On Tuesday, March 4, the voters of the City of Los Angeles will again participate in the every-other-year process of selecting half of our governing City Council. This year, there are races in the even-numbered council districts, in the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th and 14th.

Our active, enthusiastic and visible participation in these local elections is significant for us, both as a union and as concerned voters in the electoral process (of course, our involvement in state and federal elections is equally important, but for now our focus is concentrated at Los Angeles City Hall, specifically on the City Council). When candidates and office holders see a politically active union like Local 18, and know that our members work in campaigns and vote, they know that we are a force to be reckoned with in municipal politics.

While all seven races are important to us, in two of them-Council Districts 10 and 14-long-time, proven friends of organized labor and the working men, women and families it represents, are running. Both Martin Ludlow (in the 10th) and Antonio Villaraigosa (the 14th) deserve the votes and all-out support of every IBEW Local 18 member and family.

Before we get to the details of each election, review the candidates, and focus on our friends, Brothers Ludlow and Villaraigosa, a few words are in order about why the make-up of the City Council is so important to us. While only registered voters in the contested districts can vote in this particular election, it is important that every Local 18 member know about the candidates and their stands on issues that affect our jobs, families and futures.

The City Council and Local 18

We care about who sits on the City Council for a number of reasons:

First, in the time-honored and generally successful tradition of organized labor, we support our political friends and oppose our foes at every opportunity. This applies to partisan campaigns, non-partisan races (like the City Council), and ballot initiatives-at every level of government.

Second, we work for a public entity, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. It is a simple, yet stark, fact of life that the City Council, representing the people of this city, takes a deep and continuing interest in not only how DWP serves the public, but how its employees serve the Department and are compensated for their work.

Third, the City Council helps set the tone for governing the City of Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest metropolis. With a simple majority of votes on the council (eight out of 15), the members can pass significant pro-union, pro-working people legislation that touches on every field: municipal-union contracts and jobs; spending priorities; housing; health and welfare; transit; ethics; law enforcement, and recreation and the arts. The council has a major say in determining the quality of life for all of us in Los Angeles.

Conversely, that same pro-union simple majority can defeat the kind of legislation and thinking that harms the interests of working people and families. Further, a two-thirds majority on the City Council (10 out 15 votes) can override a mayoral veto. Remember, just a few years ago, pro-business Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan was at the height of his political power and would try to veto pro-union legislation, or to push proposals that were detrimental to our Union, the DWP or the best interests of working people and families. That's when we had to rely on a "blocking coalition" of council members who saw things our way.

Fourth, pure politics. Depending on who is the mayor, and where he or she stands on issues that are important to us, the City Council can either be our ally in passing good legislation, or it can be a buffer against a hostile mayor-blocking the worst of his or her proposed anti-worker agenda. We are fortunate to have pro-labor Mayor James Hahn in office, and he has generally worked well with our allies on the City Council. It is also worth noting that the City Council is a proving ground, so to speak, for elected officials who want to go on to City Hall, the state legislature or even the federal Congress. On the council, we get to see how they react to our campaign support, if they honor their promises. We also get to see the beginning of their public voting record on unions and the issues that are important to us. We start to understand how they would vote in the future, at any level, and we can think about whether they deserve our support. In a real way, the City Council is a political-testing laboratory.

Focusing on Brothers Ludlow and Villaraigosa

In the 10th City Council District-largely the Crenshaw-South Central part of Los Angeles-our candidate, and the overwhelming choice of organized labor is Martin Ludlow. Brother Ludlow is opposed by several other people in the race to succeed out-going veteran City Councilman Nate Holden. While some of his opponents are worthy individuals, Martin Ludlow is clearly the best person for the position-from our point of view and for the city as a whole.

Ludlow has a proven record of supporting organized labor and the agenda of working people and families. While he has not held public office, we can see from his professional resume that he is solidly pro-union and would be a strong supporter of our local legislative priorities. He served as a staff member for the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. The County Fed, of course, is the political and policy voice (and active arm) of organized labor throughout Los Angeles County and, as such, has become a significant "player" in local politics. With his background of service there, Brother Ludlow clearly understands the workings of organized labor at both the local union level, and as a cohesive, pro-active political and social force in Southern California. His commitment to the issues we cherish is unswerving and grounded in his core beliefs.

