The untimely death of Miguel Contreras on Friday has left a large void for a major player in Los Angeles politics. Where the L.A. labor movement will now head is unclear; such was the significance of Contreras' presence that filling his shoes will be essentially impossible. For the moment, Charles Lester has stepped in as leader of the County Federation of Labor ? yet the future is decidedly uncertain as the local and national labor movement mourns.
See "L.A. Labor Leader Leaves Gap to Fill", Nancy Cleeland, Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2005