In the final debate before next week’s primary, the five major candidates for Los Angeles mayor turned their attention to the nuts-and-bolts problems of planning, housing development, traffic and dealing with the homeless.
The 90-minute debate, held Monday at CBS Television studios, featured L.A. Mayor James Hahn and challengers Richard Alarc & #243;n, Robert Hertzberg, Bernard Parks and Antonio Villaraigosa. The five agreed on many of the issues and, for the most part, refrained from personal attacks, each concentrating on proving to voters that he was the candidate most able to get things done.
In one of the few heated exchanges, Hahn referred to Villaraigosa and Hertzberg, both former state Assembly speakers, and Alarc & #243;n, a state Senator, as “Sacramento politicians taking our money.” Villaraigosa, now a city councilman, responded: “I’ve been called worse than a Sacramento politician. I think people deserve more than to play the blame game.” Hertzberg said Hahn was overlooking dollars state lawmakers had sent to Los Angeles and Alarc & #243;n said he agreed with Hahn.
With one week to go before the March 8 primary, the focus now shifts to the television ad blitz, especially among three frontrunners, Hahn, Hertzberg and Villaraigosa. A Los Angeles Times poll released Monday evening showed Villaraigosa leading with 24 percent support, followed by Hertzberg at 21 percent and Hahn with 20 percent, with 19 percent undecided. The top two finishers will square off in a one-on-one runoff on May 17.
Despite the tight grouping, it is unclear whether voters will tune in at all to the primary. To date, the race has been overshadowed by rain and mudslides, and even the Academy Awards. CBS even delayed airing Monday’s debate for 24 hours in order to broadcast a post-Oscar edition of “Entertainment Tonight.”
In the debate, Villaraigosa also challenged Hahn’s claim that the city’s affordable housing fund contains $100 million, citing an L.A. Times analysis. Hahn stuck with the figure; Villaraigosa insisted it was less than half that amount.
Hahn’s most forceful comments came on the issue of illegal immigration, where he said employers are exploiting illegal immigrants by inviting them to work for subpar wages.
Hertzberg said Los Angeles was not living up to its potential with Hahn as mayor and reiterated his proposal to break up the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Parks, the former police chief turned councilman, hewed to his pro-business message of cutting red tapes to allow developers to build market rate housing, while Alarcon stuck with his themes of giving neighborhood councils more power and his initiative to ban contributions from companies and lobbyists with business pending before the city.
