Have Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger cut a backroom deal? According to comments heard on a segment from KFI's John Ziegler (filling in for John & Ken), under this scheme in exchange for Arnold supporting Tony's effort to gain control over the Los Angeles Unified School District, Alcalde Villaraigosa will offer only limited support for Phil Angelides.

Arnold will term out in 2010, and then it's time for Tony to try to become the first former MEChA leader to become governor.

Arnold signed the bill giving Villaraigosa a large degree of control over the LAUSD earlier this week. And, consider this earlier report:

After months of hesitation, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday [September 5] endorsed fellow Democrat Phil Angelides for governor, saying the state treasurer would best promote school improvements in California.

...Villaraigosa's public embrace of Angelides on education comes late in the campaign, after he won approval in the state Legislature for a bill giving him unprecedented control of the nation's second-largest school district, a plan Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he supports.

The mayor was widely believed to be withholding his endorsement of Angelides as he sought greater control of the troubled Los Angeles Unified School District. That plan won narrow legislative approval last week and Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has said he will sign the bill.

Neither Villaraigosa nor Angelides specifically mentioned the LAUSD bill Tuesday as they appeared together before more than 100 supporters at a BART station. Villaraigosa also avoided direct attacks on Schwarzenegger, confining his remarks to education.

From last month, see the article subtitled "Developers make big plans for Westside, write big checks for Antonio". His "Committee for Government Excellence and Accountability" raised over $1 million for his LAUSD efforts:

Although Villaraigosa is one of the Democratic Party's rising stars, more than half of his committee's funds came from many of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's biggest contributors. Univision executive Jerry Perenchio, who gave Villaraigosa’s school committee $500,000, has spent nearly $6.4 million in the last 18 months on Schwarzenegger, the California Republican Party and the governor's various ballot initiatives.

For background on the LAUSD from one perspective, see this.

I don't know if this backroom deal was actually made, but considering Arnold's other moves I consider it somewhat plausible. Hopefully someone who's more familiar with local politics will weigh in, but based on everything else that's happened I think a protest vote for either Phil Angelides or Art Olivier is the best option.