Villaraigosa: The Myth of The Progressive Mayor (tags)
While Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa disappointed supporters and failed to deliver any progressive policies whatsoever, he was hardly a failure to those he really serves. Indeed, for developers, real estate tycoons, billionaires, and school privatization profiteers, Villaraigosa's eight year reign was a smashing success.
Seeds of Hope, Seeds of War: Race, Class and the Battle for the South Central Farm (Final) (tags)
The world is literally watching. Media worldwide have covered the case of the South Central Farm, the largest urban garden in the United States, the efforts of the city's elites to drive the farmers from the land, and the farmer's remarkable resistance. On June 13th, the County moved to evict, concentrating a massive police presence in the area to uproot the resistor's encampment on the land. The South Central Farm arose from the ashes of the 1992 Los Angeles rebellion, and stands as a symbol of hope to millions. Despite the eviction, the struggle continues, with a court hearing this week challenging the City's sale of the land to a private developer. When the Los Angeles City Council sold the 14 acre plot called the South Central Farm to developer Ralph Horowitz, they sold land they didn’t own.
Villaraigosa has made a point of stressing his interest in governing from the center (tags)
Villaraigosa's associates say he too will cultivate a network of well-respected advisors outside City Hall to guide him on such issues as education reform, transportation planning and economic development. Among them are likely to be former Assembly speaker and mayoral candidate Bob Hertzberg, former Metropolitan Transportation Authority board member Nick Patsaouras and entrepreneur and former national Democratic Party official Ari Swiller.