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Summer Love Lessons
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| Mr. Romance? Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa continues to suffer the slings and arrows of the local media. Photo by Gary Leonard. |
Seven Things to Be Gleaned From Hizzoner's Affair to Remember
by Jon Regardie
"Summer lovin' had me a blast
Summer lovin' happened so fast."
-Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson, Grease, 1978
When historians and romance novelists look back on Los Angeles politics in 2007, they'll find something many might not have noticed at first: The Summer of Scandal was really a Summer of Love.
There are a lot of ways to think about what transpired as the city's two highest elected officials, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, both tumbled into brouhahahahahas that made the media as heated as Laura Chick on an audit she thinks will get press coverage. But at their core, each was a love story, a little like that between Danny and Sandy. Well, assuming Sandy drove Danny's GMC Yukon into a pole and then Danny stopped wearing his leather jacket because he got so buff it didn't fit.
Everyone harrumphed as Delgadillo stumbled and bumbled after news reports revealed that his wife Michelle is better suited to the smash-up derby than city streets. But $1,100 in taxpayer covered repairs aside, throughout the tumult Delgadillo stood by his woman, even as his political aspirations went up in smoke. While not quite as touching a love story as Love Story, it does say something about Rocky.
Villaraigosa's summer of pasión with Telemundo personality Mirthala Salinas has been more heated. But it has also been extraordinarily revealing, offering insights into the city, the media and the tortured love affair between the two. What follows are seven lessons from this affair to remember.
And a Little Blog Shall Lead Us: The Los Angeles Daily News blew open the story July 3 when it revealed that Salinas was Villaraigosa's special friend. But months before, anyone who used a little piece of technology called the Internet had an inkling that Villaraigosa and his wife Corina might have lost that lovin' feeling. On Jan. 29, the blog lukeford.net first dangled the tidbit that Villaraigosa wasn't wearing his wedding ring, which produced the now laughable L.A. Times article in which Villaraigosa got a green light on claiming that weight loss from exercise prompted the band removal. On Jan. 30, the words "Mirthala" and "Salinas" first appeared on mayorsam.blogspot.com, and the blog continued to offer references to extracurricular activities for months. Of course, almost everyone in City Hall and everyone who covers local politics reads mayorsam every day. Still, the mainstream media was months behind the blogosphere.
Expect the blogs, more comfortable posting rumors, to keep getting there first on occasional key stories. At least until someone gets sued for publishing an untrue rumor and there is a chilling effect.
Set the Bar High and Fall Far: It has been pointed out that the media glare on Villaraigosa's failed marriage has been far brighter than it was on his predecessor, Jim Hahn, whose marriage also dissolved while in office. While that is true, it's partly because Hahn had all the charisma of a tube of toothpaste, while Villaraigosa raised expectations for himself to unprecedented levels. Villaraigosa ran to multiple events every day, courting TV cameras (if not the people carrying them) even more fiercely, I think, than he ultimately courted Salinas. Once sworn in, he pledged to save the schools, relieve traffic, fight gangs, save the planet, etc. He set his bar so high that when scandal came, on the heels of few notable achievements, he fell harder than that kid who tumbled 45 feet on an X Games skateboard ramp.
Your Actions Have Consequences: Fact: When you're the mayor of the second largest city in the United States and you featured your family prominently in your campaign against the guy with toothpaste charisma, and you show up late at night at the condo complex of a woman who is not your wife and you're carrying wine and say hi to the neighbors, people are going to chatter. You can ask for all the privacy you want, but when you leave Fantasyland and drive up the 405 back into L.A., be reminded that personal actions have consequences. Which brings us to the next lesson.
City Hall Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned: Since Villaraigosa kinda discussed his separation at a June 11 press conference, and Corina filed divorce papers the following day, the soon-to-be-ex wife has kept a low profile. But on July 26, she made a Downtown Los Angeles appearance before an organization called Girls Today, Women Tomorrow. With cameras rolling, she stated: "Remember that when you make a commitment, you must always honor that commitment. Unless of course there are [applause]. Unless of course there are extenuating circumstances or emergencies that arise. That is the lesson that I have learned from very successful women. Know that when you keep commitments to yourself, it is easier for you to keep commitments to others."
Like Carrie Bradshaw would have said in her affected Puerto Rican accent to her "Sex & the City" chums, "No you di'int!"
Wait, did I really just cite Carrie Bradshaw?
Manolo Blahniks aside, when a woman who has been married for 20 years to a high-profile pol has a single public appearance, and a minute into it mentions lack of commitment, she's not talking about the women of tomorrow. If that's an inkling of how Corina intends to play as the divorce proceeds, then lawdy, this is gonna make the Phil Spector trial look like "Romper Room."
