Does Mayor Villaraigosa Deserve Re-election?

LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appears headed for re-election, opposed by nine virtual unknowns, none of whom can raise enough money to mount an effective campaign. But one resident of the San Fernando Valley says he's "at best a mediocre mayor" presiding over a city "fading rapidly toward irrelevancy."  The Los Angeles Times has endorsed the Mayor's re-election, but only after remarking that Villaraigosa is "presiding over a city that, even before the recession hit, lacked the buoyant civic spirit that so many voters expected the new mayor to spark."