The Real Latino Caucus

Three of the most prominent and powerful Latino politicians in Los Angeles are in Sacramento this week. They are newly elected mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who only months into his first term is already heavily bantied about as a gubernatorial candidate, the president of the City Council Alex Padilla, a young and ambitious Angeleno who held the reins of LA after 9/11 and won kudos for his work as emergency acting mayor, and city attorney Rocky Delgadillo, another ambitious Angeleno would officially announced today his candidacy for attorney general. The three together (along with Speaker Fabian Nunez) form the base of the future of Democratic Latino leaders in California. Villaraigosa is the hottest new name in the state. Padilla is gearing up for a run for State Senate (challenging incumbent Cindy Montanez)—and he is only 32 years old. And Delgadillo just announced his candidacy to challenge a California institution—current Oakland Mayor and former Gov. Jerry Brown. They may not all succeed in the near term. They may not all succeed ever. But right now they are all in town, feeling out the foreign waters of Sacramento, where they hope to eventually reside (except Villaraigosa, who already served as Speaker of the Assembly).