Mayoral Hopefuls Try to Stand Out From Crowd

The men and woman vying to be Los Angeles’ next mayor struggled to distinguish themselves in the crowded field of candidates during a low-key forum Friday before an audience of about 300 business leaders.

Even as they all attempted to carve out their own niches, the five leading candidates who attended the noontime round table hosted by the Rotary Club at a downtown hotel often echoed one another’s words, underlining the challenge they face if they are to break out of the pack before the April 10 primary.

As a gathering of business people and civic leaders listened politely, the mayoral hopefuls talked about the need to improve the transportation system, address housing costs and lower the crime rate to attract more businesses to the city. They agreed that empowering the new neighborhood councils is vital, and that morale needs to be improved in the Los Angeles Police Department. They all promised to bring experience and accountability to the job.

“We all have the same vision,” businessman Steve Soboroff joked at one point. “You dial 1-800-VISION, and you get the vision.”

Most of the major candidates are spending December fund-raising and building support for their campaigns; the full-fledged mayoral race is not expected to take off until next month. Friday’s forum, however, provided a glimpse at how the half-dozen candidates angling to replace Mayor Richard Riordan hope to win.

State Controller Kathleen Connell cited her business expertise, referring to the “shareholders” of Los Angeles and promising to focus on “customer service.”

Connell, the last to throw her hat into the ring and the only woman running, lashed out at the city leadership over the Rampart police scandal, calling it “a failure of all of City Hall.”

Soboroff, meanwhile, emphasized his outsider credentials, calling himself “a doer . . . not a career politician.” The only Republican in the race, Soboroff has received Riordan’s endorsement, and is trying to replicate the formula Riordan used to win election in 1993 and 1997.

On Friday, Soboroff compared frustrated residents in the Valley and other neighborhoods who are threatening to secede from the city with people kicking a change machine because it gave them only two quarters for a dollar.

“What we’ve always lacked here are the implementers, the people who get things done,” he said.

Former state Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa struck a conciliatory tone, saying Los Angeles’ primary challenge will be “how we keep this city together.”

“A mayor doesn’t have a magic wand,” he said. “The only thing a mayor does and has is a bully pulpit: the ability to inspire the city to engage.”

Rep. Xavier Becerra repeatedly cast himself in the mantle of accountability. “You read the newspaper and what to you hear and what do you see?” he asked. “Rampart, Belmont, strike after strike, the MTA. A great city, yet inside it sometimes looks like we’re falling apart. We need someone who will deliver.”

“The buck stops with me,” he said.

City Atty. James K. Hahn played up his experience, saying, “This isn’t the time for on-the-job training.”

“My whole history has been someone who knows how to work with elected officials,” Hahn said. “I have experience doing that in City Hall. I have experience getting things done that way.”

The sixth major candidate, City Councilman Joel Wachs, did not attend Friday’s forum because of a scheduling conflict. The liveliest exchange Friday came after a question about whether the candidates support the City Council’s recent decision to consider banning the Boy Scouts from using city parks and facilities because the organization prohibits gay Scout leaders.

Villaraigosa cited his experience in one of the Boy Scout troops on the city’s Eastside, but nevertheless said that he would have backed the council’s decision “with a heavy heart.”

“This is not something I would have liked to have done,” Villaraigosa said. “But I know this. I know this city has to stand up for the proposition that all of us are included.”

Hahn agreed, saying, “Gay and lesbian kids ought to have the opportunity to participate as well.”

Becerra spoke of his father’s experience of seeing signs on restaurants that read “No Dogs or Mexicans Allowed,” but said nevertheless he would seek another solution.

Connell was more equivocal, saying she would have liked to work with the Boy Scouts “to give them an enlightened view” on how to be more inclusive.

Soboroff, however, drew the most applause when he said: “The answer to your question is no.”

As the chairman of Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles, Soboroff said he would threaten to quit if gay men were not allowed to participate. But, he said, denying the Scouts facilities for their activities is “adult quibbling . . . taken out on children.”