Antonio Villaraigosa's first on-air thirty-second ad of the runoff campaign is out. The theme is his commitment to education. Villaraigosa mentions that his wife is a teacher (but not that his kids attend a private Catholic school) and draws a vague contrast with Jim Hahn:

For four years now, my opponent sat on the sidelines. But education is so important, a mayor has to get involved. I’ll work for smaller classes, expanded pre-school, and more parental involvement.

See it here.

In the Business Journal, Howard Fine takes a first crack at sizing up who might have key roles in a Villaraigosa administration. “His closest advisers aren’t all of the same ideology and they often have conflicting agendas,” says Jimmy Blackman, chief of staff for Villaraigosa’s City Council office. “In many cases, the only way these people know each other is through Antonio." Fine's roster (with his identifiers) includes, in the order mentioned:

Fast-food entrepreneur Andrew Cherng
Mortgage king Roland Arnall
Labor activist Maria Elena Durazo
Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez
City Councilman Martin Ludlow
State Assemblywoman Karen Bass
County Supervisor Gloria Molina
Former city commissioner and now campaign volunteer Cynthia Ruiz
Attorney and lifelong friend Jesus Quiñones
Blackman
Deputy Chief of Staff Lisa Sarno
Policy consultant Jim Bickhart
Tansportation guru Nick Patsaouras
Former DWP chief David Freeman
Labor attorney and activist Larry Frank
Former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan
Bob Hertzberg
Attorney and frequent city commissioner Lee Kanon Alpert
Former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros
City Councilmember Jack Weiss
Former state Assemblyman Richard Katz

Says Blackman: "When he has an idea he wants to run by someone, he reaches for his Trio (combination cell phone/Palm Pilot) and calls them up."