Bitter Rivals Trade Barbs

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn and challenger Antonio Villaraigosa assailed each other’s ethics and leadership abilities Sunday in a bitter debate that brought the rivals’ stylistic differences into sharp focus.

Each argued that he was the better choice to hire more police, fix schools and bring jobs to the city. The fireworks in the nearly hourlong exchange came not from policy differences between the two Democrats but from hostile charges of broken promises and failed initiatives.

“We need more than rhetoric to run a city,” Hahn said. “Do you want, you know, a fancy smile and a fancy suit, or do you want somebody who every day rolls up their sleeves and gets stuff done in this city?”

His face as steely as the mayor’s, Villaraigosa also spoke harshly.

“We can’t afford four more years of corruption probes and stagnation,” said Villaraigosa, who lost to Hahn in 2001 before winning a City Council seat two years later. “We need a fresh start.”

It marked one of numerous times throughout the debate that Villaraigosa made reference to federal and county investigations of the Hahn administration.

The debate at the Museum of Tolerance was the third in the runoff campaign.

With a little more than four weeks before the May 17 election, Villaraigosa appears to enjoy a comfortable lead. Last week, a Times poll showed that the councilman, who lost to Hahn by seven percentage points in 2001, leads the mayor by 18 percentage points, and is the favored candidate of likely voters among whites, blacks, Latinos, liberals, moderates, Democrats, Jews and union members.

But few analysts are counting Hahn out. The often low-key mayor is a formidable campaigner who has never lost in six citywide elections.

“We keep hearing these words ‘stagnation’ like nothing has been happening,” the mayor said Sunday. “That means we haven’t added 40,000 jobs, that means we haven’t doubled the production of housing, like we have. That means we haven’t brought crime down by 18%. That means we haven’t invigorated the neighborhood council movement.”

Hahn called his tenure as mayor “a picture of a revolution in city government.”

He also belittled his opponent’s record on the City Council, at one point even altering his voice to mimic Villaraigosa’s response to a question about what he had accomplished during two years representing the 14th District.

“The question was asked: ‘What did you accomplish in two years of being a City Council member?’ ” Hahn said. “Did you hear any great transportation plans? ... No, you said: ‘I brought people together.’ ”

At another point, Villaraigosa chastised Hahn for a lack of openness. He called on him to make public his calendar, as both he and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have agreed to do. And he told the mayor that he should release to the public the e-mails his office turned over to federal investigators.

“There’s not a lot in my e-mails,” Hahn responded.

“There’s not a lot in your administration, Mr. Hahn. That’s why I’m running for mayor,” Villaraigosa retorted.

The men agreed on several points. Both said they want the mayor to be more involved in the Los Angeles Unified School District. And neither favored consolidating the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

But the debate was dominated by accusations of misstatements and distortions between the candidates, who each at times appeared to sneer as the other spoke.

As he did during their first contest four years ago, Hahn blasted Villaraigosa for writing a letter on behalf of a convicted drug dealer, and suggested that it revealed character flaws that render the councilman unfit for the job of leading Los Angeles.

“The only person who has ever violated the public trust was the other guy on the stage,” Hahn said, describing the 1996 letter Villaraigosa wrote to the White House on behalf of Carlos Vignali as “misleading and false.”

Villaraigosa seemed prepared for the attack -- the same one Hahn used to devastating effect four years ago -- and attempted to turn the issue against the mayor. “I wrote a letter nine years ago. I made a mistake,” Villaraigosa said, noting that he “took responsibility for my actions.”

Hahn, he argued, has refused to do that on numerous matters facing the city and his administration.

They also blamed each other for the city’s failure to expand the Los Angeles Police Department -- and sharply disagreed over how safe the city is.

“I’ve never stopping trying to add police officers,” said Hahn, who has made his public safety record a key component of his reelection campaign. He claimed credit for an 18% drop in crime, touted his decision to hire William J. Bratton as police chief and pledged to expand after-school programs and push for a citywide gang injunction

Villaraigosa, however, described a city in far worse shape.

“When you look at this city today, this city is not more safe than it was four years ago,” he said. “Four years ago, Jim Hahn said that ‘I promise to put a thousand new police officers on our streets.’ Four years later, he has failed to keep that promise.”

Hahn countered, saying that Villaraigosa bore responsibility.

“When you had the chance, Antonio, to let the voters vote on saying they wanted more cops on the streets, you voted against it and denied people the right to vote on it,” he said.

At times the men -- who answered questions posed by three panelists and a moderator -- spoke directly to each other, earning rebukes. The moderator also admonished partisan audience members who shouted catcalls.

Hahn blasted Villaraigosa for breaking his promise to serve a full four-year term as a council member -- a vow Villaraigosa abandoned to run against him. He also accused Villaraigosa of changing his position on gang injunctions.

“It is about trust. You can’t tell people: ‘Elect me, I promise to be your council member for four years ... and then break that promise,” Hahn said. “You can’t go to court against the gang injunctions that I was filing as city attorney and then turn around and say, ‘Well, I think gang injunctions are a good idea.’ ”

In response, Villaraigosa snapped: “There you go again, Jim Hahn, mischaracterizing my record.... That’s what you do. You blame everyone except taking responsibility for yourself.”

Even during commercial breaks, the tension between the two men was palpable as they stood rigidly at their podiums, not making eye contact.

The two men have scheduled one more debate for Saturday. It will be held at 10 a.m. and broadcast live on Channel 34.

Times staff writer Jeffrey L. Rabin contributed to this report.