Villaraigosa went on to attend East Los Angeles College,[6] and eventually transferred to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1977.[7] At UCLA, he was a leader of MEChA, an organization that seeks to promote Chicano unity and empowerment through political action. At this time, he went by the name "Tony Villar" but began using his birth name, Antonio, in the 1980s.[3] After UCLA, Villaraigosa attended the Peoples College of Law (PCL), an unaccredited law school that promotes labor union causes in Los Angeles. His desire to practice law has been prevented due to his repeated inability to pass the California Bar Exam, which he has failed four times.[8] After PCL, he became a field representative/organizer with the United Teachers Los Angeles. He later served as president of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Federation of Government Employees.[9]
