LOCAL ELECTIONS / L.A. MAYOR : Clinton Adviser Gives Pep Talk to Katz Campaign Staff

Rolling out the hottest current property in the realm of political consultants, struggling Los Angeles mayoral candidate Richard Katz brought James Carville to town Friday to give a pep talk to volunteers and campaign staff members.

Known as the “Ragin’ Cajun” because of his quick temper and aggressive campaign techniques, Carville--whose fame skyrocketed when he helped Bill Clinton win the White House--turned a kinder, gentler face toward the listeners.

“We’re the kind of serious folks in this campaign,” he counseled the two dozen or so people gathered in Katz’s Van Nuys headquarters. “We’re the change gang.”

Carville, whose participation in the Katz campaign was announced soon after the national election, peppered his speech with references to the Clinton Administration, frequently drawing comparisons between the President and Katz, a Democratic state assemblyman.

“Remember, just about a year ago, everybody was saying Bill Clinton was out of the race.”

He advised the Katz workers to focus on a few messages that can be communicated to the media over and over again, a key element of his Clinton strategy. But he also said that because reporters are always in search of a new angle, the same information must “look and sound different.”

“That’s why you put a little Parmesan cheese and olive oil on spinach,” he said, using the argot of his hobby: gourmet cooking. “The spinach alone might be regurgitated.”

Carville’s characteristic anger flashed briefly when a reporter asked whether the timing of his one-day visit was related to Katz’s showing in a Los Angeles Times poll. Katz garnered 3% of voters surveyed, putting him in fifth place.

No, the poll results had nothing to do with his trip, he insisted, and besides, “the cliche is true: the only poll that counts is the poll on Election Day.”

Although Carville’s appearance was intended to give a psychological boost to the Katz camp, it also raised questions about how involved he is in the campaign. Many of his responses to strategy questions were vague and he acknowledged that he probably will not spend much time in Los Angeles because of other obligations.

Still, themes from the Katz campaign popped up in Carville’s comments, apparently reflecting the near-daily phone conversations with Katz’s campaign manager.

And Carville’s role might increase as the campaign heats up, he said. “Ninety-seven percent of the things that are going to happen in this race haven’t happened yet.”