Mayor, Rivals Try to Inspire Action

From black churches to Jewish delicatessens, five rivals for Los Angeles mayor hopscotched across the city Sunday, offering a mix of promises and promotional stunts as they worked to rally support and rouse the city from its preelection slumber.

Mayor James K. Hahn fired the starter’s pistol to begin the Los Angeles Marathon, then barnstormed the city in a white Winnebago plastered with orange-and-blue reelection placards. At one point, he bumped into rival Bob Hertzberg, who ambushed him over plates of pastrami and corned beef in a Fairfax district deli.

Antonio Villaraigosa attended services at eight predominantly African American churches in South Los Angeles, once sharing a wooden pew with opponent Bernard C. Parks.

Richard Alarcon rallied volunteers at his Van Nuys office before heading to the Panorama Mall, then strolled through a neighborhood in North Hollywood.

“Everything’s about getting the votes out,” Alarcon said, speaking for all five of the main contestants in Tuesday’s vote.

With roughly two-thirds of Los Angeles’ 1.4 million registered voters expected to skip the election, the candidates were struggling to overcome the city’s apathy nearly as much as they were vying with one another. The election is not expected to produce a winner; the top two vote-getters probably will advance to a May 17 runoff. In addition to the major candidates, seven others, none well known, are also on the ballot.

Opinion polls have shown Hahn, Hertzberg and Villaraigosa closely bunched at the top of the pack, with the fiercest competition in recent days between the mayor and Hertzberg, a Sherman Oaks lawyer and former Assembly speaker who appeals to many of the same Valley voters as Hahn.

The mayor was upbeat Sunday as he urged voters over and over to “keep the momentum going” in a second Hahn term. “It’s kind of been a marathon campaign we’ve been involved in, but I feel very strong as we are coming toward the finish,” Hahn said at one point.

After kicking off the city’s big footrace -- and being overshadowed by former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, who joined him on the podium and drew chants of “Ali! Ali!” -- Hahn headed to worship in South Los Angeles, where he visited six churches.

His first stop was the Second Baptist Church, where the sermon was titled “Getting Beyond Our Mistakes.” Speaking to the congregation, Hahn did not ask for votes -- in keeping with typical church protocols -- but urged worshippers to vote Tuesday. He praised church members for their work improving the community.

“The only thing I would ask you to do is keep on keeping on,” Hahn said.

At his second stop, Ward AME Church, Hahn cited the city’s establishment of a $100-million affordable housing trust fund. “We are working very hard to create more housing,” he said.

Hahn also noted that a drop in crime means there were 7,000 fewer victims last year than in 2003.

“We are working very hard with the communities to make the communities safer, because we want them safe for our children and for all the families in our city,” Hahn said. “We’ve made great progress.”

Hours later, Hahn and Hertzberg met up at Canter’s Deli in the Fairfax district, where the challenger sought to present the mayor with a kitchen sink -- the inference being the mayor had thrown everything but that at Hertzberg in recent TV ads.

Hertzberg staked out a place at the front door bearing the basin, decorated with a red bow. “I brought you the kitchen sink, Jim,” Hertzberg told the mayor, who brushed by and ignored his opponent.

The mayor worked the tables with quick handshakes as Hertzberg lurked nearby. When he found his moment, the bulky challenger trapped Hahn in a narrow passage between tables. Hertzberg shook his hand and said, “Hey Jim, can I buy you a corned beef sandwich?”

“Sure,” Hahn said before walking away.

The Canter’s staff was not amused. One waitress snapped at Hahn’s large entourage, “You’re making it hard to get around here.”

Later, the two came within a few feet of each other at Tusquellas’ Seafood at the Fairfax Farmers Market. With the air redolent of fried shrimp, Hahn cast a wary eye on Hertzberg -- and an aide, carrying the stainless steel sink -- but the two did not engage a second time.

“Hertzberg just keeps chasing me. I don’t know what that’s all about,” Hahn was overheard telling a campaign aide.

Earlier Sunday, Hertzberg greeted several dozen campaign workers at his Van Nuys campaign office, exulting in his rise from far back in the polls.

“When this campaign started, you guys, everybody thought I was a blip on the screen,” Hertzberg told the crowd, mostly high school students paid $8 an hour to walk precincts for Hertzberg. “And now they’re talking it’s a tight race. It’s unbelievable.”

Back in South Los Angeles, City Councilman Villaraigosa was mostly an observer during his tour of churches. On the stage at Crenshaw Christian Center, Villaraigosa merely reminded the congregation that Tuesday was election day. His campaign aides, meantime, distributed a booklet offering Villaraigosa’s proposal for improving that hard-pressed section of the city.

At his last of eight stops, Redeemer Baptist Church, Villaraigosa asked worshippers for their prayers should he become mayor.

“I ask for your vote, but I also ask for your prayers because this job is big,” Villaraigosa said. “The challenges facing us are big.”

Inside the red-brick church, Villaraigosa spoke of the struggles in his own life, growing up in a home with domestic violence and alcoholism but overcoming it.

“I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth,” he said, his scratchy voice frequently cracking. “I had to fight for everything I got.”

He sounded a theme of unity. “You’ve heard me say many times, whether I am in Brentwood or Boyle Heights, South L.A. or Sylmar, that a great city is a city where we are growing together, not leaving so many communities behind,” Villaraigosa said.

Across the street from Redeemer Baptist, Villaraigosa and fellow Councilman Parks met up at the Holy Name of Jesus Church, where -- separated by one person -- they shared a pew.

Parks, the former police chief who was pushed out of his job after Hahn withdrew his support -- a move that outraged many in the black community -- received the warmer applause of the two visitors.

The sole African American candidate in the race, Parks decried the predicted turnout of roughly 33% on Tuesday, noting that 67% of the Iraqi people cast ballots in January despite the threat of violence.

“We certainly should not be second to Iraq,” Parks said, recalling when it was illegal for blacks to vote and reminding worshippers that many have died fighting for the right to vote.

Before leaving the church, Villaraigosa and Parks hugged warmly.

*

Times staff writers Mark Z. Barabak and Jeffrey L. Rabin contributed to this report.