How Venice Voted: Hahn creamed in Venice; Rosendahl doubles
Krisiloff
By Jim
Smith
(based on final
results)
In the end, it wasn't even close.
Citywide, Villaraigosa and Rosendahl won by landslides in the May 17 runoff
election. In Venice, it was a massacre worthy of a Roger Corman horror
movie.
Antonio Villaraigosa, the former union
organizer and People's College of Law student, ran up vote totals in Venice not
otherwise seen outside East Los. In the some precincts, the Mayor-elect got 84
percent. He carried every Venice precinct in zipcode 90291, that is, everything
north of Washington Blvd.
Bill
Rosendahl, a former Venice resident and TV personality, likewise trounced his
opposition, almost as decisively. He carried every precinct in Venice, winning
68 percent of the vote. Unlike Villaraigosa, he walked away with all four
precincts in the Oxford Triangle and the Peninsula.
The largest turnout for both
candidates was in the precinct that includes beleaguered Lincoln Place.
Both winning candidates picked up nearly double the votes that they received in
the average precinct. Both had written letters in support of the Lincoln Place
affordable housing complex, while neither of their opponents
bothered.
Winners and
Losers
• Most Venice Progressives
associated with the neighborhood council endorsed and worked hard for
Villaraigosa and Rosendahl. Their opponents associated with the Watchdawg and
Venice Forum, with a few exceptions, supported the losers. The two winners were
correctly perceived as the more progressive candidates. Villaraigosa had cast
votes against the Hahn-supported LAX expansion plan and Playa Vista Phase II.
Rosendahl also spoke out against unbridled growth, while Krisiloff was viewed
with suspicion by many due to her support of unpopular development projects
while a member of the West L.A. Planning
Commission.
• Racism was a big
loser as a Latino was elected Mayor in spite of anti-immigrant agitation and
attacks on the candidate as a “Mexican Nationalist.” In addition,
Black-Brown unity in L.A. received a concrete demonstration as Villaraigosa
handily carried most of South Central.
• Leaders of organized labor
lost big with their support of Hahn. Instead of standing up against corruption
and for "big picture" issues, they stuck with the devil they knew, and ended up
looking like a special interest. Because of the death of L.A. labor's head,
Miguel Contreras (the stress of his untenable position possibly contributing to
his heart attack), new leaders are going to have to step in to fill the void and
try to regain credibility with their members - who voted overwhelmingly for
Villaraigosa - and with the public at
large.
• Dirty campaigns were a big
loser. Mudslinging by the Krisiloff and Hahn campaigns fell on deaf
ears.
• And, growing interest in Venice
cityhood is likely to be put on the back burner while Venetians give
Villaraigosa and Rosendahl a chance to prove
themselves.
What to
expect?
Will Villaraigosa be able to
make the transition from a career as a legislator and councilmember to that of a
public chief executive? Much will depend on what he does in the first 100 days
of his administration. The city bureaucracy really needs a good house
cleaning. But, this may fly in the face of his desire to be everyone's friend by
keeping most of Hahn's appointees and policies. If so, we may be looking at the
second four years of the Hahn administration, sans
Hahn.
Our new councilmember, on the
other hand, is a novice politician. Normally this would be a big problem, but
since the unelected Cindy Miscikowski has so dramatically lowered
expectations, Rosendahl is likely to be cheered just for showing
up.
Alas, no honeymoon lasts
forever. Will Rosendahl turn out to be a progressive, as he says he is? Venice
will not be satisfied with less. It's time for concern when the Beachhead urges
a vote for Rosendahl and he ignores it. And, when Villagraigosa endorses him and
he ignores that too. Let's hope ol' Bill doesn't assume he can take Venetians
for granted because we have no where else to go. When the going gets tough down
at city hall, Rosendahl may discover that he needs us just as much as we need
him.
On the other hand, perhaps we'll
all live happily ever after.
Posted: Wed - June 1, 2005 at 12:37 PM