Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Absent From TV Ad For Transit Ballot Measure

By Gene Maddaus Thu., Oct. 25 2012 at 1:30 PM

Antonio Villaraigosa

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has a chance to end his term on a high note by securing passage of Measure J, the half-cent sales tax extension to fund transportation projects.

The measure needs a 2/3 vote, and internal polling shows it very close to that threshold. The mayor is the key figure behind the measure, having leveraged support at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and in the Legislature to get it on the ballot.

But Villaraigosa does not appear in the TV commercial urging a "yes" vote, suggesting he is not the best pitchman for a measure that would cement his legacy.

Here's the ad:

Matt Szabo, the executive director of the Yes on J campaign and a former Villaraigosa aide, says the ad is "all about the substance of the matter that voters are going to be asked to consider."

"That's what this campaign is about," Szabo said. "It's not about elected officials. There are no elected officials (in the ad)."

Villaraigosa also did not appear in commercials for Measure R, the 2008 sales tax measure that Measure J would extend.

But for comparison's sake, Gov. Jerry Brown is all over the commercials supporting Proposition 30:

Tags:

Antonio Villaraigosa, Gov. Jerry Brown, Measure J, Prop. 30, transit, TV ad

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Leah Blose

he has *NO* money for any tv spots or major advertising. All his major supporters pulled out. Not even sure why he is running again... he had big brass balls, I will give him that.

Chris Elder

he has a step brother with the same name. that's pretty cool.

Manny Garcia

This dude is a joke ...lame ass donkey!!!! Pinche guey!!!

Malicio Leos

check all the banks!

Brett Hampton

Maybe he realized that if voters associated him with the measure, it wouldn't pass.

wondermaze

Measure J is an extension of Measure R. It really isn't going to cost us anything more. Rather, it will get our rail/ transport systems built in 10 years vs. 30 years. Why would anyone in LA object to that opportunity?

abramsrl

Of course he isn't in the commercial. They want the voters to pass the measure. The loot will go directly from the voter's pockets into the billionaires' pockets without so much as a thank you.

One would think that after 12 years of constantly being screwed b y these billionaires, people would wake up. Prop J will not cut a single second off drive time.

The sole purpose of all mass transit is to justify more high rise development because they need to pay the Unions to run the trains. Then they build more high rises, but claim the place is too crowded, and demand more tax money to give to billionaires who claim that they need more money for mass transit --- it's an endless cycle, except as soon as people can afford to move away from density, they move away.