Following his years at the County Fed, Ludlow worked for then-State Assemblymen Antonio Villaraigosa, one of organized labor's strongest and most effective friends in Sacramento, and also a candidate for City Council this year (see below). In his service to Brother Villaraigosa, Ludlow was his principal liaison to organized labor and the office point man on a variety issues that mean a lot to working people and families: housing; health and welfare; education; transit; schools, and public safety. With his record of public service and policy experience, Martin Ludlow is clearly the best choice for the people of the 10th Council District, the members and families of Local 18, and the city at large. Every Local 18 member in that district should vote for Ludlow on Tuesday, March 4, and try to get as many friends and neighbors as possible to join in supporting him.

In the 14th City Council District-covering much of East Los Angeles-our candidate, and also the near-unanimous choice of organized labor, is Antonio Villaraigosa. Brother Villaraigosa, along with another candidate, is challenging the incumbent City Councilman in the 14th District. For us, the choice is crystal clear: Villaraigosa is far and away the best candidate for the area, for our Union, and for working men and women throughout the City of Los Angeles.

A lot of candidates for political office-at all levels of government-are fond of telling union leaders and members that they are "pro-labor all the way, and will be a true friend to us." This is all well and good, and certainly very important, worthy and welcome, but even better is that rarer candidate who not only is a friend of labor, but is also one of us-someone who has worked in the union movement and now wants to help advance our interests in elected office.

Brother Antonio Villaraigosa is just such a candidate. He has come up from the ranks of organized labor. He was an organizer with the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) and with Local 1000 of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). In addition, Villaraigosa was a member of the Association of Federal Government Employees (AFGE) and served as Shop Steward, Chief Steward and President of the union. He knows unions inside out and understands our agenda and goals, as well as the need to fight hard on behalf of our members and families.

Elected to the California State Assembly in 1994, Brother Villaraigosa proved to be a strong and reliable friend of organized labor and working families. Working with our legislative advocates, he helped steer important IBEW-backed legislation through the Legislature and onto the governor's desk for signing, and he helped block adverse bills that would have harmed our interests. His pro-labor voting record, and his support for the range of issues we value, is exemplary. His leadership has been strong and valuable, and he has always had an open door-and mind-concerning our local and state-wide IBEW representatives and their agenda.

Brother Antonio Villaraigosa will be an outstanding and effective City Councilman for the 14th District, for organized labor, and for all the people of Los Angeles. He deserves the enthusiastic support of every Local 18 member and family living and voting in his district, as well as your friends and neighbors.

The Other City Council Races

Second District: Incumbent City Councilmember Wendy Greuel is unopposed in the March race.

Fourth District: Incumbent City Councilman Tom LaBonge, a friend of labor and, especially, of Local 18, is virtually unopposed, and will be re-elected to another term.

Sixth District: Former State Assemblyman Tony Cardenas faces only token opposition in his bid to replace Ruth Galanter on the City Council. We have worked with him in the past.

Eighth District: Former LAPD Chief Bernard Parks has a commanding lead in name recognition, popularity and money in the race to succeed Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who has gone on to the State Assembly.

Twelfth District: This is a highly contested election. Organized labor is supporting Los Angeles School Board Member Julie Korenstein in the race to succeed long-time Councilman Hal Bernson. Opposing her are veteran Bernson aide and City Hall insider, Greig Smith, and former State Assemblymember Paula Boland, both of whom are more conservative than Ms. Korenstein.

That's the line-up for the March municipal elections. We are putting our main effort into the campaigns of Brothers Martin Ludlow and Antonio Villaraigosa, both of whom have earned our support and will be our friends on the City Council. Of course, when labor supports someone in a campaign, that is no guarantee that he or she will turn out to be a strong ally and reliable vote, but usually we pick wisely, and in the case of Brothers Ludlow and Villaraigosa, we could not pick better.

As noted above, not every Local 18 member and family can vote on March 4: some of you live outside of the City of Los Angeles, and some of you live in the odd-number council districts that are not being contested this year (they will be up in 2005). Perhaps some eligible voters in the key races are not registered; this is unfortunate and short-sighted. It really does matter who is in office, at all levels, and we, as concerned and aware members of Local 18, should be registered to vote in all elections. If you are not registered, please do so; you can call the Los Angeles Country Registrar of Voters (562/466-1310). The last day to register for the March municipal elections is Tuesday, February 18.

Our votes count. Who we elect is important; it affects our jobs, our union, our families and our future. Local 18 does its very best to make the issues and candidates known to you so that you can cast an informed vote when it counts. Please be sure to vote for the labor-endorsed candidates on Tuesday, March 4.

In unity,

BRIAN D’ARCY, Business Manager