Mayoral Campaign Stirred by Indians’ Last-Minute Ads Against Villaraigosa

As the campaign for mayor of Los Angeles entered the final weekend before election day, the race was jolted by the injection of $200,000 in radio ads paid for by the Morongo Indians that attack Antonio Villaraigosa.

The tribe, which runs one of the state’s largest Indian casinos in Riverside County, began airing the radio spots Thursday urging voters not to cast their ballot for the former Assembly speaker. The ads cite Villaraigosa’s request that former President Bill Clinton review the case of convicted drug trafficker Carlos Vignali as well as the lawmaker’s support for deregulation of the state’s electric utilities. Vignali’s sentence was commuted by Clinton on his last day in office.

Villaraigosa said he believes the ads will backfire. “I think most people are disgusted,” he said Friday. He said the ads, targeted for the final days of the campaign, are “negative. They distort a person’s image.”

Villaraigosa refused to assign blame for the ads.

But Villaraigosa campaign consultant Parke Skelton was less circumspect, saying he believed Assemblyman Tony Cardenas--a supporter of mayoral rival James K. Hahn--was the instigator.

Skelton suggested that Cardenas is “the chief legislative water carrier” for Indian tribes that have successfully pushed to expand Indian gaming in California.

Cardenas vehemently denied any knowledge or involvement with the Morongo Indians’ campaign against Villaraigosa. “With all due respect, I don’t carry people’s water,” he said.

A spokeswoman for the Native American group said Cardenas was not involved with the advertising in any way.

With recent polls showing Hahn, Villaraigosa and Steve Soboroff locked in a close contest, the campaign rhetoric remained supercharged.

Skelton said it is Hahn who is “benefiting from a smear campaign against Antonio.”

Hahn sought to distance himself from the latest controversy involving money in the mayor’s race--the most expensive in the city’s history. Hahn announced that he sent a letter Friday to the Morongo Indians urging them to immediately stop running the anti-Villaraigosa ads.

“This campaign for the mayor’s office of Los Angeles and the election should be decided by the people of this city, not by third-party interests,” Hahn wrote. “. . . Let the voters decide this election based on the campaigns run by the candidates themselves.”

Candidates Report Raising $1.1 Million

But at a news conference Friday, Hahn was confronted by Ace Smith, campaign manager for Soboroff. Smith also alleged that the only candidate in the mayor’s race who stood to benefit from the negative ads was Hahn.

Meanwhile, Waltona Manion, spokeswoman for the Morongo Indians, said the group has no intention of halting the radio advertising against Villaraigosa.

The hue and cry over the latest advertising came on a day when the campaigns were required to detail the record-setting amounts of money that have been raised in the hottest mayor’s race in eight years.

As the campaign built to a crescendo, five of the major candidates reported raising an additional $1.1 million, pushing total fund-raising in the race to well over $17 million.

Spending on television ads, mailers, precinct walking and other activities drained campaign reserves in recent days.

Villaraigosa was the strongest fund-raiser between March 25 and April 4, collecting $408,313. Unions from across the country were major contributors to his campaign, which had slightly less than $180,000 on hand Wednesday.

City Councilman Joel Wachs also saw a surge in contributions, raising just under $300,000. But he spent heavily and had $39,464 available.

Hahn raised $231,105 in the latest period, leaving his campaign with just under $200,000.

Rep. Xavier Becerra raised $88,559 and began running his first television commercials on major stations other than Spanish-language TV. Becerra had $108,475 on hand.

State Controller Kathleen Connell raised the least amount of money, $60,900, in the latest period, leaving her with $137,587 available. Campaign consultant John Shallman said Connell shifted her focus away from fund-raising to make more time available for campaigning and dealing with the state’s energy crisis.

Soboroff’s final preelection report was not immediately available.

Fund-raising and spending also continued at a furious pace in contests for city attorney and city controller.

Deputy Mayor Rocky Delgadillo raised an additional $60,067, bringing his total to $839,268. He reported having $22,211 left for the final days before Tuesday’s election.

In addition, in recent days Delgadillo’s boss, Mayor Richard Riordan, has paid for a telephone bank and political mailings advocating Delgadillo’s election.

City Councilman Mike Feuer, who narrowly led Delgadillo in a recent Los Angeles Times poll, raised an additional $76,498, including a $29,500 personal loan. He had $66,140 left to spend. His campaign total is $767,391.

Reports were not available for the other major candidate, Deputy Dist. Atty. Lea Purwin D’Agostino, who had previously reported raising about $235,000.

In the controller’s race, City Councilwoman Laura Chick raised an additional $41,949, bringing her campaign total to date to $525,779. Chick had about $53,000 left to spend.

Reports were not available for business executive Laurette Healey, Chick’s main competitor, who had earlier reported raising $92,026. Additionally, Healey got some help from Riordan.

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Times staff writers Beth Shuster and Matea Gold contributed to this story.