VILLARAIGOSA SET TO DELIVER SPANISH RESPONSE TO BUSH.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

Tapped to deliver part of the Democratic response to President George W. Bush's State of the Union speech next Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa says he hopes to deliver a message of hope to the nation.

``This is a great honor - I am the first local official to give a response like this in Spanish,'' Villaraigosa said Friday. ``And, I agreed to it on two conditions. First, that I would have full editorial control and, secondly, that I would give a message of hope.''

The mayor is still developing his response, which will be taped sometime Tuesday at a Los Angeles location yet to be determined, aides said.

``I do not expect to be critical of the president,'' Villaraigosa said. ``Instead, I want to talk about the hope and opportunity this country has to offer.''

The Democrats' English-language response is being given by newly elected Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine. The responses will air after Bush speaks at 6 p.m. PST.

The national spotlight may be one of the brightest so far for Villaraigosa, who has begun to emerge as a national figure since his election last July as the first Latino mayor of the city in 133 years.

Villaraigosa is a lifelong Democrat with strong national ties and many party connections from his years as Assembly speaker and as co-chairman of the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

This week, he was in Washington, D.C., where he was named chairman of a Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Late last year, he was one of the featured speakers at the funeral of civil rights leader Rosa Parks.

``We are proud to have Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa delivering the Spanish-language response this year,'' Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a prepared statement announcing the news last week.

``Mayor Villaraigosa is working hard to increase economic opportunity and provide affordable and quality education for the people of Los Angeles. As the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles in more than a century, we are proud to have his diverse voice within the party.''

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com