Front-Runner Hayden Denounces Mailers

City Council candidate Tom Hayden denounced a trio of attack mailers Wednesday: one by rival Jack Weiss that described him as an ineffective state legislator, a postcard by the National Rifle Assn. giving him an “F” grade on gun issues and a call for his defeat by a group of landlords.

As a front-runner among 11 candidates in Tuesday’s election for Los Angeles’ 5th District seat, Hayden has become a target of attacks that have forced him to defend his 18 years in the state Legislature.

The mailer by Weiss, a former federal prosecutor, said that 83% of the bills Hayden wrote in the state Senate failed to pass or were vetoed, and charged that Hayden’s eight years in the Senate “were a failure.”

Hayden defended his record through a spokesman, saying he won passage of more than 175 bills and budget items, including measures to assist the cleanup of Santa Monica Bay, to require schools to tell parents about campus performance, including graduation rates, and to require child safety locks on firearms.

Hayden’s record on gun issues was a target of a separate mailer this week by the National Rifle Assn.’s Political Victory Fund to 20,000 association members in Los Angeles. The group gave Hayden, rival 5th District candidate Constantina Milonopolous and candidates in other city races Fs for pushing for gun control.

“I have always fought against the radical gun lobby, and I will continue to do so as a member of the City Council,” Hayden said.

Hayden also denounced a mailer by the Apartment Assn. of Greater Los Angeles that asked its 5,500 Los Angeles members for contributions for a campaign to defeat Hayden.

Calling Hayden “the architect of Santa Monica-style rent control,” the letter from association executive vice president Charles Isham warned Hayden might seek additional regulation and inspections of the housing industry.

Isham’s group plans to send another mailer that endorses three other candidates in the 5th District--Sherman Oaks businessman Ken Gerston, Westwood homeowner leader Laura Lake and Sherman Oaks political consultant Jill Barad.

“The landlord lobby is trying to defeat me because, in their own words, I support enforcing laws to protect renters from harassment, and I support inspections of substandard housing,” Hayden said.

SPLIT VOTE: Mayor Richard Riordan may have endorsed Weiss in the 5th District election, but it appears the only vote coming out of his household for the race may go to another candidate, West Los Angeles businessman Steve Saltzman.

Riordan’s wife, Nancy Daly Riordan, has given her endorsement and a $500 campaign contribution to Saltzman, according to a representative.

The mayor’s wife and Saltzman served together on city commissions dealing with children and poverty, Saltzman said.

The Riordans are sharing Nancy Daly Riordan’s Bel-Air home, which is in the 5th District, but the mayor never changed his voter registration from his Brentwood mansion, which is in the 11th Council District.

It is not the first time Riordan and his wife have disagreed in an election. Riordan is a Republican and his wife is a Democrat.

NEW TWIST: Look for a forest of neon pink, green and orange signs to spring up on lawns in the Mid-Wilshire district this week touting the candidacy of anti-graffiti activist Joe Connolly for the 5th Council District race.

Connolly’s new strategy has already ruffled the feathers of a few area residents.

Instead of asking residents for permission before planting a sign in their lawn, Connolly has sent fliers to area residents telling them they need to notify him if they do not want a lawn sign.

If the homeowner does not respond, he or she will get one of about 2,000 signs planted in his or her lawn.

About 150 people have called Connolly to say they don’t want a lawn sign.

“Three of them were not so nice. They took the flier the wrong way,” Connolly said. “They thought I was trying to bully them into taking a sign, but if you saw the flier, there is no way you can read it that way.”

DISAPPEARING ACT: Over in the west San Fernando Valley’s 3rd Council District, the problem isn’t too many signs, it is the disappearance of signs.

Council candidate Francine Oschin filed a written complaint with the city Ethics Commission this week alleging that unnamed opponents tampered with her campaign signs.

Griped Oschin: “It is very disturbing to have my lawn signs torn down and destroyed on a nightly basis.”

TIMING IS EVERYTHING: As the race for city controller rounds its final lap, Councilwoman Laura Chick is far ahead of her opponents in both fund-raising and voter support as measured by a recent Times poll.

But in the week before an election, it’s always prudent to get out in front of the cameras as much as possible. Chick plans to hustle out there today at a morning news conference to present a “ceremonial check” to the city’s Department of Transportation.

The $750,000 in state funds was actually awarded in June, as part of the annual budget of Gov. Gray Davis. The money was included at the behest of Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg (D-Sherman Oaks) and will be used to upgrade 25 dangerous intersections citywide, including nine in the Valley.

So why all the hoopla now--including a photo op of traffic footage at the nettlesome intersections--when the state money was awarded more than nine months ago and the work isn’t scheduled to begin until July?

“Everything is ready to go, but many details had to be worked out,” said Chick spokesman Steve Meister, declining to elaborate. “Better to take time in advance and make sure things will be done right.”

John Fisher, DOT’s assistant general manager, said the news conference was called by Chick, and that his department’s job is simply to provide the facts about the intersection upgrades, which include new left-turn signals.

“We do report to elected officials,” Fisher said. “And they live in their world and we live in our world. Our role is to provide for improved traffic safety.”