Gonna Fly Now!

Now that Los Angeles has inaugurated a new Mayor, it looks like California's Election 2006 is already underway.

Just yesterday, Los Angeles City Attorney Rockard J. Delgadillo took the oath of office for his second and final term. However, before the last inka-dot was even dry on the votes Rocky got in the city election, he was already planning his next step - running for Attorney General of the State of California. Indeed, he was well underway in his goal of raising $1 million for the statewide race, a goal he achieved just the other day.

Delgadillo is a rising star in the Democratic party and was the first Latino elected to a citywide post in Los Angeles in over 100 years. He grew up in the Highland Park section of northeast Los Angeles, went to Harvard, and even played in the NFL for a while. Many feel that Rocky is part of a new generation of Latino politcians that will achieve even greater power than any of their forebearers.

Before becoming Attorney General however, Rocky has to first get the Democratic nomination and there he faces a controversial but formidable opponent - former California Governor and current Mayor of Oakland, Jerry Brown. Brown for sure has his detractors from his days as "Governor Moonbeam" and fighting Howard Jarvis. But that was a long time ago and Brown has acclompished much as Oakland's Mayor. He still espouses many of his liberal, new age philosophies, but at the same time his experience in Oakland has made him a tough as nails crimefighter.

Others running for the spot include Republians Rod Pacheco and Chuck Poochigian. Most pundits are saying its Brown's race to lose.

Rocky is not known well outside of Los Angeles and the fact that he filed for the office only eight days after winning re-election as City Attorney may not sit well with LA voters. To top it off, looming for Rocky is a potentially embarrassing and messy lawsuit in which a former Assistant City Attorney accuses Delgadillo of allowing top deputies to rig an investigation of a hostile work environment claim within the City Attorney's office.


By the way, even though Rocky already has raised a cool million, we hear the fundraisers continue. The Latino Professionals Network reports that a cocktail reception fundraiser for Rocky, sponsored by various local attorneys, will be held at LA's Jonathan Club on July 13th. Minimum entry is $250 a pop.