Straying L.A. mayor confesses to affair with TV news anchor

[Dos Equis]

Another louse who couldn't keep his pants up.  He was offended by the question of whether his mistress is pregnant?!  How stupid is that?? 

Straying L.A. mayor confesses to affair with TV news anchor

BY MICHELLE CARUSO
Wednesday, July 4th 2007, 4:00 AM
 
The Villaraigosas celebrate victory on Election Night 2005. Son Antonio Jr. is on the left.
LOS ANGELES - When an L.A. TV news anchor reported that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was splitting from his wife she had some inside information - she was the other woman in an illicit love triangle.

Villaraigosa confessed yesterday he has been romancing Spanish-language TV anchor Mirthala Salinas for at least a year, shedding new light on why his wife filed for divorce three weeks ago.

Villaraigosa, 54, announced his affair with the Telemundo anchor, who has reported on him for her station, at a news conference after a local paper spilled the secret.

"I have a relationship with Ms. Salinas and I take full responsibility for my actions," he said.

Salinas, 35, went on the air June 8 with news of the mayor's marital split. "The rumors are true," a poker-faced Salinas said in Spanish. "Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa confirmed today that he is separating from his wife, Corina, after more than 20 years of marriage."

What Salinas did not say was that she and Villaraigosa were having a torrid affair.

While admitting the affair yesterday, the mayor denied rumors that the popular newscaster is carrying his child. "I can tell you emphatically that that question is outrageous and the answer is no, she is not pregnant," he said.

Villaraigosa didn't give details about the romance but admitted it got serious sometime last year.

In 2005, Villaraigosa became the city's first Latino mayor since 1872, and it's no secret that he has his eye on the California governor's mansion. The Democrat has been raising his national profile with frequent lobbying trips to Capitol Hill.

Some political observers say the mayor's behavior is crass, but probably won't hurt his long-term ambitions.

"This doesn't preclude him having a political future," said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political expert at USC. "It depends how it all plays out."

It also wasn't clear whether the burgeoning romance would change the politico's last name. The former Tony Villar blended his name with that of his wife, Corina Raigosa, 49.

Reporters noticed the mayor's wedding band was missing several months ago, but, at the time, he insisted things at Getty House, the mayor's official residence, were fine.

The father of four yesterday described his gal pal as "a consummate journalistic professional."

About a year ago, Salinas decided "our friendship had grown to a point where it was necessary to inform her management that she shouldn't cover me," he said.

His estranged wife, an educator, has been mum on her marital problems, citing "irreconcilable differences" in her divorce filing.

She has remained in the mayor's residence with the kids; he has moved out.

Villaraigosa is not the only California pol to struggle with a messy personal life. In February, San Francisco's Mayor Gavin Newsom entered rehab after apologizing for his affair with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, the wife of his deputy chief of staff, Alex Tourk.

At the time of the affair, Newsom was in the process of divorcing his wife, Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle.

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2007/07/04/2007-07-04_one_hot_story.html

[Dos Equis]

What's the mayor's punishment?

Telemundo Newscaster Mirthala Salinas Suspended for Two Months Over Affair With L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Friday, August 03, 2007

June 19, 2006: Telemundo reporter Mirthala Salinas, left, with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
LOS ANGELES —  A Spanish-language newscaster who had an affair with the mayor of Los Angeles has been suspended from her job for two months for violating conflict-of-interest policies, her network said Thursday.

Mirthala Salinas was having the relationship with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa when she announced the news of his separation from his wife of 20 years on local Telemundo station KVEA, Channel 52.

Salinas was suspended after a three-week internal investigation reviewed by executives at Telemundo and parent company NBC Universal. Three Telemundo employees also were disciplined. Findings were reported on the network's national newscast and announced by executives.

"Her reading of copy during newscasts ... regarding the Mayor's separation from his wife was a flagrant violation of these guidelines," network president Don Browne wrote in a memo to employees.

Messages left with Salinas' representative were not immediately returned.

"I regret that decisions I have made in my personal life have been a distraction for the city, and I am deeply sorry that I have let so many people down, especially my family," Villaraigosa said in a statement. "Now that Telemundos internal review has reached a conclusion, it is my hope that we can all move forward."
 
In its newscast, Telemundo reported that others disciplined included KVEA news director Al Corral, who was suspended without pay for two months, and the station's general manager, Manuel Abud, who was removed from his post and will be transferred to a new position still undetermined. Ibra Morales, president of Telemundo stations, will be reprimanded.

