Mayor's Biography
Antonio R. Villaraigosa is the 41st mayor of Los Angeles. He was elected on May 17,
2005 and sworn into office on July 1, 2005. Villaraigosa is known for his exceptional
skill at building broad bi-partisan coalitions and is considered one of the leading
progressive voices in the United States.
Born Antonio Villar on January 23, 1953, and raised in the City Terrace neighborhood of
East Los Angeles, he is the oldest of four children raised by a single mother, Natalia
Delgado. Villaraigosa graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School and attended
UCLA, where he received a B.A. degree in history. He is a graduate of the People’s
College of Law.
After law school, he served as a field representative/organizer with the United Teachers
Los Angeles (UTLA). In 1994, Villaraigosa was elected to the California State
Assembly; four years later, his colleagues elected him the first Assembly Speaker from
Los Angeles in 25 years. While Speaker, Villaraigosa oversaw passage of landmark state
legislation including the modernization of public schools, the toughest assault weapons
ban in the country, the largest urban neighborhoods parks initiative in America, and the
“Healthy Families” program that provides healthcare for over a half a million California
children.
He ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 2001 and narrowly lost the election. He then was
appointed a distinguished fellow at UCLA and USC, where he co-authored “After
Sprawl” a policy blueprint for addressing the issues facing many urban centers.
In 2003, he was elected to the Los Angeles City Council, 14th District During his tenure
on the City Council, he championed many of the issues he is addressing today as Mayor
and is widely credited with resolving the MTA transit strike, creating the largest passive
park on the Eastside of Los Angeles, and protecting funding for the arts.
Mayor Villaraigosa has earned a reputation as a national leader for his bold programs to
address education, public safety, transportation and other issues facing Los Angeles. He
was named one of “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S. News and World Report, has been
featured on the cover of Newsweek and named one of the 25 most influential Latinos by
Time Magazine.
Frustrated with the performance of Los Angeles' schools, the Mayor proposed an historic
reform plan for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The guiding
principle behind the Mayor’s plan, is that to successfully improve student achievement,
raise the graduation rate and close achievement gaps, the LAUSD must be fundamentally
reformed. A new governance structure will be the vehicle for achieving that fundamental
reform by bringing in new leadership, creating greater accountability, empowering
educators and parents, and giving local leaders a voice in their local schools.
After passing the California State Legislature with bi-partisan support, the Mayor’s
reform plan was signed into law in September 2006.
Protecting the citizens of Los Angeles is a chief priority of the Mayor’s administration.
As the centerpiece of his first budget, the Mayor developed and funded the hiring of
1,000 additional police officers over 5 years, which will bring the number of LAPD
officers to over 10,000 for the first time ever. Under the Mayor's leadership, violent
crime was reduced 14% in 2005 and another 11% in the first six months of 2006. He also
created and expanded the Gang Reduction Program and secured an additional $80.6
million in Homeland Security funding for the Los Angeles – Long Beach area.
Under his chairmanship of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Orange Line -
a state of the art rapid bus route – opened, on which ridership has exceeded projections
by nearly 300%. Working to reduce traffic and gridlock, the Mayor implemented a ban
on rush-hour construction on the City’s major streets and deployed 70 traffic officers to
manage traffic at Los Angeles’ busiest intersections. He also developed and launched the
Gridlock Tiger Team, which tow vehicles blocking congested corridors in Los Angeles.
Taking bold steps to improve public health in Los Angeles, Mayor Villaraigosa
accelerated the City’s efforts to expand renewable energy sources and increase the
amount of renewable energy used in Los Angeles to 20% by 2010.. The Mayor partnered
with Maersk shipping line to convert all of its container ships berthing at the Port of Los
Angeles to low-sulfur fuel when they are within 25 miles of the Port of Los Angeles,
thereby reducing harmful diesel emissions by over 75%. The Mayor also spearheaded
developed the Port of Los Angeles “Clean Air Plan” and received national EPA
recognition for the Port Alternate Maritime Power program.
In 2005, nearly 25 million visitors came to Los Angeles, setting a new record for tourism
in the City of Angels. The City has reached an all-time record for new construction, with
the value now at $5 billion dollars. Mayor Villaraigosa opened a new Mayor’s Office of
International Trade, which has focused on facilitating foreign direct investment,
providing export assistance and raising LA’s profile in the global economy. The Mayor
has also led the effort to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles and is leading Los Angeles’
current bid to win the 2016 Olympic Games.
Since Mayor Villaraigosa took office, he has taken unprecedented steps to expand
affordable housing and address homelessness in Los Angeles. The Mayor funded the
Affordable Housing Trust Fund with $100 million for the first time ever and has done so
for two consecutive years. He also established a sub-section of the Trust Fund, called the
Permanent Supportive Housing Initiative funded at $100 million and secured funding for
2,000 housing assistance vouchers in order to house the homeless. The total investment
leveraged from the Trust Fund passed the $1 billion mark in September 2006, which has
helped to build nearly 5,000 affordable housing units in the City of Los Angeles.
Mayor Villaraigosa’s focus on quality-of-life issues has led to a greater emphasis on the
delivery of basic city services. He launched Operation Pothole, which filled over 80,000
potholes citywide. The Mayor also created the HIRE LA’s Youth Program, which
provided 7,000 jobs to young adults during their summer break. He also organized two
Community Service Days, where nearly 40,000 volunteers helped to improve their local
schools and neighborhoods.
Mayor Villaraigosa is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since 1872. He is married to
the former Corina Raigosa, an educator (Villaraigosa is a combination of the surnames)
and is the father of four children.
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