Los Angeles’ Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa turned down the invitation of President-elect Barack Obama to become one of his secretaries. Obama wooed the mayor when he phoned him to offer support after November’s wildfires in California.

Villaraigosa expressed love for his job and stressed that he is bent on staying in Los Angeles to resolve the city’s financial crisis and to work on his reelection campaign.

Obama’s move is seen as deference to mounting pressure by the vast Latino community for greater representation in his administration. Villaraigosa, born of a Mexican immigrant father and a Mexican-American mother, seemed a likely pick for the Cabinet. Initially, Villaraigosa was considered for the position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, then for the position of Secretary of Labor.

Villaraigosa is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since 1872. He came to power after beating incumbent James Hahn in the 2005 race, although only 24% of registered voters turned out. On July 2005, he was sworn into office as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles.

Hahn defeated Villaraigosa during the latter’s first bid for Mayor in 2001, after which Villaraigosa accepted a fellowship at UCLA and USC. There, he jointly wrote a policy blueprint for urban sprawl.

Villaraigosa rebounded in 2003 by being elected to the 14th District Los Angeles City Council. When John Kerry ran for president the next year, Villaraigosa became his campaign’s national co-chairman.

Mayor Villaraigosa was born Antonio Villar in Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles on January 23, 1953. Eldest among four children, he grew up without a father. In 1987, he wed Corine Raigosa and has since adopted “Villaraigosa” for surname.

During his troubled youth, Villaraigosa actually dropped out of high school. He only resumed after his mother sent him a missive urging him to do so. Eventually he graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School and secured a history degree from UCLA. In 1985, he earned a doctorate in jurisprudence from the Peoples’ College of Law.

At the young age of 15, Villaraigosa was already affiliated with the labor movement. He later became the organizer of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA). In 1990, he served in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority and stayed until 1994, when he was elected to the California State Assembly.

Article Source: Los Angeles Times.

Profile of Antonio Villaraigosa on About.com.

Antonio Villaraigosa recently appeared on Mayor TV.