Uphill year for mayor

For Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the new year brings with it new hope of emerging from an entanglement of personal problems and political defeats that have all but sidetracked his once-shining political career. Daily News.

But Villaraigosa still faces some grim economic realities as Los Angeles grapples with a slowing economy and a prolonged writers strike that have begun to take their toll on the city budget.

And the mayor and city are facing a high-stakes gamble at the polls in February, when voters will be asked to approve a replacement telephone-users tax - without which the city could lose $270 million.