Villaraigosa bows out of California governor's race [Updated]

Post updated at 3:13 p.m.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced on national television today that he would not be running for California governor in 2010 after flirting with a bid for higher office for months.

“I can’t leave this city in the middle of a crisis," Villaraigosa said. Noting that Los Angeles is grappling with a $530-million deficit, a 12.5% unemployment rate and more than 20,000 people who have lost their homes over the last two years, the mayor said: “I feel compelled to complete what I started out to do.”

Elected to a second, four-year term in March, the mayor broke the news to CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room," saying he wanted to devote his full attention to Los Angeles.

The former state assembly speaker said he had been making up his mind “for a long time” and that the state's challenges had made the decision an "agonizing” one.  Villaraigosa called the situation in Sacramento “an abomination,” but hinted at the political risks of announcing a statewide run so soon after being reelected to a second term. “I was elected mayor and reelected by the people of this city.They’ve given me the honor for a second term, and I feel compelled to complete the promise that I made to them. I’m going to dream, and I want the people to dream with me,” he said.

Villaraigosa’s decision adds a dash of clarity to the race for the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nomination which, at the moment, appears will be between state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Brown has yet to say if he will run, while Newsom already has announced his candidacy.

In a personal note, Villaraigosa said the demands of the campaign trail would have kept him apart from his 16-year-old daughter, whom he called the “apple of my eye.” “She’s got two more years of high school and then she’s gone, and I don’t want to be campaigning for a year, and then leading the state in Sacramento and my little precious is, you know, finishing up her high school education.”

In a recent Los Angeles Times Poll, voters citywide gave Villaraigosa a lukewarm approval rating, and a plurality opposed his entrance into the governor’s race. Villaraigosa received a favorable job approval rating from 55% of those surveyed, statistically equivalent to the vote he won in the city’s March election against a field of little-known and underfunded candidates.

In his comments to Blitzer, Villaraigosa shrugged off questions about the poll, as well as the recent cover of Los Angeles Magazine, which branded him a “failure”: “That’s what happens when you’re mayor, you’re the focus of the good times and the bad,” Villaraigosa said smiling. "In a time when the unemployment rate is at 12.5%, a 55% approval isn’t so bad, but I recognize that I’ve got a lot of work to do …and I’ve got to do a better job, even, than the job we’ve done over the last four years.”

Starting in July, the mayor and City Council agreed to lay off 1,200 city workers and furlough those who remain to help close a $530-million deficit for 2009-2010. City officials continue to negotiate with city unions for alternatives, but no deals have been announced.

Given the city’s precarious financial situation, and with Villaraigosa set to be sworn into a new term on July 1, announcing a run for governor could have created a sticky political situation for the 56-year-old mayor.

IPlus, winning the California governor’s race has proven to be an elusive quest for big-city mayors.

Several Los Angeles mayors, including Tom Bradley, Richard Riordan and Sam Yorty, all tried, and lost, along with San Francisco’s Joseph Alioto. Pete Wilson, the former mayor of San Diego, lost once and became a U.S. senator before trying again and claiming victory over former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein, who went on to become a U.S. senator.

The latest statewide Field Poll in March found that without Feinstein in the 2010 governor’s race, Brown was the top Democratic contender with 25%, followed by Villaraigosa with 22% and Newsom with 16%. Villaraigosa declined today to endorse another candidate for the Democratic nomination.

-- Phil Willon and Maeve Reston at L.A. City Hall

Comments

[k4kafka]

The mayor saw the writing on the wall, and did the right thing.
Now if we could only convince Gavin Newsom to do the same...

[j-Dub]

Now he can focus on much more important things...women, photo-ops, out of state trips, etc.

[Rob R Barron]

Given Tony V's own poor showing in LA, he figured if the home base ain't a lock then the statewide race will next to impossible.

[j]

Too bad, the state is already a mess and it would have given us an opportunity to get someone in L.A. that knew what he/she was doing.....

[L.A. Daddy]

After his verbal beatdown by the fans at the Coliseum on Wednesday, the mayor didn't need another poll to tell him how folks felt. The overwhelmingly Hispanic audience let him have it for the rest of us. Mr. 11% at least heard that. Now maybe he can do the work he was hired to do, come to work in the morning, put in the hours and make some good decisions for the rest of us, his employer. Fortunately for him, he still has a job to fall back on in this economy.

[Tim]

Too bad. Now we are gonna get stuck with that Sarah Palin Ebay lady. She is bad news. Religous righter without a clue for the middle class and minorities.

Meg Whitman is a Sarah Palin Mitt Mormoney pal.

Jerry Brown aint gonna make it.

We are in trouble

[Mike]

yah right, he wanted to focus on L.A. He knew he would of ended up in last place. Next election he will lose in L.A.

[markiejoe]

Newsom all the way!!!

[thecanimal]

The only thing worse than having Antonio "Never miss a photo opportunity" Villaraigosa running as Governor is having him continue as Mayor of Los Angeles.

[Cooper]

Villaraigosa has enough on his plate here in L.A. and a mediocre track record of fixing things as it is. This is very good news for all the Gavin Newsom supporters out there, myself included.

Newsom 2010!

[Andrews]

Meg Whitman would be a breath of fresh air compared to
the Tres Locos..Villar,Newsom and Brown!
Legal citizens could even take back the State!

[Bart Anderson]

Congrats to all who posted over the last couple of days on this subject. He apparently read the handwriting on the wall or, the blog in this case. The fact is, the big Dem donors were not going to reward his abysmal performance as mayor and give him more money to run for governor.

