Out in the middle of nowhere along a river in faraway Iceland with the midnight sun shining down, Antonio Villaraigosa and his entourage were fly fishing for salmon and enjoying the life of the rich — which some of them are — at a private lodge with cooks and guides all around.
Some have found the rustic life a torture but to others, it’s a grand party with great wine and great food and great fishing in the great outdoors.
Compliments of Keith Brackpool, the wealthy British bon vivant and wannabe California water king, the mayor and his entourage enjoyed a holiday real fisherman only dream of — especially after a few days of luxury in London.
Money is the game and Brackpool and another smart operator, Ari Swiller, are raising a lot of it as the mayor’s chief fund-raisers to make sure he doesn’t face a difficult re-election challenge on his way to higher office. The goal of his fund-raisers and political consultants is a coronation befitting a king rather than and election battle that could wake up the citizenry to what’s really going on.
Life is grand for Antonio Villaraigosa and money is the game, luxury is the payoff.
For truly ambitious politicians, the payoff is power and the glory. I know Antonio well enough to say I believe he could have been one of those who really changed L.A. for the better, or failed trying.
He offered himself as the punk from East L.A. with big dreams and high values, a guy who could stand up to gangs — at least the gangs of special interests that feed off L.A.’s treasury, the developers, contractors and public employee unions. But he made his choice early on when he could have blocked the sweetheart contract negotiated under his predecessor’s watch with the Department of Water and Power’s all-powerful union.
Instead, he signed off on it.
And what’s happened since has made his administration the most corrupt in modern LA. history. His charm and glibness, his easy way of smoothing over and obscuring the truth, his selling out the city’s future to the highest bidder, his endless travel in search of self-importance and cash to fuel his campaigns for office, for higher taxes, for political advantage.
Most of all, there’s the love of the high life: Gourmet food, $1,000 bottles of wine, beautiful young women, life in a mansion or hanging out with rich pals in theirs, bodyguards and drivers.
He is leading the life of the fabulously rich on a salary of $225,000 while supporting a wife he’s separated from and their house in Mount Washington, a kid at Princeton and another at the exclusive Marlborough School.
Check out the list of his favorites eateries that he gave the L.A. Times: The foie gras.he “always” gets at Patina, the tuna tartare and oysters at the Water Grill, his preference to “entertain dignitaries” at Spago. the “really beautiful presentation” at La Serenada de Garibaldi, providence where he just lets ” the chef kind of fix me up something great,” and for dessert there’s nothing like the tres leches cake at Frida in Beverly Hills.
But never forget, he’s still a man of the people and drops by Pink’s for a hot dog from time to time. “I love the atmosphere here and I don’t mind waiting in line. Sometimes I like waiting in line just to work the line,” he told the Times.
He told me once he’d rather be out in the world getting rich than in politics. But why bother when you can live like the rich and hang out with them and not do the work of earning the money yourself.
Why be rich when you can pal around with Bill and Hillary Clinton and when their dreams go bust, switch gears and jump aboard Barack Obama’s bandwagon in the blink of an eye.
Why be rich when you can be entertained by Mayor Richard Daley in Chicago and Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York as if you were royalty and come with oodles of cash to chase away challengers for mayor.
Why be rich when you can raise millions from special interests to salvage your reputation as a leader by making the working stiffs of the city pay for gang programs neither you nor your colleagues have done anything about for decades, for a “subway to the sea” that will do nothing to ease traffic congestion for decades to come, for a failed school system that is beyond salvation.
It’s all just marketing, you see, like selling fat-laden Ultimate Cheeseburgers with bacon and Happy Meals to an obese nation.
This isn’t meant to be an indictment of Antonio Villaraigosa. It’s a plea for him to get to work and help save L.A., for him to aspire to greatness for himself and his city — or to get out of the way and let those who care more about others than themselves get to work on the challenging task of creating a city that works for its people and not just the insiders in a corrupt political culture.
You’ve captured the guy!
“This isn’t meant to be an indictment of Antonio Villaraigosa. It’s a plea for him to get to work and help save L.A., for him to aspire to greatness for himself and his city — or to get out of the way and let those who care more about others than themselves get to work on the challenging task of creating a city that works for its people and not just the insiders in a corrupt political culture.”
Ron, you have it absolutely on the money. Thank you. T
Not an indictment, but a plea for him to get BACK to work?
I vote for indictment!
Three-and-a-half years of malfeasance, resulting in murders that were preventable, hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate “welfare” for rich developers including the Royal Family of Dubai, and the ruination of a once-great city, are reason enough to throw the bum out.
He’s had his chance.
It’s time we clean house at City Hall, including the Mayor and the entire City Council. Stop begging these crooks pretty please to do their job. Fire them.
I’m running for Mayor. Are their nine of you out there ready to put your money where your mouth is and run for City Council? Is there a lawyer out there willing to run for City Attorney? And how about a CPA who’ll step up to the plate and run for Controller.
Time to put up or shut up, my friends. Quit whining about Villaraigosa and the rest of the clowns unless you’re willing to take action — real action, not writing a fussy fax or readily-deleted e-mail. Run for office and/or contribute to the campaign of someone who is.
Walter Moore
Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles
http://WalterMooreForMayor.com
Los Angeles is becoming as corrupt as Mexico! Is this how we want our city to become? We need new leadership as the current administration of our city does not have us in their best interest. It is about developers, and the unions and all the fat cats needing help not the working class that supports this city. Enough is enough. VOTE ALL OF THEM OUT OF OFFICE!!!!!!!!
