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On the verge (probably) of officially joining the 2018 race for governor, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Thursday he will soon remarry. He said his bride-to-be is Patricia Govea and that they have been dating since last year. Villarigosa, 63, mentioned the news at a lunch-time appearance at Town Hall Los Angeles in downtown then followed up on Twitter.
I'm so happy to share that Patricia Govea said "YES!!" We are getting married & want to thank everyone for your well wishes.
— Antonio Villaraigosa (@villaraigosa) March 25, 2016
And in Spanish:
Estoy muy feliz que Patricia Govea dijo SI !!
— Antonio Villaraigosa (@villaraigosa) March 25, 2016
Nos casaremos y quiero agradecer a todos sus buenos deseos.
Govea attended Thursday's lunch event — a discussion about Los Angeles with former mayor Richard Riordan, moderated by former LA Times publisher Austin Beutner — and can be seen at the end of this KCAL 9 report by Dave Lopez. Villaraigosa didn't talk about who she is or how they met.
At the Town Hall event at downtown's City Club, Villaraigosa didn't discourage speculation that he is running for governor and just waiting for the right time to make it official. In fact, he teased in that direction a few times. He has been traveling the state on talking tours and having stories done about him testing the political waters. Last year, you may remember, he hosted a Hillary Clinton fundraiser in his new Beachwood Canyon home. He also publicly opted out of a run for the Senate this year.
In that context, any Villaraigosa marriage plans are a bit newsy because his love life has been a recurring factor in his political career. An extra-marital affair early in his political career threatened to scuttle his support among key LA Democrats, but he remained married to Corina Raigosa (his name is a blend of hers and his family last name, Villar) until the news broke in 2007, while he was mayor, about an affair with TV reporter Mirthala Salinas, who had covered Villaraigosa for Telemundo. After his divorce from Raigosa, Villaraigosa was publicly in a relationship with KTLA reporter Lu Parker that ended in 2012.
Villaraigosa has two grown children with Raigosa and two older children. Last May, the LA Weekly reported he was dating actress Kristanna Loken.
Previously on LA Observed:
Villaraigosa's private dinners, Condoleezza Rice and more politics notes
Villaraigosa knows how to use the Saturday news cycle
Villaraigosa loses votes with eyesore in Moreno Valley