[Kevin Davis]

OK Democrats, here are your real choices-
-"Moon Beam" Brown(crappy record in the '70 as gov then, why would you want him again?
-"Socialist/Marxist" Newsom(we already have one of those as President, we don't need anymore)
-Villa(riagoso) saw the light and won't even try
-Feinstein-she may be the only one though probably would not want to give up her current power in Congress
I would state that even though our current governor is a Rhino Repulican at best you are not looking too good at the moment
Furthermore, the Democrats have been on the losing end of raising taxes to deal with the budget deficits. I anticipate a true Republican in '10.
Perhaps then and only then can the deficit issues be taken seriously. Until then, more whining on the left(unions included). Perhaps in the near future everyone will wake up and realize that we all have to "suck it up" to fix the problem(you hear that, unions)?

[Jake]

Gawd, could you imagine the expenses he would demand as Governor? As mayor, he demands to be driven in a Hummer with a security detail rivaling the President's. As Governor, he'd probably want the National Guard to escort him wherever he goes.

The good news: Any female reporter for a major television network has just had her career saved.

[LA CITY WORKER]

He figured out he can't win without the unions, and the unions are not his friend right now.

No one else supports him and he has even failed them.
lacityworkers.com has even more details.

[phantom71]

Remember that line in Robert Redford's movie, The Graduate? After he won, he looks up and asked 'Now what?". It's the same w/Tony. He took the party to the Mayors office and discovered that he had nothing to contribute. There are thousands of seemingly unrelated changes that are coming together to form a new economic system, accompanied by nothing less than a new way of life and LA is missing the boat. There's this collision of change and anti-change in the world around us and in ourselves. People have to worry about pensions, gasoline, healthcare, schools, crime, drugs, anything goes- and that's before Tony gets out of bed. A new sychronization is needed that starts with the schools. it's good he's not running for governor but I don't think Tony is the guy to get us there. It the Mayors election was being held today, I would bet money that Tony wouldn't have gotten a 2nd chance.

[tweedledee]

You mean Villarai-'ho'-sa? Dude is a joke....did you see him on the Lakers bus frontin' like HE won the championship? Tony, ain't nobody checkin' for you...except your jumpoff..

[andy]

The State is saved from our mayor, heaven help the City. Perhaps he could go to Commerce, they must have tons of money

[Hugo]

Latinos for Whitman!

[Richard H]

Gray Davis, where are you?

Gray Davis, come back!!!! Come back, Gray Davis!!!

Gray Davis, all is forgiven!!!

[Steve]

"V" doesn't qualify as Governor of California -- he doesn't belong to the actor's guild.

[john n. perez]

Tony is young enough to redeem himself in four years with the LA voters and have a record of success to run on.This was the right decision to make.
He has four years for redemmption and enough life to have a bright and new future as a statewide leader or otherwise.
I worked hard to organize support for him for his second run and he won. I sat out the reelection (didn't even vote) and would have done the same if he had run for gov.. Regarding Brown. He was right almost 40 years ago regarding the environment, health, education and "limited resources". He was called gov. "moon beam" for having such futuristic insight. He is the man of the hour now!

[Jason]

Newsome should bow out next. Anyone seeing the commonality between San Francisco and Los Angeles? Both cities have more than $400 millions in deficits and both cities are sanctuary cities for the illegals. I sure will not trust Newsome or Villaraigosa to run California.

[Missing the Whole Story?]

Shouldn't you be good at something before trying to get promoted? Typically that's how it works in the real world.

Mayor V has failed in his job and in his marriage. Why in the world would anyone trust him to run a state if he can't manage a city?

[Judy]

Good decision for Los Angeles. A real loser in more ways than one.

[David90068]

This guy is such a joke. If he would lie to his wife what makes you think he's telling us the truth.
Big time loser and to top it off a real scumbag.
Nice job, Mayor V. Could you move out of state soon?

[Rev. Eugene Williams]

Mayor Villaraigosa's announcement though disappointing is not a huge surprise. It offers a lesson to term limited- elected officials who make decisions based on polling and/or in anticipation of their next run for office.

From the moment he was elected mayor he began to make decisions in anticipation of a run for governor. In doing so he alienated his base and never quite pleased the interests of the elite. Grand Avenue, LA Live, etc, etc.

The mayor is an honorable man who forgot that what goes around comes around. He decided that his base was not strong enough to hold him accountable. He reasoned that giving away the store to development interests would make him attractive in a statewide election. Both decisions were miscalculations. Lukewarm poll numbers and an economic downturn are a consequence.

[Sue]

Now just get rid of brown and newsom-they are terrible choices. I would rather have micky mouse

[jack]

whitman is california's only hope. newsom is a psycho and brown is a space case.

[Keith Hamm]

It has always seemed to me that Villaraigosa has been running for governor and has done SQUAT as mayor. He is that classic bread of sleazy politician that makes Americans lose faith in their leaders, sexual scandals and all. I can't wait for him to disappear from the scene, I'm sure he'll end up on some corporate board eventually and cash in.

[Southern Cali]

Mayor Villaraigosa says he doesn't want to miss his daughter's last two years in hight school so he won't run. Is that why he booted his wife and family out of the city mansion as soon as he was elected Mayor for his then TV anchorwoman reporter girlfriend? He also says the City needs his attention. DIdn't matter when he spent two years campaigning in various states for Hilliary Clinton for President. Truth is he wouldn't have the current President's support. Doesn't deserve it either. The Latino and African American community wouldn't support his gubernatorical campaign.
Mayor Villaraigosa consistent poor choices, bad decisions has made it impossible for him to win the governor's race.