Earthquake in LA- Villaraigosa on the Job

Don't worry, Wolf. I got it under control, right boys?"


In case you have not heard yet, the greater Los Angeles area had a 5.8 earthquake today. Although it was felt in Orange County, I didn't feel a thing since I was driving my car. I was listening to Al Rantel's radio talk show when he began telling the audience and the guy he was talking with on the telephone about it. As of this evening, there was minimal damage and apparently no injuries.

Any time there is big news coming out of LA, the city's empty suit, playboy mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa is usually good for a few laughs, and today was no exception. Today, he was being interviewed over the phone by CNN's hapless Wolf Blitzer. The mayor reassured Blitzer that everything was fine in the city, that he had been briefed by all his emergency response people, that he was in touch with everyone he needed to be in touch with and he had a handle on everything. (I am paraphrasing, which is always a good idea when reporting anything Villaraigosa says.)

At this point, a breathless Blitzer asked the mayor where he was when the earthquake struck. (At the risk of digressing, I am reminded of watching CNN International at the time of the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan. The CNN anchor was speaking by phone with an American man who claimed to be in Kobe and was relating details of the earthquake. Then the anchor asked the man where he was when the earthquake struck, and his answer was, "I was lying across Howard Stern's lap, and he was spanking me."

But, of course, I digress. Villaraigosa, when asked the same question, told Blitzer, "Uh, ...well, I was uh, where I am now, in London on vacation."

Of course, Villaraigosa is a well-traveled man, who usually is out of town, most recently having criss-crossed the country as Hillary Clinton's national campaign co-chairman. When LA had last year's Immigration demonstration fracas, the mayor was conveniently in El Salvador, possibly guessing that trouble was on the way.

At any rate, don't worry. LA is fine-thanks to its illustrious mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, who is "on the job".