Villaraigosa's new girlfriend needs to read the book on him

As far as I can recall, my wife has never touched my chest while at Chevalier's bookstore on Larchmont Boulevard. And if she ever touched my stomach while browsing there, it was probably not an amorous gesture, but rather a reminder to either suck in my gut or shed some weight.

Maybe that's because we've been together for 15 years, unlike Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his new girlfriend Lu Parker, who is, of course, a TV reporter.

He definitely has a type, and this one is not just a TV personality, but a former Miss USA.

NBC Channel 4 reported on their physical contact at the bookstore, but I can also imagine them walking hand-in-hand from Chevalier to the mayoral mansion, talking about world peace.

In what seems like an unmistakable case of de ja vu all over again, the mayor has put another female TV journalist on the defensive. We can only hope, for Lu Parker's sake, that a fling with the mayor doesn't send her into career exile, which is what happened to Mirthala Salinas of KVEA-TV.

Already there are ethical questions, given that Parker allegedly began dating Hizzoner in March, and on Sunday, as weekend anchor, Parker read a story on air about whether her boy toy would run for governor. She also has a video clip and photo of Villaraigosa on her website.

I don't know Parker, although we work for the same rascals, but I would strongly urge her to call Mirthala Salinas for some quick counsel. After the mayor was done with Salinas, she ended up in the Riverside bureau and he ended up talking about a run for governor, so the mayor may not understand the concept of equity in a relationship.

As far as I know, KTLA does not have a Riverside bureau, so there are not a lot of safe landing spots for Parker should she and the mayor break up, although with a Miss USA title after her name, she could probably catch on at one of the dancing or singing shows as a judge.

As for KTLA, general manager Don Corsini told the Times, "As far as I'm concerned, it's a personal matter."

Is it? Seems to me that if she's dating the mayor, she shouldn't be within six miles of a story about him, especially now that we're all stuck on the image of her touching his chest and stomach in a bookstore.

According to Channel 4, Parker was overheard looking at a book about Kenya and said to Villaraigosa, 'We should buy it for our trip.' "

All I can say is, "Stop, in the name of love."

Is this a honeymoon? A vacation? A junket sponsored by L.A. taxpayers?

We've got to have all the answers and we've got to have them fast.

This mayor has not exactly set the world on fire, and a big part of the problem has been a lack of focus. He was all over the country stumping for Hillary Clinton, and as a second mayoral term begins, there's already speculation that he might ditch the city to run for governor.

Given all the problems in L.A., from a massive budget deficit to a teacher revolt at the high school he attended and later took control of, can he -- no, can we -- afford another distraction?

For an ending, I can't do better than the ending in today's published story by Times reporter Phil Willon. He noted that when Villaraigosa and Parker were in Chevalier, two authors were signing copies of their book, "Smart Girls Marry Money: How Women Have Been Duped Into the Romantic Dream."