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One year has passed since Antonio Villaraigosa was sworn into office as the 41st mayor of Los Angeles, and in that time the L.A. native has begun work on improving homeless services in the city, but has also received criticism for his proposals regarding public education.

A Democrat who grew up in East Los Angeles and the city’s first Latino mayor in 130 years, Villaraigosa promised during his campaign to be a catalyst for change.

As he began his term, Villaraigosa said he would concentrate his efforts on issues such as transportation, economic development and education.

Though he has lived up to certain public expectations and has carried out plans of what he originally promised a year ago in his platform, the Los Angeles Unified School District has been his most harsh critic in reforming public education.

In the last year, Villaraigosa banned construction during rush-hour traffic, saw the decline of citywide violent crime by 14 percent in 2005, and required all city employees to sign a statement of the type of ethics one should live up to as a Los Angeles employee.

In the area of economic development, Villaraigosa focused on removing Los Angeles’ label, “the homeless capital of the United States,” by focusing on providing affordable housing for both low-income families and the homeless.

Villaraigosa established the Permanent Supportive Housing Initiative, which funds $50 million “to rehabilitate supportive housing linked with services to assist homeless individuals and families,” according to a report from the Office of the Mayor.

Though planning efforts have begun in areas such as Skid Row, the mayor’s office admits they have not yet seen tangible results since these actions require more time than Villaraigosa has been in office.

“The money has been dedicated to the purpose, but this is an area where Villaraigosa has not (done anything) other than talk,” said Chuck Happold, assistant director of Saint Vincent’s Cardinal Manning Center, a shelter for the homeless in Skid Row.

But Happold acknowledged that Villaraigosa is moving in the right direction and understands the process is “not something that could happen overnight.”

In addition to actions he has taken regarding the homeless and low-income families, Villaraigosa has turned his attention to abandoned animals in the city.

Charlotte Laws, president of the Directors of Animal Welfare, praised Villaraigosa’s proactive strides for animal rights so far, especially with his proposal to stop the killing of animals at city and county animal shelters.

Though Villaraigosa has succeeded in mapping out solutions to some of the major issues of his mayoral platform, one of his most important and ambitious goals – namely, his attempt to have complete authority over LAUSD – has been unsuccessful because of the school board’s opposition.

Villaraigosa later proposed a compromise in the form of Assembly Bill 1381, an agreement between the mayor and the United Teachers of Los Angeles that would shift substantial authority from the school board to the mayor and his approved superintendent.

Villaraigosa said he believes his proposal would add accountability to the LAUSD and improve the quality of teaching.

Under Villaraigosa’s plan, schools would be in charge of their individual curriculums and the school board would be in charge of most student achievement. The mayor would control poorly performing schools.

Yet Roy Romer, the superintendent of LAUSD, said in an opinion article in the Los Angeles Times late last month that he believed Villaraigosa’s plan would only cloud existing accountability and make management more fractured and therefore less efficient.

“Education reform is about establishing clear lines of accountability, raising expectations, improving the quality of teaching and the curriculum, and providing the training and support that educators need,” Romer wrote.

“The mayor’s compromise with the teachers’ union not only fails to accomplish these goals, it threatens to undercut many of the reforms we’ve put in place,” he said.