Soon We Can Stop Pretending We Watch Telemundo: Talk all you want about a united city, but there really are few instances when the English and Spanish-speaking populaces of Los Angeles come together. In the weeks since July 3, however, the English-only sector has probably mentioned the word "Telemundo" more than it collectively had since the network was founded. Suddenly thousands of people had opinions on a woman, Salinas, whose name they had never heard, even if she already had canoodled with State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez and ex-City Council President Alex Padilla.
Post Mirthalagate, people who live west of Sepulveda are still talking about Telemundo, even if many of them can't understand what is being talked about on Telemundo. By the way, as one of those who lives in Los Angeles but doesn't speak Spanish, I think Telemundo means "world of telephones."
Don't Shove Reporters Into Port Containers: This is something my dad taught me decades ago when I used to play "Cowboys and Media." But apparently, some members of the Los Angeles Port Police missed training the day this valuable piece of advice was imparted. How else to explain that video of the burly security guard, following a Villaraigosa press conference, who in the effort to keep a reporter away from the mayor thunked her into the side of a metal port container. Sure, Villaraigosa probably didn't have anything to do with the best hip check seen since the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup, but when it rains, it pours.
Seriously, Dude, Don't Shove Reporters Into Port Containers, No Matter How Much They Deserve It: Villaraigosa, who early in his tenure famously referred to the media as a batch of "trolls," hasn't tried hard to build relationships with reporters. Burned-to-a-crisp bridges aside, these days the press mob often dogs Villaraigosa with the fervor of, well, Los Angeles Port Police. As Villaraigosa refuses to come completely clean, the media becomes more antagonistic, creating a vicious circle in which the questions at press conferences grow more fierce and bizarre. Recently, a TV reporter came up with the gem, "How many chances does a sinner get?"
Sodom and Gomorrah aside, how the heck is someone supposed to answer this? You're damned no matter what you say. Was Villaraigosa supposed to look the reporter in the eye and say, "Three"? Should he have appeared deeply pensive, paused and finally responded, "Golly, I never thought of it like that. Thank you kind reporter for showing me the error of my ways."
Still, the questions continue as the romance burns. As Danny and Sandy might have chorused, "Tell me more, tell me more!"
Contact Jon Regardie at regardie@downtownnews.com.
page 1, 8/13/2007
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
Summer lovin' happened so fast."
-Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson, Grease, 1978
When historians and romance novelists look back on Los Angeles politics in 2007, they'll find something many might not have noticed at first: The Summer of Scandal was really a Summer of Love.
There are a lot of ways to think about what transpired as the city's two highest elected officials, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, both tumbled into brouhahahahahas that made the media as heated as Laura Chick on an audit she thinks will get press coverage. But at their core, each was a love story, a little like that between Danny and Sandy. Well, assuming Sandy drove Danny's GMC Yukon into a pole and then Danny stopped wearing his leather jacket because he got so buff it didn't fit.
Everyone harrumphed as Delgadillo stumbled and bumbled after news reports revealed that his wife Michelle is better suited to the smash-up derby than city streets. But $1,100 in taxpayer covered repairs aside, throughout the tumult Delgadillo stood by his woman, even as his political aspirations went up in smoke. While not quite as touching a love story as Love Story, it does say something about Rocky.
Villaraigosa's summer of pasión with Telemundo personality Mirthala Salinas has been more heated. But it has also been extraordinarily revealing, offering insights into the city, the media and the tortured love affair between the two. What follows are seven lessons from this affair to remember.
And a Little Blog Shall Lead Us: The Los Angeles Daily News blew open the story July 3 when it revealed that Salinas was Villaraigosa's special friend. But months before, anyone who used a little piece of technology called the Internet had an inkling that Villaraigosa and his wife Corina might have lost that lovin' feeling. On Jan. 29, the blog lukeford.net first dangled the tidbit that Villaraigosa wasn't wearing his wedding ring, which produced the now laughable L.A. Times article in which Villaraigosa got a green light on claiming that weight loss from exercise prompted the band removal. On Jan. 30, the words "Mirthala" and "Salinas" first appeared on mayorsam.blogspot.com, and the blog continued to offer references to extracurricular activities for months. Of course, almost everyone in City Hall and everyone who covers local politics reads mayorsam every day. Still, the mainstream media was months behind the blogosphere.
Expect the blogs, more comfortable posting rumors, to keep getting there first on occasional key stories. At least until someone gets sued for publishing an untrue rumor and there is a chilling effect.
