6.16.2005
L.A.'s Mayor-elect Faces Challenges Head-on (USATODAY.com)
By Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY
LOS ANGELES — The day after he won election as the first Hispanic mayor here since 1872, Antonio Villaraigosa started getting calls about running for state and national office. "I just laughed," he says.
Villaraigosa's May 17 victory vaults him into the top tier of Hispanic Democrats, along with statewide officials such as New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar. But he knows his star will fade unless he proves he can manage this huge, unwieldy city. "Any continued national prominence will hinge on how successful I am as mayor," he says.
To say the job is tough is an understatement. This city, the nation's second largest at 3.7 million, is plagued by school violence and transportation problems, racial and ethnic tensions, poverty and homelessness, and periodic attempts by various communities to secede.
Though he doesn't take office until July 1, Villaraigosa is already dealing with problems such as an imminent hotel labor crisis. He's winning praise for his visibility in a city craving public leadership after four years of Mayor James Hahn's reserved, bureaucratic style.
"This is a hands-on guy. He jumped right in," says Joe Cerrell, a veteran Democratic consultant close to Hahn.
(More ... USATODAY.com - L.A.'s mayor-elect faces challenges head-on) ¶ 14:53
LOS ANGELES — The day after he won election as the first Hispanic mayor here since 1872, Antonio Villaraigosa started getting calls about running for state and national office. "I just laughed," he says.
Villaraigosa's May 17 victory vaults him into the top tier of Hispanic Democrats, along with statewide officials such as New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar. But he knows his star will fade unless he proves he can manage this huge, unwieldy city. "Any continued national prominence will hinge on how successful I am as mayor," he says.
To say the job is tough is an understatement. This city, the nation's second largest at 3.7 million, is plagued by school violence and transportation problems, racial and ethnic tensions, poverty and homelessness, and periodic attempts by various communities to secede.
Though he doesn't take office until July 1, Villaraigosa is already dealing with problems such as an imminent hotel labor crisis. He's winning praise for his visibility in a city craving public leadership after four years of Mayor James Hahn's reserved, bureaucratic style.
"This is a hands-on guy. He jumped right in," says Joe Cerrell, a veteran Democratic consultant close to Hahn.
(More ... USATODAY.com - L.A.'s mayor-elect faces challenges head-on) ¶ 14:53
