How much does the support of Mayor Karen Bass benefit former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to become governor of California?

This support was also joined by other African American leaders in Los Angeles, such as Council Speaker Marqueece Harris Dawson, Councilmembers Curren Price and Heather Hutt, and Compton Mayor Emma Sharif.

Mayor Bass's endorsement of Villaraigosa comes as no surprise. They have been political allies for decades. So, the support for him to succeed Gavin Newsom sounds like an exchange of favors; something already agreed upon when Villaraigosa came out to support Bass as mayor. He was one of the first.

Bass is returning the political favor at a time when Villaraigosa needs it most. Just when the first polls for the gubernatorial election on the 26th show him very low in the electoral preferences. Villaraigosa urgently needed that boost to improve his image.

The question on everyone's mind is how much this endorsement will help Villaraigosa. Let's keep in mind that the mayor hasn't fully recovered her popularity, after her approval ratings plummeted following the devastating fires in January. Her pro-immigrant stance during Trump's ruthless raids has greatly helped her regain the trust of Angelenos; and it would further bolster her if she didn't allow the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to collaborate with hooded immigration agents during their operations, but we doubt she'd want to wade into those politically murky waters. The mayor is giving Villaraigosa this electoral endorsement when she's not yet so strong, and when she herself will also need support for her reelection next year. Recent internal polls show that the core vote committed to her reelection doesn't even reach 20%. Meanwhile, Villaraigosa is immersed in the most ambitious campaign of his political career, packed with rivals from his own party who are determined to put up a fight. Former Congresswoman Katy Porter and former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra are coming on strong. And if Senator Alex Padilla decides to run for governor, with the support of Governor Gavin Newsom, the situation will be ruined not only for the former mayor but also for several Democratic candidates.

But none of his rivals are Villaraigosa's biggest problem. His biggest opponent is himself, because despite his many political skills, he's not helped by the disenchantment he left behind at the end of his term as mayor of Los Angeles.

He was perceived as a mayor of Mexican roots who, in the opinion of leaders in the Mexican community, governed for white people. He was a mayor who failed to deliver basic services like giving immigrants the identification cards he promised them. How could we believe he'd be a leader who could stand up to Donald Trump? This is just one small area that has caused such disappointment.

Is Jimmy Gomez on the tightrope?

Jimmy Gomez, the congressman who has passed through Congress without pain or glory since his election in 2017, has a strong opponent in his bid for reelection to the 34th district next year. It is the activist Angela Gonzales-Torres, who is in favor of defunding Immigration and Customs Enforcement, having suffered its onslaught firsthand. Her father was deported to Mexico when she was just 15 years old; and has served as president of the Highland Park Neighborhood Council.

Furthermore, and here's the interesting part, Gonzales-Torres is part of a group of progressives called Justice Democrats, proteges of Senator Bernie Sanders, who are focusing on seats that have been safe for Democrats, but from which they want to unseat the incumbents in order to force the Democratic Party to shift further to the left.

This isn't the first time that Gomez has been challenged in office, and they haven't managed to unseat him. The difference is that each time he's exhausting his possibilities because his work in Congress is lackluster; he's seen by many as a gray politician, and we don't see him showing strong leadership on the issue that most hurts the people of his district: immigration.

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