Lights! Camera! Action!
A Star Is Born
Hollywood handsome, East L.A. savvy, university educated, and charismatic, Antonio Villaraigosa made history in May when he became the first Hispanic mayor of Los Angeles in more that 130 years.
By Gabriela Zabalúa-Goddard
October/November 2005
Q: You’ve been known as a fighter, a rebel, but always a leader. How did you become a coalition builder?
A: At a young age, I recognized that I had a responsibility to give back, to speak out against injustice, to use the education I’d been given to lead. I’m here today because there was a Voting Rights Act and a Civil Rights Act that opened up the country to someone like me—that allowed me to go to a great university like UCLA and gave me the wherewithal to be able to lead.
| ‘I’m comfortable culturally and linguistically among Latinos and know the Latino agenda is the American agenda’ |
Q: Women have played a pivotal role as well.
A: In my family, the matriarch was my mother. I’ve always been comfortable with strong women. She was my inspiration and the backbone of our family. And historically, my staff has very strong women. My chief of staff is a woman.
Q: You talk about your mom being determined to age with dignity. How did she do that?
A: My mother was a lifelong learner. She was a high school graduate, raised four kids on her own, went back to school; she started out as a secretary and ended up as an executive. She was always trying to improve herself. She never owned her own home, rode a bus her whole life, but had tickets to the theater.
Q: Your inauguration was rich in diversity—not just racial but also religious. What part do spirituality and religion play in your life?
A: I’m definitely more religious today than I was four years ago. Losing a big [mayoral] race in 2001 brought me closer to God. But I’ve always been spiritual, and so I do distinguish between the two. I think that sense of spirituality is something that’s always been strong in me.
Q: A husband, a father with two children at home, and a mayor. Do you find time to read?
A: I do. John Steinbeck was always a favorite—The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men. It’s a book that moved me about the farm workers.
Q: Have you been to La Paz, César Chávez’s resting place?
A: Yes. I first got involved as an activist with the grape boycott in 1968, so for me, César Chávez and the farm workers were always a very important part of who I am and the inspiration behind much of what I’ve done.
| ‘To be able to lead this city as mayor is something I’ve got to pinch myself about every single day’ |
Q: You’ve said you are a mayor who happens to be Latino. Does being Latino make you a stronger mayor?
A: I don’t think it makes me a stronger mayor, but I do believe I bring unique experiences and an understanding of a community that is now half the population of the city. I’m comfortable culturally and linguistically among Latinos and know the Latino agenda is the American agenda—one of good schools and safe neighborhoods, of health care and housing, and one that says we work hard and want to participate in the American dream.
Q: On education, how can you help boomers participate in preventing high dropout rates among Hispanic kids?
A: We’ve got to address the fact that parents and teachers don’t really have a voice in our schools. We have to give them more power to make decisions.
Q: Do you have specific plans for the aging Latinos in Los Angeles?
A: We’re looking at an initiative to bulk-purchase prescription drugs to reduce the cost. We would be the first big city in America to do this.
Q: How do you envision your own retirement?
A: I want to work until my last dying breath.
Q: What do you wish for your children and grandchildren?
A: I grew up when our horizons seemed much more limited. I’ve always told my children, “There’s absolutely nothing stopping you from achieving your dreams.” I want them to reach beyond in a way that honors their talents and aspirations. I’ve always emphasized that it’s important to give back, that service is an honor, that giving back is part of the cycle of regeneration that we need to have a healthy community.
Q: Do you see yourself staying in politics?
A: Public service is, for me, an honor and something I place a high value on. I frankly can’t see beyond this chapter as mayor. It’s a job that I’ve always wanted to do and one that I think I’m blessed to do, given that I was born here, raised here, my grandpa got here 100 years ago, and the city has given me so much. To be able to lead this city as mayor is something I’ve got to pinch myself about every single day.
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