Dating Lu Parker won't impact possible run for governor, Villaraigosa says
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says his relationship with KTLA News anchor/reporter Lu Parker isn't likely to play a role in whether he runs for governor.
Villaraigosa continues to field questions about the relationship two weeks after it was revealed. The mayor is considering a run for governor in 2010 and told reporters in Sacramento on Tuesday that his dating life should not be an issue.
"I don't think it's going to have any impact whatsoever," he said.
Villaraigosa has been separated from his wife for some time. When his relationship with Parker first emerged, he told reporters he had a right to a personal life as well as some level of privacy. In 2007, it was revealed that the mayor was having a relationship with another newscaster, Mirthala Salinas.
Dating Parker has been less controversial, but one political observer says it still carries some risks.
"It reminds people of naughty behavior, if you like," said Shawn Rosenberg, a professor of political science and psychology at UC Irvine, told The Times' Cathleen Decker last week. "It would have less of an impact if it didn't remind of other things."
-- Shelby Grad
He's still married!! The Bill Clinton era is gone Tony. We want a progressive, yet moral governor. Obama fits this standard perfectly, and I understand his children still speak to him.
Posted by: Jake | June 10, 2009 at 09:10 AM
Separated is just geography!!! He's still married and dating another woman. He, like all politicians, gave up a private life when WE gave him his public job. He expoited his "private life" to his own advantage: the joining of the last names, his wife's profession as a public school teacher, his strong family values. Well it goes both ways Villar. And this doesn't "remind us of naughty behavior"....it IS naughty behavior. It's down-right ghetto!!!
Posted by: DRE DAWG | June 10, 2009 at 10:23 AM
Los Angeles Please dont't allow this idiot to run this state.
Posted by: Concerned Citizen | June 10, 2009 at 10:23 AM
it is really sad to see the Mayor turn into a People magazine kind of guy in front of our eyes. The real story is that his High School says he's MIA. The schools say he is out of touch. There's no road map to getting anyone out of this mess we're in and now he's teasing us again with his potential run for the Governor spot. He's not a tech kind of guy, so his agenda to get all schools wired isn't going to happen. He's lost his community organizer experience so he's has no position on immigration and his rhetoric of being a family values guy is falling on deaf ears. Does anyone wonder why joining a gang sounds like an alternative for some due to the lack of integrity that he now represents?
Posted by: phantom71 | June 10, 2009 at 06:45 PM