Just like his father, Villaraigosa’s family life falls apart

Chris Weinkopf writes:

By now, everyone knows the story: Antonio fell in love, got married, settled down and had children. He named the boy for himself – Antonio Jr. But Antonio’s interests and his heart lay elsewhere. Eventually, he left the marriage and his family, and took up with another woman.

I write not about Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, but his father, Antonio Villar.

When Antonio was 5 years old, his dad left home, devastating his young son. Compounding the injury, Villar would go on to start a new family, with a new son, who, like Antonio, was nicknamed Tony.

Antonio would see his dad but a few more times, ever. The abandonment left scars that, by his own testimony, lasted a lifetime. It also fueled a cycle of familial breakdown, culminating in Villaraigosa’s admission last week that, caught up in an adulterous affair, he was leaving his family, too.

Fortunately, this is where the similarities end.