57 Facts About Antonio Villaraigosa

Antonio Villaraigosa ran for mayor in 2001 against Los Angeles City Attorney James Hahn, but lost in the second round of voting.

Antonio Villaraigosa ran for and was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 2003.

Since leaving office in 2013, Antonio Villaraigosa has continued to be actively engaged in education, civic engagement, water, immigration, transportation, and economic development issues.

Antonio Villaraigosa speaks nationally and throughout California on these issues.

In November 2016, Antonio Villaraigosa announced his candidacy for Governor of California in 2018.

In June 2018, Antonio Villaraigosa came in third in the blanket primary election, losing to Gavin Newsom and John Cox.

Antonio Villaraigosa's father immigrated to the United States and became a successful businessman, but lost his wealth during the Great Depression.

Antonio Villaraigosa's father abandoned their family when he was 5 years old, and aged 16, a benign tumor in his spinal column briefly paralyzed him from the waist down, curtailing his ability to play sports.

Antonio Villaraigosa's grades plummeted at Cathedral High School, and the next year, he was expelled from the Roman Catholic institution after getting into a fight after a football game.

Antonio Villaraigosa later graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights after taking adult education classes there at night, and with the help of his English teacher, Herman Katz.

Antonio Villaraigosa later served as president of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Federation of Government Employees.

Antonio Villaraigosa adopted the blended surname Villaraigosa upon his marriage with Corina Raigosa in 1987.

In 1990, Antonio Villaraigosa was appointed to the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Board, where he served until 1994.

In 1998, Antonio Villaraigosa was chosen by his colleagues to be the Speaker of the Assembly, the first from Los Angeles in 25 years.

Antonio Villaraigosa left the Assembly in 2000 after serving three two-year terms.

Antonio Villaraigosa ran for election as Mayor of Los Angeles in the 2001 citywide contest, but was defeated by Democrat James Hahn in a run-off election.

In 2003, Antonio Villaraigosa defeated incumbent Councilman Nick Pacheco to win a seat on the Los Angeles City Council representing the 14th District.

On July 1,2005, Antonio Villaraigosa was sworn in as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles.

Antonio Villaraigosa became the first Latino Mayor of Los Angeles since 1872, when Cristobal Aguilar held the office.

Antonio Villaraigosa drew controversy by refusing to debate any of his opponents before the election.

One of Antonio Villaraigosa's main transportation-related goals was to extend the Purple Line subway down Wilshire Boulevard to Santa Monica.

On Sunday July 18,2010, Antonio Villaraigosa fell from his bicycle after being cut off by a taxi driver; Antonio Villaraigosa suffered a broken elbow in the fall, and the taxi driver fled the scene.

Antonio Villaraigosa has supported implementation of Los Angeles' Bicycle Master Plan, adopted in March 2011, which set a long-term goal of creating a network of 1,680 miles of interconnected bikeways spanning the city.

Subsequent to the adoption of the plan, Antonio Villaraigosa issued an executive directive that mandated the construction of 40 miles of bikeways each year and requires city agencies to include bicycle-friendly features in their programs and expand public education and training campaigns.

Antonio Villaraigosa proposed a Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness initiative, which would add certain units to the Los Angeles Police and Fire Departments and reorganize some of the current practices.

Antonio Villaraigosa creaTed the Homeland Security Advisors, a group of approximately 40 leaders.

Antonio Villaraigosa continues to serve the Partnership by raising money in support of its success.

In January 2005, Antonio Villaraigosa appeared before a coalition of animal rights activists and pledged that, if elected, he would implement a no-kill policy for Animal Services and fire General Manager Guerdon Stuckey, an appointee of former Mayor Hahn.

In January 2006, Antonio Villaraigosa appointed Ed Boks to the General Manager position.

Antonio Villaraigosa tripled the city's trash collection fee from $11 per month to $36.32 per month for single-family homes, stating: "Every new dollar residents pay for trash pickup will be used to put more officers on the streets," in a press release dated April 12,2006.

