Villaraigosa, Hahn Clash Over State’s Power Crisis

In an increasingly heated battle between two of the front-runners for mayor of Los Angeles, James K. Hahn slammed Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday for helping create the state’s energy crisis when the former legislator voted to deregulate the electricity industry.

“I think this is an important issue that Mr. Villaraigosa needs to own up to and stop trying to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes,” Hahn said. “The decision by Sacramento legislators to deregulate energy is going to hurt seniors in California and right here in Los Angeles.”

The city’s Department of Water and Power has been exempt from power outages and rate increases that have swept most of the state.

But Hahn said the city will not be immune to the crisis--the DWP is owed $193 million for power it sold to the state’s now-bankrupt energy consortium and Los Angeles taxpayers will also have to help to repay bonds for the state’s purchase of energy to keep power on in the rest of California.

“The magnitude and dimensions of this problem are only now being revealed,” Hahn said. “And L.A. is not exempt.” Hahn’s campaign strategist, Kam Kuwata, said that the energy crisis has now become the No. 1 issue in the mayor’s race.

Villaraigosa responded that Hahn’s attacks were the mark of a desperate politician.

The former legislator acknowledged that he voted for deregulation but said he only supported the shift away from government oversight because the DWP and other municipal power systems were allowed to remain independent.

“I’ve said from the beginning that I led the effort to exempt Los Angeles from deregulation,” Villaraigosa said. “I also was a vote for deregulation, along with almost 120 other legislators. There was no opposition back then.”

The tension between Hahn and Villaraigosa grows at least in part out of recent polls by campaign operatives and independent organizations that have shown the former Assembly speaker surging into contention in a race that Hahn has long led.

“His campaign has stalled,” Villaraigosa said, “and he thinks the only way to get out of this slump is to throw mud.”

There were a number of other developments in the mayoral campaign Thursday, with the April 10 election day 12 days away: All six top candidates maintained their muted opposition to civic secession by the San Fernando Valley--responding to a report that suggested the breakaway would be economically feasible but difficult to complete. Candidates Joel Wachs and Kathleen Connell pressed ahead with new television ads while Hahn touted his endorsement from Ethel Bradley, the widow of former Mayor Tom Bradley.

The heated exchanges about the power issue were in stark contrast to the muted responses to a county agency’s report on the feasibility of breaking up Los Angeles to form a new city in the San Fernando Valley.

The report said that the new city would be economically robust with more than $1 billion in tax revenue, but that it would probably have to rely on Los Angeles for many city functions, such as the delivery of water and power.

Personally Opposed to Valley Secession

All six major candidates have said repeatedly that they personally oppose secession, but believe Valley residents should be free to consider breaking away from Los Angeles.

Connell maintained that stand Thursday, but said the report of the county Local Agency Formation Commission raises difficult questions for those who want to form their own city.

Connell said it’s unclear whether Valley residents would get the improved police and fire protection and utility service they desire if those services initially are provided via a contract with Los Angeles.

“The question I would have as a Valley resident, if I was voting on it is: Will I have improved services?” Connell said. “And how will it improve the day-to-day operation of departments that are now faltering if they are continued but just with a contractual relationship?”

Connell has said she would try to provide more services and be more attentive to the Valley, in part by spending a few days a week at an office north of the Hollywood Hills. Candidate Steve Soboroff has made a similar pledge.

Hahn said he also continues to support the right of the Valley and rest of the city to vote on secession. But the city attorney said the new study raises questions about whether independence would necessarily improve services. “It may, in fact, cost more on the part of Valley residents to get the same services they’re getting now,” Hahn said.

Councilman Wachs described the county commission’s study as only a starting point for discussions. “The real issue is what are people’s concerns and how can we address them so we don’t break up,” said Wachs, who lives in Studio City and represents the Valley.

DWP Management a Contentious Topic

U.S. Rep. Xavier Becerra said the massive municipal assets described in the LAFCO study renew his commitment to keeping the city together although he, too, said residents should be given a chance to vote on the matter.

The question of how to manage the city’s Department of Water and Power has created considerably more heat among the candidates. Hahn’s attack on Villaraigosa came during an interview after a visit to a senior citizens center in San Pedro.

Connell has also been attempting to score points on the energy-shortage issue. She this week introduced proposals that she said would cut rates for DWP customers and offer rebates to businesses that relocate to Los Angeles from other parts of the state.

Connell’s campaign has also been airing a television spot that touts her as the only candidate who is speaking out on the energy crisis. The candidate promises that she will not let Los Angeles residents get stuck paying for the power shortage or allow a raid on the city’s energy supply.

In fact, state officials have never discussed seizing the city’s independent power system. The independent power grid did purchase some power supplies from the city, which have still not been paid for.

Councilman Wachs also launched a new television ad--laying out his proposed agenda as mayor. The ad says Wachs is the only candidate who will fight the “power brokers and special interests” to “force the polluters to clean up the drinking water they poisoned with cancer-causing chromium 6.”

In rapid succession a narrator also describes Wachs’ calls for a new police chief, improving the 911 emergency phone system and expanding after-school programs for kids. Wachs is the only candidate calling for the ouster of Chief Bernard C. Parks.

The city attorney’s aides hope Ethel Bradley’s endorsement will further solidify his attempts to recreate a Bradley-style coalition, linking African American voters with liberal to moderate whites, particularly on the Westside.

“Jim understands that our city’s diversity is its greatest strength,” Bradley said. “He is a leader who has proven he can bring together people from different neighborhoods . . . to fix some of Los Angeles’ toughest problems.”