Even for the Loser, Future Holds Plenty of Possibilities

Antonio Villaraigosa never thought he would lose the mayor’s race. So, confronted with his loss, he said Wednesday that he had made no plans beyond spending time with his wife and children.

But those around him could not stop talking about his prospects and the excitement he created during his 22-month campaign.

“He is the most visible Latino spokesman in Los Angeles,” said Miguel Contreras, executive secretary-treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. “I know that Antonio has a great future. . . . He’s not going to go away into the night. Clearly nobody should be writing an obituary, they should be writing a birth announcement.”

Friends, supporters, political consultants, even his potential rivals, agree that Villaraigosa has several options.

Next year, he could challenge U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Los Angeles), who was defeated in April during the first round of the L.A. mayor’s race. Or he could seek to return to Sacramento, either in a bid to replace state Sen. Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles) or in a run for statewide office. He could remain in Los Angeles, working as a private consultant or in a job provided by one of his wealthy backers.

Villaraigosa, appearing Wednesday before reporters and supporters at the Biltmore Hotel, said he had no firm plans. He blamed himself for his loss to James K. Hahn.

“I put everything I had into this race,” Villaraigosa said, his voice raspy, his tone understated. “I don’t have anything left.”

Later in an interview he said he is not considering another run for office. At least, not yet.

“I’m not lost on the fact that I built something here that was special,” he said, his wife, Corina, at his side. “I’m not foreclosing the possibility, of course not. That would be premature and ludicrous to do that, given the breadth and the excitement and enthusiasm around my candidacy.”

If he decides to run again for public office, he can now count on name recognition, both in Los Angeles and nationally. He also has a start on a healthy campaign war chest.

Last fall, he transferred $1.3 million in campaign funds he collected as Assembly speaker to an account created for a state Senate campaign. Villaraigosa wanted to keep his options open, he explained earlier this year. He said Wednesday he was unsure how that money would be used.

Supporters say he could challenge Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), a close friend, in a race to fill Polanco’s seat. Cedillo said he does not believe Villaraigosa will run.

Rather, Cedillo said, Villaraigosa probably will work for one of the businessmen who supported his candidacy or seek statewide elected office. Others said Villaraigosa will consider a bid for state controller or secretary of state.

“Clearly, he has a base in Los Angeles,” Cedillo said. “He was speaker and is a statewide leader. Statewide office is one of the leadership options that will be presented to him.”

Senate Democrats don’t relish the prospect of having to choose between Villaraigosa and Cedillo, particularly because many have already endorsed Cedillo. Some said they hoped Villaraigosa would win the mayor’s race so they wouldn’t face that choice.

“We’ll have to wait and see if good old-time friends are going to have a rivalry,” said Polanco, who is being forced from office because of term limits. He is a rival of Villaraigosa and is supporting Cedillo.

Political consultant Parke Skelton, who ran Villaraigosa’s mayoral campaign, said Polanco’s Senate seat was never seen as a fallback position.

“He had to move the money somewhere,” Skelton said of the $1.3-million campaign fund. “He spent his whole life as [a union] organizer and someone involved in political work. . . . But I don’t necessarily think he needs to spend his life in elected office.”

Villaraigosa succeeded in winning key endorsements earlier this year from business tycoons Eli Broad and Ron Burkle, and some say that could help him find a job. Political consultants and other observers say those men--or others in private business--would be lucky to have Villaraigosa on staff.

“I think a lot of private companies would be delighted to have him work for them,” said Robert M. Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies. “The question is: Does he want to make a lot of money or continue in public service? . . . I think his reputation was really enhanced by this.”

Villaraigosa’s election night party illustrated the enthusiasm generated by his campaign, drawing thousands of supporters from across the city.

“I think he stops and pauses and thinks about the thousands and thousands and thousands of young people who joined the campaign who were involved in politics for the first time in their lives and who caught a little bit of his passion,” said Jesus Quinones, a childhood friend.

“I think everyone recognizes the positive energy and enthusiasm he brought to this election,” said Jim Aguirre, an attorney with the Mexican American Bar Assn. “I don’t know what the next step will be for Antonio, but I know it will be high-profile.”

For his part, Villaraigosa acknowledged that he had “touched a chord in people [who] were excited about the possibility” of his winning City Hall. He said he is “proud . . . to be a poster child for real opportunity.”

Villaraigosa’s future, Stern said, “really depends most on what he wants to do.”

And what he says he wants to do--for now--is to spend time with his family at his Mount Washington home and then take a whitewater rafting trip with his son. “This is the one time I could get emotional,” he said, when discussing his family. “I think I owe it to them to spend a little time with them.”

Immediately after leaving the news conference, he and his wife planned to go to “Pearl Harbor,” the first film they had seen together in months. With his arm around her, he walked out of the Biltmore to a waiting car.