Feb. 12 could be a make-or-break day in Antonio Villaraigosa’s 18-month quest for L.A. mayor. That’s the day the L.A. County Federation of Labor’s political committee is interviewing all six major mayoral candidates and is expected to announce whether it will endorse a candidate.
Villaraigosa, the only union activist among the major candidates, is the one most likely to receive the endorsement. But the County Fed could also decide not to endorse a candidate.
If Villaraigosa were to receive the endorsement, it could provide a crucial boost to his campaign, perhaps enough to propel him into the runoff. That’s because organized labor has shown an incredible ability to get out the vote for their candidates in recent L.A.-area elections. One recent example: northeast Valley area Councilman Alex Padilla, a virtual unknown in his district until he got the endorsement of Mayor Richard Riordan and union reps started walking precincts for him.
However, getting the endorsement is no sure thing, despite Villaraigosa’s union affiliation. That’s because it takes a two-thirds vote of the 90-member committee to get an endorsement, which is not easy to come by.
“This is not a slam-dunk for Villaraigosa,” according to one source with close union ties. “I’ve sat through these endorsement interviews and they really consider the merits of each candidate.”
Each candidate gets 30 minutes to present his or her case to the committee, which then makes its recommendation to the County Fed’s executive committee. If approved, the recommended endorsement then goes to the County Fed’s 900 delegates for a vote. But these last two steps are usually a formality that affirms the political committee’s recommendation.
The general consensus is that if Villaraigosa doesn’t get the endorsement, the County Fed will not make one. And that could be a major blow to the Villaraigosa campaign, since rival candidate and City Attorney James Hahn has already picked up endorsements from a number of city employee unions.
“If Villaraigosa can’t claim to be labor’s candidate, that could really hurt, especially if someone else like Hahn can then step up to make that claim,” said the source. “In such a close race as this primary is shaping up to be, it could keep him from making the runoff.”
Setback for Labor?
Speaking of unions, organized labor is facing the prospect of a major setback as President George W. Bush considers an executive order banning new project labor agreements for major public-sector construction projects that receive federal dollars.
Project labor agreements, or PLAs, are deals struck on major construction contracts in which all the work must either go to union workers or be conducted at union wage and benefit pay scales. Several major projects in L.A. including the Alameda Corridor, TrizecHahn Corp.’s Hollywood & Highland project and the Playa Vista project are being built under PLAs.
Unions have campaigned hard to broaden the use of PLAs, while non-union contractors have fought hard to block them.
The stakes in L.A. could be huge. Not only would such a ban likely affect many road projects, but it might also impact the largest single construction project in the region’s history: the $8 billion-to-$12 billion proposed expansion of Los Angeles International Airport. Although much of the runway and airfield work would likely be done using Airport Trust Funds paid for by airline ticket fees, much of the related infrastructure work, like the proposed ring road and freeway improvements, would need federal dollars.
Currently, only the immediate airfield work is targeted for a PLA, according to Richard Slawson, executive secretary of the Building Trades Council of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. But a federal PLA ban would effectively halt any efforts to expand that PLA to the related projects.
Slawson is not happy at that prospect: “Bush said he wants to be a healer rather than a divider. All of a sudden, he’s attacking the rights of craft workers to negotiate agreements.”
Yet even if Bush were to reinstate the ban, it would be far from a done deal. AFL-CIO officials say they would go to court to block it. And that portends a long court battle that could drag out for much of Bush’s current term.
Ferraro Illness
Best wishes have been pouring in from friends, colleagues and Angelenos of all stripes for City Council President John Ferraro, who has been hospitalized for treatment of cancer.
The 77-year-old councilman, who has missed Council meetings for the last month, is recuperating from treatment at a local hospital. Ferraro had spleen surgery late last year and was suffering from complications from the procedure. A spokeswoman for the Councilman said that his progress is being monitored and that in the next couple weeks his staff should have a better idea of when he will return to his duties at the Council.
Indeed Ferraro’s return is being eagerly awaited by his fellow councilmembers. “He’s probably the only person who can keep the Council together,” one council staffer said.
Ferraro’s return would also put a stop to rumors that have been circulating around City Hall about who would run to replace him as council president. While such rumors are standard fare five months before the new council session begins and an election is held to choose the council president, Ferraro’s illness lent a little more urgency to them.
One of the names that had been floated: Cindy Miscikowski, chair of the Public Safety Committee. Another was state Sen. Richard Polanco, the presumptive front-runner in the race to replace termed-out Councilman Mike Hernandez, even though it is practically unheard of for a freshman councilman to win the post.
Staff reporter Howard Fine can be reached by phone at (323) 549-5225, ext. 227, or by e-mail at [email protected].
