Villaraigosa Reaps Davis’ Praise, Support

Former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa locked down Gov. Gray Davis’ support for his mayoral bid Tuesday, attempting to bolster his campaign with the backing of the popular moderate even as his rivals dismissed the worth of the endorsement.

“Some people have said that my first year in office was one of the most productive of any first-year governor in recent California history,” Davis said in a statement. “If that is true, I can tell you it simply would not have happened without the partnership I established with Speaker of the Assembly Antonio Villaraigosa.”

The Democratic governor touted Villaraigosa’s experience as a legislative leader, saying he performed the “second most important job in California” with “grace, courage and conviction.”

But the endorsement was undercut by the state’s energy crisis, which forced Davis to cancel a planned appearance in Encino with Villaraigosa. The governor instead stayed in Sacramento to deal with the second successive day of rolling blackouts.

Davis’ key role in the energy crisis gave Villaraigosa’s opponents a chance to call into question the merits of getting the governor’s backing.

“Well, with rolling brownouts in the county of Los Angeles, I will let the voters decide whether that is a positive connection or not,” said state Controller Kathleen Connell, when queried about the endorsement by reporters at a news conference Tuesday morning.

“The blackouts kind of dimmed the endorsement,” said City Atty. James K. Hahn. “I know that Gov. Davis and former Speaker Villaraigosa had a close working relationship in Sacramento. I understand that relationship. But I think the voters of Los Angeles will appreciate the fact that I’ve been here.”

(Sources close to the situation, however, said Hahn backers had made a last-ditch effort to stop the endorsement.)

Though Villaraigosa’s campaign hoped that Davis’ moderate reputation would help the former speaker attract centrist voters, Hahn consultant Kam Kuwata argued that the appeal is not transferable.

“Antonio is a very, very liberal politician,” Kuwata said. “You don’t change impressions because you get an endorsement overnight.”

Villaraigosa called that criticism “sour grapes.”

“All of the candidates have gone after the same endorsement,” he said. “This was a bold move on the part of the governor. This is a big job, and he believes I am the right person to lead the city.”

Despite California’s months-long struggle to keep the lights on, Davis has remained a solidly popular state leader. His endorsement is one of the last major announcements expected in the rapidly dwindling days before the April 10 election, a period in which each of the six top candidates is trying to boost momentum and pull away from the pack.

Villaraigosa’s advisors made it clear they will heavily promote Davis’ support, saying they expect the governor to join the candidate on the campaign trail and perhaps film a television ad for him. An aide to Davis confirmed that he is considering several ways he could help Villaraigosa, including sending mailers or recording a telephone message for voters.

Canceling the news conference “doesn’t give the TV cameras something to focus on,” said Parke Skelton, Villaraigosa’s consultant. “But by the end of this campaign, I don’t think there’s going to be anyone who doesn’t know that Gray Davis has endorsed Antonio.”

Weighing in on a local race that features several Democratic candidates is an unusual step for a governor, particularly one as risk-averse as Davis.

“It would have been very easy in this one for him to stay on the sidelines,” said Larry Berg, founding director of USC’s Jesse Unruh Institute of Politics.

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Times staff writers Jeffrey L. Rabin and James Rainey contributed to this story.