Adrianne Shropshire
The Villaraigosa Quandary
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Progressive. Protector of the working-class. Coalition-builder. Rock Star.
The election of Antonio Villaraigosa to Mayor of the city of Los Angeles last year emboldened an already bold progressive movement in LA. Even without the full support of organized labor, Villaraigosa triumphed over the incumbent with a broad-based, multi-ethnic coalition. And while there were splits in the labor movement on the endorsement, AV had the support of key labor unions in the city and even those who supported the other guy (James Hahn) have a long and mostly friendly history with the new Mayor.
Fast forward and we find the new Mayor battling his allies. The teacher unions are pissed at his attempt to take over the LA Unified School District. 7,500 city employees are out on strike promising that Villaraigosa will feel the pain if he doesn't renegotiate their contract. Progressive organizations are suspicious of his close relationship to developers and wonder if the will exists to move real progressive reforms. And the head of the County Federation of Labor, a close friend and ally, is questioning his commitment to preserving middle-class jobs in LA.
So what gives? Has Antonio turned? Is he really just a chameleon? Should we add anti-union to the above adjectives? Or is it that progressives in LA won an election, not a revolution?
The new mayor is attempting to be many things to many people. Tough on spending yet open to innovative ideas on addressing the city's problems, even if it costs. Supportive of labor unions yet willing to stand up to them. Tough on crime while demanding police accountability. Expanding business opportunity but putting people with good progressive credentials on the commissions that oversee development. It's a strange balancing act that the left is unfamiliar with because we mostly lose elections.
It raises questions about what is really possible when progressive elected officials operate within the current ultra conservative political framework. Can Antonio build a house for every homeless person? Can he pioneer universal healthcare for every Angelino? Can he end corporate subsidies as we know them?
Unlikely. So what is the bar by which we measure progressive electeds in these times? How will we judge Spitzer's first hundred days? What do we expect from Speaker Quinn with the omnipotence of Mayor Bloomberg and the Real Estate Board of New York lurking around every corner?
Certainly they can advance a progressive agenda through the things that they have direct control over. But will that satisfy our pinned up frustrations and potentially unrealistic expectations?
Adrianne Shropshire: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 10:38 AM, Aug 23, 2006 in
Politics
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