Hayden Sets the Stage for Mayoral Run

Taking his most serious step yet to challenge Richard Riordan’s reelection, state Sen. Tom Hayden this week sent out about 1,000 copies of a pamphlet titled “Why Run for Mayor of Los Angeles,” a manifesto in which he lambastes the incumbent and lays the groundwork for a liberal candidacy, most likely his own.

Hayden insists he has not made a decision about whether to seek the city’s top elected post in 1997. But he said he is exploring the idea and plans to form an official committee Monday to comply with a state law that requires anyone who spends more than $1,000 on an exploratory campaign to register the effort. The pamphlet encourages readers to invite Hayden to speak to community groups.

“Whether I ultimately run or not, I definitely want to impact the race and make sure that there is competition out there,” Hayden, a ‘60s war protester turned legislator, said Friday. “I’d like to turn the guessing game [of who’s running] into a discussion of the real issues.”

In the 15-page booklet that was sent marked “Personal and Confidential” to City Hall politicos and local activists, Hayden vows that he would be a “mayor of the neighborhoods.” He attacks Riordan on his record at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and on expanding the police force and promoting business, saying he is beholden to special interests and helps only the rich.

“No one has played the conductor’s role on the gravy train more than Richard Riordan,” Hayden wrote in the pamphlet. “While spending billions on boondoggles, the mayor has been inattentive to the needs of the inner-city. . . . Sometimes it appears that the only group the mayor seems to target for full employment is consultants.”

Riordan chief of staff Robin Kramer said a Hayden candidacy would give voters “a stark and sharp and well-defined choice.” She questioned why Hayden lives in Santa Monica if he wants to govern Los Angeles.

“Usually you live where you want to be the mayor. Usually,” she said.

(The senator said he has long been looking for a place to move.)

Other rumored candidates include City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas and Rep. Howard Berman (D-Los Angeles).