Antonio Villaraigosa campaigned last fall for two education bond measures that will increase the size of property tax bills over the next decade.

Antonio Villaraigosa played a critical role in establishing the LA Cleantech Incubator and voiced his support for the organization during the night of their opening.

On May 6,2006, Antonio Villaraigosa was awarded an honorary degree by Loyola Marymount University, and was the Class of 2006 Commencement Speaker.

In June 2006, Antonio Villaraigosa received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.

Antonio Villaraigosa was one of ten mayors from North America to be short-listed as a finalist for the 2008 World Mayor Award.

In October 2006, Antonio Villaraigosa traveled to England and Asia for a sixteen-day trade mission.

In 2006, Antonio Villaraigosa led a delegation of over 50 business leaders to China, South Korea, and Japan that secured $300 million in direct foreign investment.

In Beijing, Antonio Villaraigosa opened a LA Inc tourism office, in order to ensure a permanent welcome for the millions of Chinese tourists who will visit Los Angeles over the next decade.

In Japan, Antonio Villaraigosa launched a See My LA advertising campaign in Tokyo-based Family Mart convenience stores throughout Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

In February 2008, Antonio Villaraigosa welcomed Mexican President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa and members of the Mexican delegation to discuss trade opportunities and witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Mexico Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Antonio Villaraigosa traveled to Israel in June 2008 to meet with experts in homeland security, counter-terrorism, and green technology.

Antonio Villaraigosa signed an agreement with the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism on behalf of the LA police department.

Antonio Villaraigosa has long retained strong ties to the Los Angeles Jewish Community, having spent part of his childhood in the once-Jewish dominated neighborhood of Boyle Heights.

In June 2009, Antonio Villaraigosa made the cover of Los Angeles Magazine, titled "Failure," with an accompanying article written by Ed Leibowitz, which claimed that Antonio Villaraigosa often confused campaigning with governance, wasted 22 weeks in his first term trying to take over the school board, and did little to help education in the City of Los Angeles.

In February 2010, La Opinion staffer Isaiah Alvarado noted that Antonio Villaraigosa's call for job and cuts in city departments did not include his own staff of 205 employees, compared to 121 staffers for Hahn and 114 for Riordan.

In June 2010, a formal ethics investigation of Antonio Villaraigosa was launched due to his unreported acceptance of 81 tickets to concerts, awards ceremonies and sporting events.

At the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where Antonio Villaraigosa was chairman, the original 2012 party platform caused controversy after it was written, because of the lack of typical invocations and references to God and God-given rights, as well as lack of language affirming the role of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Convention Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa put the amendment to a voice vote requiring a two-thirds majority for passage.

In February 2015, while Antonio Villaraigosa was considering a run for the United States Senate, the Los Angeles Times reported on Antonio Villaraigosa's work as an advisor to controversial multi-level marketing dietary supplement company Herbalife Nutrition.

Antonio Villaraigosa has received criticism because of his membership in MEChA while attending UCLA and his alleged support for immigration reform.

Antonio Villaraigosa has been criticized because of the high frequency in which he holds press conferences, attends photo-ops, and travels out of town.

Antonio Villaraigosa was featured in the editorial cover story of the June 2009 Los Angeles Magazine, which took him to task for a lack of effectiveness regarding many of his stated policy priorities, and a focus on election to higher office, to the detriment of the needs of the city.

Antonio Villaraigosa's first of four children, Marisela Villar, was born when he was 21.

Antonio Villaraigosa's second child, Prisila Villar, was born four years later.

Antonio Villaraigosa acknowledged on July 3,2007, that he was in a relationship with Salinas.

Antonio Villaraigosa had a relationship with Lu Parker, a local television news anchor and 1994 Miss USA, in March 2009.

Antonio Villaraigosa married Patricia Govea on August 6,2016, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.