Salinas, 35, was placed on leave July 5 while her employer investigated whether her romantic relationship with Villaraigosa breached journalistic ethics.

She has said station managers knew of her relationship with the mayor before she announced the news of his breakup. Salinas led into the story by saying, "The rumors were true."

Villaraigosa acknowledged the affair July 3. His wife, Corina Villaraigosa, filed for divorce in June.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,291977,00.html

[24KT]

Tsk, tsk, BB, ...there ya go again, ...always getting in between the covers of somebody else's bed. 

If there is to be any punishment meted out to the mayor, ...I don't think it should be coming from the public.
His wife and kids on the other hand... might have a thing or two to say.

As for the reporter, I think it sucks that she should be punished for reading newscopy handed to her.

If what is written in the story is true, ...that she had informed her superiors about a potential conflict and requested not to be the one covering the mayor, ...I don't see why she should be punished. Completely unfair.

ps: I'm curious about one thing tho... if the mayor and his wife do divorce ...and he chooses to marriy the reporter,
...is she going to assume his last name? It happens to be a hybrid composed from the surname of what would be his former wife. That would be like Tom Cruise having hypehenated his surname upon marriage, and then giving that surname to his future brides. I don't know... but as in love as Katie Holmes claims to be with her hubby, I can't help but assume that taking the name Mrs Tom Rogers-Kidman-Cruise 3^rd would have been a dealbreaker 

[Dos Equis]

Tsk, tsk, BB, ...there ya go again, ...always getting in between the covers of somebody else's bed. 

If there is to be any punishment meted out to the mayor, ...I don't think it should be coming from the public.
His wife and kids on the other hand... might have a thing or two to say.

As for the reporter, I think it sucks that she should be punished for reading newscopy handed to her.

If what is written in the story is true, ...that she had informed her superiors about a potential conflict and requested not to be the one covering the mayor, ...I don't see why she should be punished. Completely unfair.

Where does the story say this? 

[24KT]

Where does the story say this? 

Right here:

The father of four yesterday described his gal pal as "a consummate journalistic professional."

About a year ago, Salinas decided "our friendship had grown to a point where it was necessary to inform her management that she shouldn't cover me," he said.

btw - Can't believe I missed this part:

Another louse who couldn't keep his pants up.  He was offended by the question of whether his mistress is pregnant?!  How stupid is that??

 

It IS a stupid question, intrusive of his privacy, and it's nobodies business.
What are they going to ask him next... what sexual positions they engaged in? 
...whether they prefer doing it with the lights on or off, ...whether she's a screamer or a moaner?
...whether or not they had come to an agreement on who should sleep in the wet spot?

[Al-Gebra]

Where does the story say this? 

I think we've already established that your average weasel is more morally centered than your average ____, so conversing w her is pointless. 

[Al-Gebra]

I'm sure all Los Angelenos will be very happy to know that a man who can't be trusted to keep promises he made before his God is their mayor.

[Dos Equis]

Right here:

btw - Can't believe I missed this part:
 

It IS a stupid question, intrusive of his privacy, and it's nobodies business.
What are they going to ask him next... what sexual positions they engaged in? 
...whether they prefer doing it with the lights on or off, ...whether she's a screamer or a moaner?
...whether or not they had come to an agreement on who should sleep in the wet spot?

Puh-leaze.  You check much of your privacy at the door when you become a public figure.  And of course the media is going to ask whether the married mayor has impregnated an admitted mistress journalist who covers the mayor.  Perfectly legitimate question.  What is stupid is his righteous indignation about the question being asked.

He should  share notes with Gavin Newsome. 

[Dos Equis]

I'm sure all Los Angelenos will be very happy to know that a man who can't be trusted to keep promises he made before his God is their mayor.

That's what makes a story like this relevant. 

[24KT]

Puh-leaze.  You check much of your privacy at the door when you become a public figure.

I agree, ...but some things do cross over the line.

And of course the media is going to ask whether the married mayor has impregnated an admitted mistress journalist who covers the mayor.  Perfectly legitimate question.  What is stupid is his righteous indignation about the question being asked.

He should  share notes with Gavin Newsome. 

I guess this is just another area where we will have to agree to disagree.

[Al-Gebra]

That's what makes a story like this relevant. 

Yeah . . . it keeps them accountable.  Lets the people know how far they can be trusted.

[Dos Equis]

Newscaster Involved With L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa Leaves Telemundo
Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Mirthala Salinas
 LOS ANGELES  —  A Spanish-language newscaster who was suspended for two months after having an affair with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa while reporting on him left her job at the station on Monday.

