Last Debate Sullied by Mudslinging

The contentious race for Los Angeles city attorney continued its slide into mudslinging Monday at the final scheduled debate between incumbent James Hahn and challenger Ted Stein at Cal State Northridge.

Hardly a minute had elapsed in the event before Hahn, making his opening statement, connected Stein to disgraced Clinton administration official Webster Hubbell and reminded the audience that his opponent owes $46,000 in back property taxes.

“Ted Stein is simply unqualified to be city attorney,” Hahn said. “He has spent the last 20 years as a real estate attorney, and his only experience as a lawyer is in defending himself against lawsuits.”

Stein was quick to respond, accusing Hahn of flip-flopping on his support of charter reform and tacitly encouraging sexual harassment in the city attorney’s office.

Stein, an Encino attorney and real estate developer, is in an uphill race against Hahn, a 12-year incumbent and the son of longtime Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn.

Hahn has the support of Democratic politicians such as Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee.

Stein, former president of the Los Angeles Airport Commission and onetime senior policy advisor to Mayor Richard Riordan, has won the backing of the Police Protective League and Sheriff Sherman Block.

Stein said Hahn is beholden to the City Council and obstructs Riordan’s attempts to implement new policies. Hahn, he suggested, would be slow to implement changes recommended by an elected charter reform commission because of his relationship with the council, whose members have favored an appointed commission.

“He’s Mr. Fixit,” smoothing over problems to keep council members and other supporters happy, Stein charged.

Hahn denied the claims, saying he supported “both elected and appointed” charter reform commissions.

Stein criticized Hahn for offering out-of-court settlements in some lawsuits against the city, saying taxpayers would foot the bill for an anticipated $70 million in such agreements next year.

That money, he said, could be used to fund the Police Department.

Suing the city, Stein said, is better than playing the lottery, because it’s a sure thing that you will win--”and you don’t have to wait 20 years to get all your money.”

He criticized Hahn for listening to the advice of his deputies about which suits to settle and which to take to court, saying that the city attorney should be independent of everyone--even his own employees.

Hahn defended the settlements. “It’s not right to give away money, but we have many cases where the city has done something wrong,” he said. “When we’ve done something wrong, we should pay.”

Hahn said he only agrees to a settlement when legal experts believe it would be very difficult to win in court and a jury verdict would be higher than an out-of-court agreement.

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Hahn accused Stein of hiring Hubbell, who was convicted of fraud in the Whitewater scandal, on the sly after he resigned as associate U.S. attorney general.

Hahn claimed Stein hired Hubbell as a lobbyist and failed to submit invoices to pay him until after the former Clinton administration official was convicted of defrauding a Little Rock, Ark., law firm. Stein replied that he had hired Hubbell honestly on the recommendation of Hahn’s onetime campaign manager. Hubbell, he said, helped the Airport Commission win permission to transfer $58 million from the airport to the city’s general fund.

The two men will face each other in municipal elections April 8.