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The Torristas and Molinistas is a term used to describe a political feud in Los Angeles, California, in the latter part of the 20th century. Derived from the names of the two main leaders, Art Torres and Gloria Molina, the term is akin to the Montagues and Capulets or the Hatfields and McCoys.

Background
Eastside Los Angeles generally refers to neighborhoods east of the Los Angeles River that are predominantly Mexican American, including the neighborhoods Boyle Heights, El Sereno, and Lincoln Heights. Although the area was predominantly Mexican American, they had little elected representation in any legislature.

The area's first Latino politician was Ed Roybal, who was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1949 by a coalition of Latino, Jewish, and Black voters, with support from the Community Service Organization, founded two years earlier by community activists. The district Roybal represented, the 9th district, spanned from the Eastside down to South Los Angeles. After winning an election to become a U.S. Representative, Roybal supported the appointment of Gilbert W. Lindsay, an African-American, to his seat.

By the 1970s, Mexican Americans had started being elected to the State Legislatures, with Alex P. Garcia being the first from Los Angeles in 1968. Two more Mexican American men from Los Angeles were elected to the California State Assembly: Richard Alatorre to the 48th district in 1972 and Art Torres to the 56th district in 1974. This gave the two men a power base in Eastside and Latino politics in Los Angeles, and they would become co-architects of the Eastside political machine.

California State Legislature
In 1981, the districts of the California State Assembly were reapportioned based on the 1980 United States census, with the 56th State Assembly district being redrawn. In November 1982, Latino candidates held a closed-door meeting to decide who would run for the seats. It was decided that Assemblymember Art Torres would run for the 24th State Senate district against Alex P. Garcia, Richard Polanco would run for the 56th Assembly seat vacated by Torres, and Assemblymember Matthew G. Martínez and former UNESCO ambassador Esteban Torres would run in two congressional districts. Gloria Molina, a former aide to Torres, Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, and President Jimmy Carter, approached Torres and Alatorre about running in the 56th Assembly District. However, she was told that Polanco was the chosen candidate and that she should not run. Despite this, Molina decided to run anyway, defeating Polanco in the Democratic primary and winning the seat. This victory established her own power base and created a path for other Chicanas to follow, but also created a rift between her and the Eastside politicos.

Los Angeles City Council
Since Roybal's departure, there had been no other Latino members on the Los Angeles City Council. In 1983, Arthur K. Snyder was nearly forced into a runoff by Steve Rodriguez. Despite losing, Rodriguez's challenge highlighted weaknesses in Latino politics, as Torres and Roybal both endorsed Snyder, citing Rodriguez's lack of Democratic Party credentials. Rodriguez later led a recall against Snyder the next year, and although Snyder survived, he resigned in 1985. In 1986, Richard Alatorre won the 14th district seat, ending the absence of Latino council members and marking a political shift.

That same year, the Reagan administration sued the city for violating the 14th and 15th Amendments by limiting Latino representation on the City Council. In response, the city, led by Alatorre, proposed adding two Latino seats, but Mayor Tom Bradley vetoed the plan. Another opportunity for a Latino-centric district arose with the death of 1st district councilman Howard Finn, with the district redrawn to encompass the Eastside area. Molina ran in a special election to replace him, winning and taking office on February 3, 1987, giving the City Council two Latino council members. While on the council, Molina feuded with Alatorre before Molina was elected to the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors in 1991. Alatorre stayed in the City Council until 1999. That year, Molina and Alatorre endorsed two separate candidates for the 7th district, with Molina supporting Corinne Sanchez and Alatorre endorsing Alex Padilla.

Other races
In 1992, state assemblymember Xavier Becerra ran for Roybal's seat in the 25th congressional district following Roybal's retirement. Endorsed by Molina, Becerra defeated Los Angeles Board of Education member Leticia Quezada, who was supported by Torres. Observers saw this as another proxy war in the ongoing feud between the Torristas and Molinistas. The next year, Antonio Villaraigosa, a representative on the Metro Board of Directors appointed by Molina, won an assembly seat in the 45th district.

In June 1994, Molina endorsed state assemblymember Burt M. Margolin against Art Torres in their race for Insurance Commissioner. The ensuing campaign was described by the Los Angeles Times as mudslinging, with article author George Ramos stating, "Politics may be politics, but these folks need to grow up."