A KVEA-TV spokesman declined to elaborate why Mirthala Salinas did not show up to start her new assignment following the unpaid suspension.

"Telemundo and Mirtha Salinas have mutually agreed to end our employment relationship effective October 1," station spokesman Victor M. Franco said.

Salinas, 35, worked at the station for a decade. Her contract with Telemundo expires in December.

A call and e-mail message to Salinas' spokeswoman were not immediately returned.

Salinas was a fill-in anchor on evening newscasts in June when she announced the news of Villaraigosa's separation from his wife, Corina. Salinas led the story by saying, "The rumors were true."

What she didn't tell viewers was that she had been in an extramarital affair with Villaraigosa for many months.

The mayor acknowledged the long-rumored affair on July 3 after a newspaper story revealed details of the relationship. His wife has filed for divorce.

Salinas was placed on leave while her employer conducted an internal investigation. She was later suspended for two months without pay for what network president Don Browne said was a "flagrant violation" of the network's ethics guidelines.

Three Telemundo employees also were disciplined. They included KVEA news director Al Corral, who was suspended without pay for two months, and the station's general manager, Manuel Abud, who was reassigned to another position. Ibra Morales, president of Telemundo stations, was reprimanded.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,298908,00.html

[Decker]

In his defense, the affair was "torrid."  What guy wouldn't want to dabble in "torrid" for a little bit?

On the other hand this clown is just a mayor and pretty inconsequential.

[Dos Equis]

In his defense, the affair was "torrid."  What guy wouldn't want to dabble in "torrid" for a little bit?

On the other hand this clown is just a mayor and pretty inconsequential.

  

Not just a mayor.  He's  mayor of one of the largest cities in the country. 

[Dos Equis]

So after all of this, the affair ends.   

L.A. mayor, reporter end their affair, sources say

Robert Durell / LAT

By David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
11:08 PM PST, November 23, 2007
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and television news reporter Mirthala Salinas have ended their romantic relationship, two sources familiar with the situation said Friday.

Months after revelations about the affair damaged the mayor's political standing and devastated Salinas' broadcasting career, the two sources said the relationship disintegrated weeks ago.

Mayoral 'relationship'
"They broke up earlier in the fall. They've both moved on. And Antonio is focused on his relationships with his kids," said one person who said he learned about the breakup in October.

The other source -- who described himself as a longtime friend of Villaraigosa's -- said the relationship ended two or possibly three months ago.

"I think it was a tough summer. I think it was hard on his family. And I think he's trying hard to get past everything that was that summer," the friend said.

Both sources spoke on the condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

Salinas did not respond to requests for comment. Lisa Cohen, who briefly served as a spokeswoman for the anchor last summer, said earlier this week that she no longer represents the former Telemundo employee.

Deputy Mayor Sean Clegg said Friday that the mayor has already "fully addressed" the issues surrounding the end of his marriage.

Villaraigosa and his wife, Corina Villaraigosa, separated in June, weeks before he confirmed that he was romantically involved with Salinas. From the moment it became public, the affair between the mayor and the rising media star had a largely harmful effect on both parties.

Villaraigosa, whose handling of education reform, immigration and public safety were subjects of Salinas' reporting, was dogged by questions about whether his extramarital relationship had distracted him from his policy duties -- and whether he had provided any inside information to the reporter.

Salinas was one of a handful of employees at Telemundo who were disciplined because of the affair.

A rising star in Spanish-language television news, Salinas read on the air the news of Villaraigosa's marital breakup on June 8 without disclosing that she had been romantically involved with the mayor for several months.

Salinas received a two-month suspension for her handling of the situation.

At the end of that suspension, she was reassigned from her post as temporary anchor to a Telemundo bureau in Riverside County.

Instead of returning to her job, she quit.

Asked in September why Salinas didn't show up for work, Villaraigosa said at the time: "I don't have any knowledge about that. I just couldn't tell you anything. I wouldn't have any information."

Revelations about the affair damaged the mayor's credibility in the eyes of some voters, particularly women, said Jaime Regalado, who heads the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles.

With several of his news conferences dominated by questions about the affair, the mayor kept a relatively low profile for two months, staying out of the spotlight as the state Legislature raided $336 million in transportation funds from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Regalado said.

"I think he was hurt by it politically. I don't think there's any question about that," he said.

