In the 1st 100 days, a million photo ops

If James K. Hahn was Los Angeles’ Invisible Man, Antonio Villaraigosa seems to be its media Zelig -- everywhere, in every frame. Unlike Zelig, though, he’s been front and center at every turn over the last 100 days.

He has:

* Posed on Venice beach for a Newsweek cover.

* Hung out with Geena Davis on the red carpet at the premiere of “Commander in Chief.”

* Appeared with Andy Garcia at the nomination news conference for the Latin Grammys.

* Posed for Time magazine (looking very solemn at City Hall).

* Traveled to Washington, D.C. (twice), to meet with lawmakers on homeland security issues. Received a rock star’s reception.

* Been a fixture at fairs and rallies, and says he’s signed on to be the first “non-celebrity” grand marshal of the Hollywood Christmas Parade.

* Demonstrated a love for heavy equipment, operating a paving machine on Burbank Boulevard in North Hollywood and drawing at least a half-dozen television cameras to the dedication of a giant tow truck.

* Ridden (on an LAPD horse named Tom) with neighborhood leaders in Chatsworth.

* Sailed with a crew of teenagers and their grandparents on Los Angeles’ official tall ship in the city’s port.

* Ridden the Red Line after the London subway bombings.

* Taken the Gold Line to Union Station for a news conference. And he sang happy birthday to a delighted 10-year-old he met on the train.

* Appeared as himself on ABC’s “George Lopez” show (it airs next Wednesday).

* Become an opening-night fixture, showing up for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Center Theatre Group’s “Dead End” (he had to leave early to appear on his regular segment on KCAL Channel 9).

* Met with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during a two-day trip to Sacramento. He brushed aside suggestions at a news conference later that he might run for governor next year.

In short: Villaraigosa seems well on his way to becoming the most photographed, televised and interviewed chief executive in city history.

It may be the right approach at the right time, said Brown University political science professor Darrell West, author of the book “Celebrity Politics.”

“We’re living in a media era,” Brown said. “Politicians who are able to turn themselves into celebrities are able to attract even greater publicity.

“That helps them raise money, which helps them become more efficient politicians. Everything is intertwined: Media, money and celebrityhood.”

When he went on jury duty, it was front-page news. When JetBlue Flight 292 made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport two weeks ago, Villaraigosa was on the scene, taking reporters’ questions and serving as unofficial spokesman for the plane’s media-shy pilot. And, as the Topanga brush fire gained speed last week, he rushed to the scene, becoming the first public official to go on air assuring residents that the city would fight to save their homes. Since taking office, he has logged more than 250 public appearances (his staff has lost count). His picture has appeared in the Los Angeles Times 35 times (twice as much as his predecessor during his first 100 days).

And it’s not all glitz and glad-handing; he’s thrown himself into serious matters with equal speed. He comforted the mother of a toddler killed by police in a gunfight, and he urged calm after police allegedly beat Nation of Islam Leader Tony Muhammad.

He called for a meeting at Jefferson High School to defuse racial tension among students, and he ordered the city to open its emergency operations center after the London transit bombings.

The last time there was this much visibility by a mayor in Los Angeles, it was 1973 and Tom Bradley was new in office. “L.A. has been waiting a long time for an activist mayor,” said veteran political consultant Rick Taylor. Even Hahn has noticed all the attention his former nemesis is getting. (He recently lamented to Los Angeles Daily News columnist Rick Orlov, dean of the City Hall press corps, that no one cared when he went on jury duty.)

It takes two to be a media darling, of course. Broadcast reporters say that a telegenic and talkative guest like Villaraigosa “cameras well.”

“It’s like he gets energy from being on television,” said Linda Breakstone, political reporter for CBS 2 News. “I’ve seen him walk into a room and see TV cameras and light up.... Now, one can say it’s a good quality not to be afraid of the cameras. It’s a way to connect with voters.”

But, she said: “It can cut both ways.

“Is he constantly out there at the expense of doing his job? We don’t know. We have to give him a chance to be mayor for a while.”

Of course, in L.A. there are celebrities and celebrities. The mayor has yet to make much of an impression on the paparazzi.

Ask celebrity photographer Steven Lenahan how much a photo of Villaraigosa goes for and he’ll ask, “Antonio Villa-ra-who?”

“Oh, he’s the mayor?” Lenahan said. “And you want to know what a photo would go for? Probably nothing. We had nice pictures of Arnold in Speedos on the beach and no one cared about that. People are mostly interested in female celebrities and what they are wearing.”

Villaraigosa insists he is not making appearances for media attention; he says he does it because he loves being around people. “I’ve always been nervous in front of big crowds. So now what I do, I go into a crowd and talk with people and shake their hands and I get good energy from them. And it calms me.”

He bristles when the question of overexposure comes up.

“I think it’s important early on and throughout my administration that I’m present. People expect you to be there. This is a job that requires you to throw a lot of balls in the air.”

He said he has made good on his campaign promise to visit “every neighborhood in the city.”

“People want to see their mayor, they want to see him in their neighborhood. It’s something I heard throughout the campaign.... I told people, you’ll see me in every neighborhood. You’ll see me so many times you’ll get tired of seeing me.”

So is anyone getting tired yet?

“There is a thin line between grandstanding and not being there enough,” said Joe Cerrell, longtime political consultant. “Right now, I think he is handling it very well.... I’ve heard people discussing how long he can keep up the pace, but he’s on a roll.”