Survey boosts mayor

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa received some good news Monday in his re-election bid, with an exit poll of voters from the Nov. 4 election saying they approve of how he is doing his job and plan to vote for him next March.

Researchers from the Thomas and Dorothy Leavy Center at Loyola Marymount College University surveyed more than 2,200 voters and found 61 percent approved of the way Villaraigosa is doing his job.

Support for the mayor came from all areas of the city and across ethnic lines. His largest support came from Latino voters, at 73 percent. He also received 50 percent approval among African-Americans.

In the San Fernando Valley, the mayor had a 58 percent approval rating.

The survey also found that Villaraigosa was the choice of 81 percent of those questioned, with developer Rick Caruso, who has since decided against running, at 10 percent, attorney Walter Moore at 3 percent and the rest undecided.