The feud, concentrated in Eastside Los Angeles, began with the election of Art Torres and Richard Alatorre, whose supporters were called "Torristas."

The rivalry between the politicians began after the 1981 reapportionment, when Gloria Molina, then an aide, ran against Richard Polanco in the 1982 State Assembly election.

[1] In 1949, a coalition of Black, Jewish and Latino voters elected Mexican-American Ed Roybal to the Los Angeles City Council with support from the Community Service Organization.

[11] Supporters of Art Torres and Richard Alatorre, part of the Eastside political machine, called themselves Torristas and were described as favoring "expensive suits, blunt words, fancy dinners, and backroom deals."

[13] In 1986, Richard Alatorre won the 14th district seat, ending the absence of Latino council members and marking a political shift.

In response, the city, led by Alatorre, proposed adding two Latino seats, but Mayor Tom Bradley vetoed the plan.

The next year, Molina and Torres both decided to run for Los Angeles County Supervisor, with both of them placing in the primary and going into a head-to-head runoff.

Endorsed by Molina, Becerra defeated Los Angeles Board of Education member Leticia Quezada, who was supported by Torres.

"[28] In the 2001 race for Mayor of Los Angeles, the internecine nature of the feud became evident as Becerra and Villaraigosa, both products of the rival factions, competed to advance in the primary.

[29] During the race, a phone advertisement supporting Becerra featured a woman posing as Gloria Molina and criticized Villaraigosa's record on crime.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the last prominent figures from that era were Supervisor Hilda Solis and Xavier Becerra, who later became the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.