Friday politics notes: Times endorses Molina

After I posted on endorsements on Thursday, the LA Times published its editorial backing former county supervisor Gloria Molina in the 14th district City Council race. Sample:

Six months ago, it looked like Councilman Jose Huizar would be easily reelected. Even though he was mired in a sexual harassment lawsuit, he had raised a half a million dollars for his campaign — enough to discourage most established challengers — and lined up endorsements from business and labor groups. It appeared that a council member guilty of one of the worst ethical lapses in recent history would coast into his third and final term.

But then, former L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina decided to run against Huizar, giving the voters of City Council District 14 a competitive election and forcing candidates to talk about issues such as managing the transformation of downtown, the preservation of affordable housing in gentrifying Highland Park and Boyle Heights, and the backlog of street and sidewalk repairs….

She is well known for her independence — a characteristic that is sorely lacking in City Hall at the moment. She has never shied away from questioning the status quo or challenging the power structure, though at times she has been more combative than productive.

Or put another way: It was the Year of the Grandparents.

“Not only was the average voter older than the average Californian,” says political data expert Paul Mitchell. “The average voter was older than the average Californian’s parents.”