The California special election defeats for Arnold Schwarzenegger marked a significant reminder that the political muscle of Los Angeles unions is alive and well. Following the untimely death of Miguel Contreras, some observers were unsure how his Los Angeles County Federation of Labor would respond politically. However, in the face of this leadership change and a split in the national-level labor movement, Contreras' successor Martin Ludlow has continued the trend of voter mobilization and key electoral victories.
See "New Labor Chief Shows Mettle in Election Battle", Noam N. Levey, Los Angeles Times, November 13, 2005