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In a pretty transparent bid to attract more web "interaction," L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez recently asked readers of the Times website to vote for their "worst Angeleno of all time." And of course it got gamed by those with time on their hands, with the winner of the worst Angeleno ever being...Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Yes, the same mayor just reelected last year. Lopez couldn't do anything but admit the whole thing was kinda dumb.
Does anyone out there know any history?Sure, we got a lot of thoughtful nominations, but Villaraigosa had twice as many votes as the second-place finisher, who was another bizarre choice:
Congressman Henry Waxman.
Yes, I'm aware of his connection to our traffic nightmare. But give me a break.
Regarding the mayor, Lopez writes, "I've pounded him pretty good over the years. But he wouldn't have made my top 50, and neither would Waxman." Of course, if the idea was to trick readers into clicking on more Times URLs, maybe it worked. Here's my contribution.
Photo: LA Observed