific ethnicity,” he said.

Because the likely field of mayoral aspirants consists mainly of liberals with a history of backing causes favored by powerful Latino groups, Latino candidates will face stiff competition for endorsements from organizations like the labor federation. “Labor has a lot of friends running, including [Los Angeles City Atty. James K.] Hahn, maybe [Los Angeles County Supervisor] Zev Yaroslavsky, Xavier and Antonio,” Contreras said.

Rather than run for mayor, some of Villaraigosa’s friends have pointed him to what they see as a safer path: pursuing a City Council seat to build local name recognition for a later mayoral run.

Downplaying the significance of such discussions, Villaraigosa said that some supporters have asked him simply to keep his options open, and that the conversations have not affected his likely run for mayor.

“I am strongly leaning in that direction, it’s only a matter of time,” Villaraigosa said of a mayoral race.

Villaraigosa acknowledged that political insiders have suggested that he run for the 13th District council seat now held by Jackie Goldberg, who cannot seek reelection because of term limits, but he said he is not considering it. “I’m not running for the council seat. I’m just not,” he said.

Villaraigosa emphasized that should he run, his support will not be limited to Latino voters. “My campaign’s going to be about a changing of the guard, an opening up of L.A., and a celebration of diversity. I made it clear that I was the speaker [of the Assembly] for everybody,” he said.

But Villaraigosa would have to build on a foundation of Latino votes, and any erosion of that base could prove fatal. One clear threat would be a run by Becerra, another rising political star.

Becerra, who represents northeast Los Angeles in Congress, said that he has not made a final decision on whether to enter the mayoral race, but is “more certain now than I was before.”

Becerra said he has surprised naysayers in the past, and can win if he runs. “People told me not to run for Congress. They said I had a safe Assembly seat that would lead to a Senate seat and I shouldn’t risk it,” he said.

The congressman said one compelling reason he may run for mayor is that he is eager to end his cross-country commute to his wife and children, who continue to live in Eagle Rock.

The looming question for both men is not whether Los Angeles is ready to elect a Latino mayor, according to veteran political consultant Rick Taylor. “When Tom Bradley ran, was L.A. ready for an African American mayor? Probably not, if you looked at the numbers, but Bradley was more than an African American candidate, and Antonio Villaraigosa and Xavier Becerra are more than Latino candidates,” Taylor said.

The more daunting obstacle, in Taylor’s view, is not ethnic politics but the potential candidates’ current jobs, which take them out of Los Angeles. “Look at history. No matter if you’re Latino, Jewish, white Protestant, whatever, it’s difficult to run for mayor from Sacramento or Washington.”

Villaraigosa and Becerra are just two in a field of half a dozen serious or semi-serious contenders.

Most observers put Hahn at the top of that pack, largely because he alone has held citywide office and, in fact, has been elected by citywide constituencies five times.

City Councilman Joel Wachs and developer Steve Soboroff, who serves as an unpaid advisor to Mayor Richard Riordan, also are aggressively rounding up support.

State Controller Kathleen Connell is quietly exploring a bid and has consulted with campaign strategists.

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Times staff writer Jim Newton contributed to this story.