See your council, and raise you a mayor

One day after Alex Padilla showed his hand and announced the endorsement of City Council President Eric Garcetti and nine council colleagues, Cindy Montañez countered with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The mayor—accompanied by his son, Antonio Jr., and deputy chief of staff Jimmy Blackman—visited San Fernando today to introduce Assemblywoman Montañez (and her immigrant parents) at a rally and endorse her for the state Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Richard Alarcon. "I can tell you what I love about Cindy—it's what I love about young people," Villaraigosa said in English then Spanish. "She still believes in the power of one person to make a difference." The race between two young Democrats on the rise is proving divisive among Latino leaders and in the Valley generally, so endorsements are being closely watched. It's been presumed for months that Villaraigosa would side with Montañez but bridle back on actual help since he is likely to desire Padilla's cooperation on the City Council from time to time. However, Controller Laura Chick—who returned Saturday morning from Cuba and spoke at the rally—told LA Observed that Villaraigosa would go all out for Montañez: "He's too busy to be out walking precincts...but the mayor will be very helpful."

Besides Garcetti, the council members who endorsed Padilla on Friday were Tony Cardenas, Dennis Zine, Greig Smith, Ed Reyes, Tom LaBonge, Bernard Parks, Herb Wesson, Bill Rosendahl and Jose Huizar. Here's an idea of how complicated it is—Padilla is backed by the state's two Democratic U.S. Senators as well as by LAPD chief William Bratton and LAFD chief William Bamattre. But at Saturday's rally, the president of the firefighters union, Pat McOsker, helped introduce Montañez. She has also been endorsed by Speaker Fabian Nuñez and Sheriff Lee Baca. Both Montañez and Padilla list Supervisor Gloria Molina on their lengthy rosters of endorsements.