Set the Bar High and Fall Far: It has been pointed out that the media glare on Villaraigosa's failed marriage has been far brighter than it was on his predecessor, Jim Hahn, whose marriage also dissolved while in office. While that is true, it's partly because Hahn had all the charisma of a tube of toothpaste, while Villaraigosa raised expectations for himself to unprecedented levels. Villaraigosa ran to multiple events every day, courting TV cameras (if not the people carrying them) even more fiercely, I think, than he ultimately courted Salinas. Once sworn in, he pledged to save the schools, relieve traffic, fight gangs, save the planet, etc. He set his bar so high that when scandal came, on the heels of few notable achievements, he fell harder than that kid who tumbled 45 feet on an X Games skateboard ramp.
Your Actions Have Consequences: Fact: When you're the mayor of the second largest city in the United States and you featured your family prominently in your campaign against the guy with toothpaste charisma, and you show up late at night at the condo complex of a woman who is not your wife and you're carrying wine and say hi to the neighbors, people are going to chatter. You can ask for all the privacy you want, but when you leave Fantasyland and drive up the 405 back into L.A., be reminded that personal actions have consequences. Which brings us to the next lesson.
City Hall Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned: Since Villaraigosa kinda discussed his separation at a June 11 press conference, and Corina filed divorce papers the following day, the soon-to-be-ex wife has kept a low profile. But on July 26, she made a Downtown Los Angeles appearance before an organization called Girls Today, Women Tomorrow. With cameras rolling, she stated: "Remember that when you make a commitment, you must always honor that commitment. Unless of course there are [applause]. Unless of course there are extenuating circumstances or emergencies that arise. That is the lesson that I have learned from very successful women. Know that when you keep commitments to yourself, it is easier for you to keep commitments to others."
Like Carrie Bradshaw would have said in her affected Puerto Rican accent to her "Sex & the City" chums, "No you di'int!"
Wait, did I really just cite Carrie Bradshaw?
Manolo Blahniks aside, when a woman who has been married for 20 years to a high-profile pol has a single public appearance, and a minute into it mentions lack of commitment, she's not talking about the women of tomorrow. If that's an inkling of how Corina intends to play as the divorce proceeds, then lawdy, this is gonna make the Phil Spector trial look like "Romper Room."
Soon We Can Stop Pretending We Watch Telemundo: Talk all you want about a united city, but there really are few instances when the English and Spanish-speaking populaces of Los Angeles come together. In the weeks since July 3, however, the English-only sector has probably mentioned the word "Telemundo" more than it collectively had since the network was founded. Suddenly thousands of people had opinions on a woman, Salinas, whose name they had never heard, even if she already had canoodled with State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez and ex-City Council President Alex Padilla.
Post Mirthalagate, people who live west of Sepulveda are still talking about Telemundo, even if many of them can't understand what is being talked about on Telemundo. By the way, as one of those who lives in Los Angeles but doesn't speak Spanish, I think Telemundo means "world of telephones."
Don't Shove Reporters Into Port Containers: This is something my dad taught me decades ago when I used to play "Cowboys and Media." But apparently, some members of the Los Angeles Port Police missed training the day this valuable piece of advice was imparted. How else to explain that video of the burly security guard, following a Villaraigosa press conference, who in the effort to keep a reporter away from the mayor thunked her into the side of a metal port container. Sure, Villaraigosa probably didn't have anything to do with the best hip check seen since the Anaheim Ducks won the Stanley Cup, but when it rains, it pours.
Seriously, Dude, Don't Shove Reporters Into Port Containers, No Matter How Much They Deserve It: Villaraigosa, who early in his tenure famously referred to the media as a batch of "trolls," hasn't tried hard to build relationships with reporters. Burned-to-a-crisp bridges aside, these days the press mob often dogs Villaraigosa with the fervor of, well, Los Angeles Port Police. As Villaraigosa refuses to come completely clean, the media becomes more antagonistic, creating a vicious circle in which the questions at press conferences grow more fierce and bizarre. Recently, a TV reporter came up with the gem, "How many chances does a sinner get?"
Sodom and Gomorrah aside, how the heck is someone supposed to answer this? You're damned no matter what you say. Was Villaraigosa supposed to look the reporter in the eye and say, "Three"? Should he have appeared deeply pensive, paused and finally responded, "Golly, I never thought of it like that. Thank you kind reporter for showing me the error of my ways."
Still, the questions continue as the romance burns. As Danny and Sandy might have chorused, "Tell me more, tell me more!"
Contact Jon Regardie at regardie@downtownnews.com.
page 1, 8/13/2007
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to re-distribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
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