LOS ANGELES - Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor of Los Angeles and Speaker of the California State Assembly, released a video announcing his bid for Governor today, citing his record solving tough problems and getting big things done on issues that matter like reducing crime, improving schools, and balancing budgets.

“California is the state where anything is possible with hard work and determination,” Antonio Villaraigosa said. “But our future depends on our willingness to face our biggest challenges. I believe we need a problem solver to lead our state. That’s why I’m running for Governor.”

Villaraigosa touted his record as a proven problem solver as leader of the California State Assembly and as Mayor of Los Angeles.

As Speaker of California’s Assembly, Villaraigosa worked with Democrats and Republicans to balance state budgets, with record investments in education and public safety, tax relief for middle-class families, and $13 billion in budget surplus funds.

In the Assembly, Villaraigosa took on the NRA to pass California’s landmark assault weapons ban, banned cheap handguns that put several gun factories out of business, and required safety trigger locks on guns sold in California; created the Healthy Families program, resulting in health coverage for more than one million uninsured children; led efforts to win higher wages for workers and environmental protections for our air and water; and was a champion for education with historic investments in public schools, reduced college tuition for California students, significantly increased per-pupil spending, reduced class sizes, and passed the largest school construction bond in state history.

Villaraigosa was elected Mayor of Los Angeles in 2005, becoming L.A.’s first Latino mayor in over a century.

As Mayor, he hired nearly 1,000 new police officers increasing LAPD staffing levels to over 10,000 officers for the first time in history, invested in crime prevention and gang intervention strategies that became a federal model, spearheaded anti-domestic violence efforts, and took illegal guns off the streets – from his first year as mayor to his last year in office violent crime plummeted 48%, making Los Angeles one of the safest big cities in America.

Villaraigosa turned around failing schools and increased graduation rates by 60%. He made Los Angeles a global leader in tackling climate change and led the city during the worst economic crisis in modern times with balanced budgets and record economic investment.

“I know we can do big things for California, because I’ve done them before,” Villaraigosa declared. “As Governor, I’ll balance the state budget, make sure our neighborhoods are safe and our kids have great schools. I’ll bring down costs for small businesses and middle-class families.”

Villaraigosa continued: “We have serious problems, and money alone won’t fix them. We need to focus on better outcomes, fixing what’s broken and investing in what works. I’m a problem solver, and with your support, that’s exactly what I’ll do as Governor.”

Background

Building on his record as a civil rights leader, Speaker of the California State Assembly, and Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa is a proven problem solver with a record of getting things done during tough times on issues that matter like reducing crime, improving schools, and balancing the state budget

Raised by a single mom in East Los Angeles, Villaraigosa experienced domestic violence as a young child and dropped out of high school. With support from his mother and teacher he re-enrolled in high school and took night classes to graduate on time, then attending community college and graduated from UCLA.

Before he was elected to the State Assembly, Villaraigosa was a civil rights and labor leader, serving as President of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Southern California, an organizer for United Teachers Los Angeles, and President of the American Federation of Government Employees, enforcing civil rights laws at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

When Villaraigosa, a lifelong Democrat, was elected to the Legislature, Republican Pete Wilson was Governor and Republicans controlled the State Assembly. He helped Democrats take control of the Assembly in 1996, and served as Speaker of the State Assembly from 1998 to 2000.

In 2005, Villaraigosa became the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles, and first Latino to serve as Mayor since 1872.

President Barack Obama tapped Villaraigosa to serve on the President’s Transition Economic Advisory Board. Villaraigosa led efforts for America Fast Forward, delivering billions in federal investment and hundreds of thousands of jobs for the southland. During the 2012 election, Villaraigosa served as National co-Chair for President Obama’s campaign and as Chair of the Democratic National Convention in 2012 – widely known as one of the most successful in Democratic Party history.

Since leaving office in 2013, Villaraigosa has continued to lead and speak internationally on issues important to Californians, including education, civic engagement, water, immigration, transportation, environmental and economic development issues. 

In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom tapped Villaraigosa to serve as California’s Infrastructure Advisor to the State of California, working with local, state and federal leaders to identify priority projects and maximize access to federal funding across all regions of the state.

See Antonio Villaraigosa’s Launch video here.

For citations or to learn more about Antonio Villaraigosa for Governor 2026, visit antonio2026.com.

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