Mayor and wife to split

Remember back in February when Mayor Villaraigosa summoned the Times to Getty House to deny blogger Luke Ford's report that his marriage was kaput? Curiously, Corina was not part of the, uh, staging that night. Well, today the mayor announced that the couple is separating. The Times reports that Corina and the two children will remain at Getty House for now and that Antonio will move back to the Mount Washington home; the Daily News says Villaraigosa will talk about it at a press conference on Monday. Here's the release:

VILLARAIGOSA ANNOUNCES SEPARATION

LOS ANGELES - Today Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced that he and First Lady Corina Villaraigosa are separating after more than twenty years of marriage.

"Each of us loves our children more than anything in the world, and we are committed to working together for their benefit,* Mayor Villaraigosa said.

"I ask that the media and the public respect our privacy through this painful period of transition."

The New Yorker profile of Villaraigosa by Connie Bruck last month revived chatter about the mayor's previous separation, following an extra-marital affair during his first campaign for Assembly. Coverage of today's news at the Times, Daily News, DN opinion blog, Luke Ford