Front-Running Woo Draws Fire From Foes : Politics: Other mayoral candidates attack him over his district’s problems and his campaign practices.

After months of campaigning, Los Angeles mayoral candidate Michael Woo is beginning to find that front-runner status has its drawbacks.

This past week--at candidate forums and other events--the 13th District councilman has been broadsided for his district’s problems and his campaign practices. And the criticism was in plain view Thursday--a day that began with an attack from one rival and moved on to an equally acrimonious luncheon debate.

In politically powerful West Los Angeles, home to rich contributors and a host of activists, Woo and six other top mayoral candidates jockeyed for support at a debate sponsored by the Westside Urban Forum, an association of builders, architects and others active in the real estate industry and land-use issues.

During the 90-minute forum, Woo took several shots from his rivals before leaving to attend another event. His abrupt departure, though explained in advance to event organizers, led some to speculate privately that Woo was unable to take the political heat.

Of that, there was plenty.

Early in the debate, when Woo said he would personally direct the city’s post-riot reconstruction as mayor, Councilman Joel Wachs attacked Woo’s ability to attend to his own district.

“My God, look at Hollywood. It’s a sewer,” Wachs told the audience. “That’s not what we need for the rest of the city.”

Later, Nate Holden said he and other council members recently chastised Woo for asking Los Angeles Police Chief Willie L. Williams to publicly outline his plans to protect the city at the end of two emotionally charged trials: the first resulting from the beating of Rodney G. King by four police officers and the other stemming from violence inflicted upon trucker Reginald O. Denny.

Likening Woo’s action to encouraging the disclosure of military strategy in wartime, Holden said Woo may not have understood the potential damage of his request because he never served in the military. “I think he was one of the guys who refused to go,” Holden said, drawing groans of disapproval from the crowd.

Interestingly, the barbs at Woo almost overshadowed the fact that he did not fare as well during the debate--at least based on applause--as several other candidates, among them businessman Nick Patsaouras, Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Panorama City), and Wachs.

At a West Hills candidate forum Wednesday, Woo’s rivals also sniped at his lucrative campaign fund-raising, suggesting that his practices have been less than honorable.

Woo, who did not attend the Temple Aliyat debate, disclosed this week that his campaign had collected $887,000, making him by far the most successful fund-raiser in the 52-candidate field.

Multimillionaire attorney Richard Riordan began the bashing by reminding the audience that Woo has requested $333,500 in public funds to subsidize his campaign.

Nor could Holden resist a few digs. He suggested that it has been improper for Woo to solicit campaign contributions from people in other cities who have no stake in Los Angeles. He referred to Woo’s raising money from Asian-American communities around the country.

Early Thursday, Julian Nava, former U. S. ambassador to Mexico and onetime Los Angeles school board president, attacked Woo as racially insensitive for favoring shorter hours at the Hollywood Palladium--a popular dance venue for African-Americans and Latinos--where police and others have complained of recent violence.

A spokesman for the Woo campaign dismissed the attack as “desperate demagoguery.”

“When Julian Nava says Mike Woo is ignorant of the lifestyles of blacks and Hispanics, he shows his own ignorance,” said Garry South.

Times staff writer Greg Krikorian contributed to this story.