However, you don’t bat an eye talking about being hosted by Daley in Chicago (a known paragon of modest living and a government which scrupulously avoids special interests and their money) or Mayor Bloomberg of New York — in fact, the idea of anyone expecting them to shun better restaurants for business and choosing Applebee’s would be absurd. — Though I’m sure they’d get into a contest over which city has better pizza or hotdogs. I’m not saying Antonio’s fallen short of his goals, but there’s a double/triple standard here.
On the plus side, consider that at yesterday’s farewell to Nunez, Alarcon gave an implied criticism to Villar when he complimented Nunez on going way above and beyond Villar or Wesson in terms of organizing and activism — in other words, Villar wasn’t radical enough to have lived up to(arguably Marxist, certainly radical — and high-living himself) Alarcon’s expectations of him to push more radical agendas, like Alarcon, who came close to giving universal healthcare to everyone in California, presumably illegals too. (Reyes also told of HIS radical sit-in days where they counted on Nunez to bail them out — at 41, Nunez doesn’t look senior to the mumbling, bumbling Reyes.) YOUR ideas of what “changes” he could have effected are clearly not Alarcon’s or, frankly, mine — and I’m no fan of Alarcon. For me, the saving grace of Villar being cozy with big money is that he’s less inclined to sell them and us out out to the other extreme. Shoot me, but undearneath it all I think he is lurching towards a unifying vision of the city.
Above, I’d meant Alarcon complimented NUNEZ, not himself, for coming “this close” to giving universal healthcare to everyone in Calif. (What would THAT have done to the state budget?)
The current Mayor of the city of Los Angeles must be S.L.A.P.ped
Antonio R. Villaraigosa was sworn in as the 41st mayor of Los Angeles July 1, 2005.
Villaraigosa is his own critic, “Let’s be clear about one thing: HONESTY and ETHICS in city government start at the top. They start with the mayor. The mayor sets the tone at City Hall through his own conduct.”
Tired of a mayor who gets “paid” to “play?”
I’m voting for Walter Moore.
waltermooreformayor.com
Check it out.
Kudos, Ron! You nailed the essence of this power hungry ego-maniac; and may I add…phony, self-promoting charlatan! You had much higher expectations from him, but I knew we were doomed that fateful election night 3 years ago. I just had no idea that he and his merry band of thieves would wreak such havoc on this city! It’s always been about him…Tony Villar…con-man extrordinaire!
I am however, amused by the fact that there is no ‘honor’ between these thieves…Alarcon, Nunez, Reyes..and their erstwhile leader, Tony Villar, (former?) Mechista, Reconquista and Chicano rights activist. He left them in the lurch…opting to shed his radicalism for a taste of the ‘good life’!
Shortly after taking office 3 years ago, he said: “I feel like a kid in a candy store!” Now he OWNS that candy store!
Another prophetic quote was to El Universal newspaper in Mexico shortly after the election: “I will work closely with Mexico in shaping my policies”!
Promises made…promises kept!
Ron…I’ve never felt so violated in my entire life! You have captured the essence of this man – we have ALL been pillaged and plundered by this captain of corruption, Tony Villar!
You cannot expect this man to change his stripes…he is corrupt to the core…ruthless and drunk with power!
We need to demand an accounting of just how much this megalomaniac is costing taxpayers for thise this profligate, lavish, royal lifestyle…unbefitting of a person of his background!
There MUST be something we can do about this…beside keeping him from another term of corruption! We have always had a modicum of larceny with our own home-grown politicians; but the Mexican mafia in City Hall has taken grand larceny to new heights! It’s unprecedented! This is Mexican corruption at it’s finest!
Mr. Moore, an excellent Los Angeles attorney has already stepped up and is running for City Attorney next year. He is ethical, dedicated and supported by law enforcement. Carmen “Nuch” Trutanich is the right person for the job who is not connected to the current administration and will always work for the best interests of the residents of Los Angeles, not the rich developers.
And best of all, unlike Mr. Weiss, Nuch is not supported by Villar….
You are right, it is time to step up and support the right candidates like “Nuch”
Carmen “Nuch” Trutanich for City Attorney
http://www.carmentrutanich.com/
Someone should compare his campaign promises here compliments of the wayback machine to what he’s actually done. He hasn’t kept his campaign promises.
Antonio’s campaign promises
Euthanasia has gone up at the animal shelters.They are not nokill. He promised to hold his dept heads responsible and make sure they’re ethical yet they are being sued for ethical transgressions.
The Mayor has Spagos, which is in Beverly Hills, not LA City, cater all of the city’s events, while the lowest paid employees such as 32 animal care technicians are being fired. That’s half of all people that actually care for the animals, feed and clean them. He should only work with local businesses to help the city, not support the city of Beverly Hills. Antonio is now worse than Hahn. I’m ashamed to say that I campaigned for him and donated money. Antonio just wants to schmooze with rich white folk, eat foie gras, drink expensive wine, accept gifts from people.
Photo Antonio passed out as he campaigned as a Mexican
The same exact photo with a caucasian Antonio on the current City website. He looks white
I remember when Antonio became Mayor. I was watching the city website daily. First they put up the photo with him and his naturally brown skin. Two days later they lightened him. You know Antonio asked them to lighten him.
My abuelita was Mexican and immigrated legally into this country by marrying a citizen. She did the same thing, always lightening her photos, using fade cream, staying out of the sun. Some blacks do the same thing.
Good post, thanks
Good post, thanks
Excellent job.
Good post, thanks