Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: Getty Images PhotoJune 8, 2010, may seem like a long time from now, Democratic candidates for California governor already lining up. Here's the rundown.

The leading candidate for governor used to be Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, but for the past year, Mayor A.V. has been in a political funk caused by a combination of personal pecadillos and poor staff work that has strained his relationship with both the City Council and the media.

In a stunning announcement, City Hall sources revealed that Marcus Allen told Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa that he will not be accepting the City’s #1 Staff Position.  Despite having assurances that the votes for his confirmation were in place, the Mayor’s office did not do the job that needed to be done to rally support for the compensation package that Allen needed.  It was rumored that Allen required 290k to take what is arguably the toughest job in Los Angeles (with apologies to Police Chief Bill Bratton). This salary was comparable to what CAO’s in smaller cities throughout Southern CA earn and is on par with what County CEO (and former City CAO) Bill Fujioka commands.

Term-limited Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez has no place to go in elected office for at least two years, so he is talking up the possibility succeeding Art Torres as Chairman of the California Democratic The job suits Nunez’s skills as a fundraiser, but it is doubtful that he will be able to justify the foreign travel and French wines that he has enjoyed while serving as Speaker. 

Veteran politico Joe Cerrell didn’t look good when the Central City Association recently honored him as one of their “Treasures of Los Angeles” but Wally has learned that Joe is not suffering from Parkinsons’s Disease, as has been rumored. Joe apparently had a second heart bypass and it’s taking him awhile to recover. Hang in there Joe.

Los Angeles City Hall is buzzing with word that lobbyists throughout the City have received calls from Assemblyman and former 5th District Councilman Mike Feuer that he is seriously considering another run for City Attorney.

For those with short memories, Feuer lost the City Attorney’s race to unknown Rocky Delgadillo. Some blame the loss on Feuer’s arrogance (you can always tell a Harvard man – you just can’t tell him anything) while others blame the failure of his consultant to strike a deal with powerful Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ to appear on her slate card.  Whatever the reason, Rocky won and became the worst City attorney since…(Wally’s memory isn’t what it used to be and can’t remember a worse CA).

Former Fleishman Hilliard Exec Doug Dowie has surfaced and is working at Marathon Communications.

For those who don’t know, Dowie is an ex-Marine and an editor at the Daily News who became one of Los Angeles’ most powerful public relations execs. He led the FH office when it had close ties to former Mayor Jim Hahn’s administration and the firm held some significant contracts with the City and the Dept of Water & Power.

Dowie was accused and subsequently convicted of padding the firm’s bills and FH repaid the City a considerable sum of money.

Everyone knows that Zev means Wolf, but how many people know that Yaroslavsky translates into hypocrite. The Los Angeles Times Opinion section ran a piece about the powerful County Supervisor and former Los Angeles City Councilman as being the “undeveloper”.

Interestingly, virtually everyone who travels the Wilshire Corridor, or almost anywhere else on the Westside of Los Angeles, is bogged down in traffic primarily caused by Zev Yaroslavsky as “the over-developer”. During most of his dozen or so years on the Council, Zev allowed more high-rise development and high density housing than any Councilmember in memory. Nor did he care that all of the housing he created catered to the rich and the super-rich. Only rarely did he work hard for market-race or affordable housing. He also stopped the building of a subway line from downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean. A mass transit necessity for all of Los Angeles, especially those who babysit the children and clean the toilets of the super- wealthy who Zev helped build housing for.

Now that Daily News Managing Editor has been given the axe, many Valley leaders are wondering if his next stop might be the City Council seat now held by Greig Smith.

Smith has told many people that despite his being able to run for a 3rd term in 2009 that he plans to retire to teach at USC and enjoy his pension from his many years of working for the City. Smith’s COS, Mitchell Englander, has been considered the heir apparent, following in Smith’s own footsteps -- he was Hal Bernson’s longtime COS.

LA City Councilman Herb Wesson passed up what many consider to be a “walk in the park” opportunity to run for L.A. County Supervisor when Yvonne Burke announced her retirement.

The former California Assembly Speaker appears to have his sights set on becoming President of the City Council, either nudging aside current President Eric Garcetti, or perhaps pushing him aside might be a better phrase.

Some people say that this is the first step in Wesson’s greater scheme, to become L.A.s 2nd African American Mayor.

Former CA Governor Jerry Brown gave a broad hint at the Democratic convention that he’s OK filing lawsuits as California’s current Attorney General, but he wants more…and that more is probably going to be a return to the Governor’s chair in 2010.