His wife had just left him 2 weeks ago...filed for divorce...

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa confirmed Tuesday that he is in an ongoing relationship with a television reporter, three weeks after sidestepping questions about whether he was involved in an extramarital affair.

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The mayor, who is in divorce proceedings, made the disclosure at sometimes tense news conference where he pleaded for privacy and insisted his relationship with Telemundo newswoman Mirthala Salinas would not interfere with his job.

"I have had a relationship with Ms. Salinas over time. It has evolved, and today I have acknowledged that relationship," said the mayor, who announced his separation from his wife, Corina, last month.

"I don't believe that the details of my personal life are relevant to my job as mayor," he said, speaking to reporters after attending a downtown swearing-in ceremony for school board members.

Confirmation of the affair comes three weeks after Villaraigosa took responsibility for his crumbling marriage but declined to answer when asked if he was romantically involved with a woman other than his wife.

Villaraigosa's first public comments on the affair veered from subdued to testy. At one point, responding to what he called an "outrageous" question, the mayor said Salinas is not pregnant.

The recent disclosures, coming at the midpoint of his four-year term, run against the mayor's once carefully honed image as a devoted family man who promised a new era of transparency and integrity at City Hall.

But in a famously permissive city - and in an age when some presidential candidates are in their second or third marriages - it was not immediately clear if the political fallout would be more than temporary.

Villaraigosa was considered a likely candidate for governor in 2010, but his unsettled personal life and uneven term in office could diminish those expectations.

"Even in a tolerant city such as Los Angeles, extramarital affairs are not good for one's career," said political scientist John Pitney, who teaches at Claremont McKenna College. "It definitely causes him damage."

Villaraigosa, speaking in Spanish, suggested that the disclosures would not impact his relationship with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate he endorsed in May.

"Look, divorce is not positive, but it is what it is. Sen. Clinton will want me to focus on my job and on launching her candidacy," he said.

Peppered with questions about his personal life, the mayor said residents want a mayor focusing on education, crime and traffic congestion. When asked if his private integrity had a bearing on his public integrity, he said, "I believe that the vast majority of people base their sense of trust on what you do in your public life."

The relationship was first disclosed by the Los Angeles Daily News, which said the mayor acknowledged his involvement with Salinas after being told a story would be published on the affair.

Salinas once covered the mayor as a political reporter. Villaraigosa said about a year ago the relationship "had grown to a point where it was necessary to inform her management that she shouldn't cover me. ... They agreed."

Telemundo spokesman Alfredo Richard told the newspaper that Salinas moved off the political beat, which includes coverage of the mayor, about 11 months ago.

Her move to backup anchor and general correspondent was intended as an expansion of Salinas' responsibilities at the station, he said.

As anchor, she read an on-air report on the mayor's separation.

Another spokesman, Victor Franco, did not return phone calls Tuesday.

In court papers, Corina Villaraigosa cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for ending their marriage.

She seeks spousal support and primary physical custody of the couple's 14-year-old daughter, Natalia, with visitation terms to be worked out with the mayor, according to the filing.

They also have an 18-year-old son, Antonio Jr., and the mayor has two adult daughters from previous relationships.

Corina Villaraigosa declined comment Tuesday through the mayor's office

I'm going to need a photo of that newswoman

oh damn

NDRU said:

Here she is apparently. Not bad at all.

NDRU said:

http://www.peopleenespano...80,00.html


Mirthala Salinas interviewing Antonio Villaraigosa in 2005.

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[Edited 7/3/07 17:07pm]

retina said:

I don't think telemundo hires anyone that's less than gorgeous

where's the scandal in this or did I miss it?