The affair even raised questions about the mayor's name. "Villaraigosa" is a merger of his name, Antonio Villar, and his wife's maiden name, Corina Raigosa. Although the mayor's wife filed divorce papers in June, Villaraigosa said he would not change his name back.

Villaraigosa has sought to regain his political footing since Labor Day, introducing into his speeches the notion that he has made mistakes but will continue to work hard for the city. That theme was echoed, to some degree, in an e-mail sent Friday by his top spokesman.

"The mayor has repeatedly expressed his profound regret and apologized," wrote Clegg, the deputy mayor.

"He is focused on doing the job people hired him to do: leading the city forward on the tough issues of public safety, traffic and school reform."

Despite all the publicity the relationship garnered, Villaraigosa and Salinas were rarely seen in public once the affair was known. Most prominently, they were caught on video in August shopping for shoes together at a mall -- images that were broadcast on the celebrity gossip website TMZ.com.

In the video, the mayor greeted the shopper who taped him using his camera phone. Salinas moved out of the way to avoid being seen.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mayor24nov24,0,7160693.story?coll=la-home-center

[Dos Equis]

Divorce is not final and dating another reporter who covered him.   


L.A. mayor is dating local newscaster
Lu Parker is a general assignment news reporter and weekend anchor for KTLA Channel 5.
Villaraigosa has been seeing Lu Parker of KTLA Channel 5 since March. An affair with another newscaster broke up his marriage two years ago.
By Phil Willon
June 2, 2009

A Los Angeles television reporter is dating Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, about two years after his extramarital affair with another local newscaster led to the breakup of his 20-year marriage.

KTLA-TV Channel 5 reporter Lu Parker, a former Miss U.S.A., has been dating Villaraigosa since March, station officials confirmed Monday. On Sunday, while working as a weekend anchor, Parker announced a story about the likelihood of Villaraigosa running for governor in 2010.

"Now that we're aware of the relationship, she will no longer be covering local politics," said KTLA-TV news director Jason Ball, who defended the journalist's ethics but declined to elaborate. "I have the utmost faith in Lu Parker's abilities."

The mayor's spokesman, Matt Szabo, said he would not comment on Villaraigosa's personal life.

Villaraigosa is separated from his wife, Corina. Their divorce is not yet final.

Indications of the relationship were made public early Monday on the NBC Channel 4 L.A. news website, which posted a story about Villaraigosa and Parker browsing in a Larchmont bookstore over the weekend.

The report included a snapshot of the two inside Chevalier's bookstore with the mayor casually dressed, wearing shades and having a laugh.

"Witnesses say they did not hold hands or kiss, but appeared very chummy," the NBC Channel 4 story said. "Parker was seen touching the mayor's chest and stomach while they spoke. She was also seen looking at a book about Kenya and overheard saying to Villaraigosa, 'We should buy it for our trip.' "

Villaraigosa's spokesman said the mayor has no official overseas trip planned.

Parker did not respond to requests for comment.

Station officials said she had a limited number of interviews with Villaraigosa while working as a reporter in October and November.

"There is no concern as to the ethics whatsoever," said Don Corsini, general manager of KTLA-TV, which like The Times is owned by Tribune Co. "As far as I'm concerned, it's a personal matter."

Parker's own website contains a video clip of her interviewing Villaraigosa on election night in November about President Obama's election. Her site also includes a photograph of her interviewing Villaraigosa for another story.

During KTLA-TV's 6:30 p.m. newscast Sunday, Parker read a story about doubts raised about Villaraigosa's potential bid for governor.

Villaraigosa's affair with Telemundo KVEA-TV Channel 52 reporter and anchor Mirthala Salinas in 2007 also raised a conflict-of-interest question and created a firestorm of publicity that tainted his first term in office.

During his successful campaign for reelection this year, Villaraigosa continually apologized for the affair.

Salinas, who as a political reporter had covered such mayoral initiatives as his effort to gain control of the Los Angeles Unified School District, later quit after she was suspended for two months and reassigned by Telemundo to the station's Riverside bureau.

Sue Otto, who owns Chevalier's Books, told The Times that Villaraigosa and Parker were looking over books displayed outside the store before walking in together Sunday.

"He's been in before, but I didn't recognize her," Otto said.

When the pair walked in, authors Elizabeth Ford and Daniela Drake were signing copies of their new book, "Smart Girls Marry Money: How Women Have Been Duped Into the Romantic Dream -- and How They're Paying For It." The two authors invited the mayor and Parker over, Otto said.

"They gave her a copy," Otto said.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-villaraigosa2-2009jun02,0,312871.story