In Rick Orlov's weekly Daily News column on City Hall and local politics, today he touches on the Democratic presidential race and Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, who has recently been criticized for his time away from the city to campaign for Hillary Clinton. He defends his out-of-town moves and talks about what happens if Clinton loses:

"Look, if you're a big-city mayor and you want money from Washington, you have to get involved in these things," Villaraigosa said last week. "I hear the critics. But I would be criticized even more if I don't deliver for the city."

And if Sen. Barack Obama is the eventual Democratic nominee, Villaraigosa said, he will campaign just as hard for him.

"We have two good candidates," Villaraigosa said. "I support Hillary, but if Obama is the nominee, he will do a great job."

And to that, Orlov reports that the mayor said "he plans to be there for Clinton throughout the campaign." And as to more traveling to cheerlead Clinton? "So far, neither the mayor nor any of his political staffers have been called on to head to Pennsylvania or any of the other states with primaries and caucuses coming up -- although they are on call to possibly go to Florida if there is a decision to hold a new election there."

Also, the mayor's approval rating has gone up according to a survey conducted by students at Loyola Marymount University's Center for the Study of Los Angeles.

AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian