Political Party: Democratic
Birthplace: Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles
Birth Date: January 23, 1953
Born: Antonio Ramon Villar (added his then-wife’s name “Raigosa”)
Family:
- Was raised by a single mother, Natalia Delgado
- Has four children, Natalia Fe Villaraigosa, Marisela Villar, Prisila Villar-Contreras and Antonio Villaraigosa, Jr.
- Wife: Corina Villaraigosa (met in 1985, married in 1987, divorced citing irreconcilable differences in 2007 largely linked to his publicized affair with reporter Mirthala Salinas)
Education:
- Theodore Roosevelt High School (he dropped out during junior year but returned)
- UCLA (Bachelor’s Degree in History)
- People’s College of Law
Early Years:
- Elected California State Assembly Speaker (the first from Los Angeles in 25 years)(1998)
- Elected to the California State Assembly (1994)
- President of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Federation of Government Employees
- Union organizer for the Service Employees International Union and United Teachers Los Angeles
- Elected president of a local union representing civil rights workers and lawyers in six states (1978)
More Recent Years:
- Re-elected and sworn in as Mayor of Los Angeles (2009)
- Elected and sworn in as Mayor of Los Angeles (2005)
- Elected Councilmember to Los Angeles’ 14th District (2003)
Initiatives by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa:
- Led the effort to pass Measure R, investment in the mass transit system in Los Angeles (a $40 billion investment in new transit, rail and highways)
- Launched GREEN LA
- Oversaw Partnership for LA Schools
- Developed Los Angeles’ first comprehensive anti-gang strategy
- Oversaw the steepest reduction of crime since the 1950’s
- Grew LAPD to its largest force in history
- Created the largest passive park on the East Side of LA
- Helped end the Metropolitan Transit Authority transit strike
- Author of Health Families, the California state health insurance program
- Funded expansion of water quality enforcement throughout California
- $2.1 billion initiative to provide parks and open space in California
- $9.1 billion initiative to rebuild and modernize California schools
Honors:
- One of ten mayors from North America short-listed as a finalist for the World Mayor Award (2008)
- Seven Seals Award from the Department of Defense (2007)
- The Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation Achievement Award (2006)
- Honorary degree from Loyola Marymount University (2006)
- Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Southern California (2006)
Mayor Villaraigosa's National Political Affiliations:
- Was member of President Barack Obama’s Transition Economic Advisory Board
- Served as national co-chairman of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign (2008)
