Villaraigosa and Hahn Announce Key Endorsements

County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, a prominent and popular Los Angeles official, announced Monday that he is backing former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa for mayor, while City Atty. James K. Hahn nailed down the endorsement of the high-profile Los Angeles police union.

Each endorsement could boost the two candidates’ efforts to solidify their support among key constituencies, an especially crucial task as the race heads into its final three-week stretch.

Villaraigosa’s campaign hopes that Yaroslavsky--who has substantial name recognition after 2 1/2 decades in public office--will help the former assemblyman win over undecided voters, especially among the supervisor’s constituents on the Westside.

For Hahn, the endorsement of the 8,300-member Police Protective League could provide important testimony for moderate and conservative voters as he campaigns on his law-and-order credentials.

Both announcements also set the stage for Mayor Richard Riordan, who is expected to say who he is endorsing this week in one of the most anticipated developments of the mayoral runoff.

Also on Monday, LA 80-20, an Asian Pacific American political action committee, endorsed Hahn, citing his sensitivity to issues such as racial profiling. The nonpartisan PAC has 3,000 members and hopes to mobilize Asian Americans to vote in a large bloc, according to LA 80-20’s president, Al Foung.

Speaking Monday at a noontime news conference in front of Union Station, Yaroslavsky praised Villaraigosa as “a visionary.”

“Antonio has embraced the future with vision, with passion and with courage,” said the county supervisor, who has known the former legislator since they sat on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board together in the early 1990s. “Antonio Villaraigosa is at home in every community of Los Angeles, and Los Angeles can be at home with him.”

Yaroslavsky appeared to direct his comments to voters who may not feel sure about supporting the former legislator, who had to leave the Assembly after six years because of term limits.

“I’ve seen him grow as a candidate in the last two years,” the supervisor said. “I am comfortable with him. I am more than comfortable with him.”

Referring to Villaraigosa’s energetic style, Yaroslavsky added: “He relishes this. This is not a chore for him. The mayor, above all, has to be a people person.”

Yaroslavsky was considering a mayoral bid himself, but decided in September not to run, citing his dedication to his work at the county, where he represents about 2 million constituents. Political veterans agreed that his long history as a city councilman and county supervisor would have given him an instant edge in the race. In fact, in a Times poll in April 2000, 26% of registered voters said they favored Yaroslavsky, more than any other candidate at the time.

“I breathed a sigh of relief when Zev Yaroslavsky didn’t put his name down as a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, because I know how talented he is and how much respect he has in this city,” Villaraigosa said Monday at the news conference.

Parke Skelton, Villaraigosa’s campaign consultant, said they would likely use Yaroslavsky’s endorsement in a mailer, but had not discussed yet whether he would be in a television commercial.

Meanwhile, the Police Protective League announced Monday that an overwhelming number of its members who responded to a union poll voted to endorse Hahn. He won 2,504 votes, about 87% of those cast, while Villaraigosa got 13%, according to the league, which represents more than 8,000 rank-and-file police officers.

“He’s got 20 years of experience as a prosecutor in support of law enforcement,” Mitzi Grasso, the league’s president, said of Hahn. “He expressed a sincere interest in addressing the issues and problems facing the LAPD, and based on those things, the members felt he was the candidate of choice.”

Grasso said many officers plan to work phone banks and walk precincts for Hahn, as well as help raise money for his campaign.

Both candidates fought vigorously for the union’s backing, which is seen as key to winning over moderate and conservative voters. The board of directors recommended an endorsement of Hahn, and put the decision to its members in a mail-in ballot in early May.

On Monday, the league released a statement about its endorsement that criticizes Villaraigosa for his voting record on crime issues while in the Assembly, a topic Hahn has repeatedly attacked him on since the April 10 election. The union also said its board of directors was unhappy with Villaraigosa’s efforts to seek a presidential pardon for a convicted drug trafficker.

However, before the board voted, a few union directors said they could support Villaraigosa, and expressed concern about Hahn’s trustworthiness.

The fight for the union’s endorsement set off a fierce debate over police work schedules. When he was interviewed by the union, Hahn signed a pledge supporting a three-day, 12-hour-shift workweek for some officers, part of a compressed schedule the union is pushing for. Villaraigosa said he refused to sign the pledge for that plan, though he does back other forms of a compressed work schedule.

Since then, Villaraigosa has criticized Hahn for endorsing a schedule that he says would take police officers off the street in order to get the league’s endorsement. The union has voiced concern that Villaraigosa is backing away from his support for compressed work schedules, and has requested a meeting with him to clarify his position.

The mayoral hopefuls started the day at Crenshaw High School, where they addressed 200 students gathered in the auditorium.

In contrast to their recent sniping over endorsements and police policy, Hahn and Villaraigosa had kind words for each other in the day’s first event.

Hahn said the June 5 runoff election is a contest between “two fine candidates who want to lead this city.” Villaraigosa told the students that Hahn is “a good man, who comes from a family that has given great service to this city.”

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Times staff writers Zanto Peabody and David Pierson contributed to this story.

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