City Attorney Rivals Play Up Differences

Toward the end of their sharp-edged debate before a downtown business group Wednesday, the two candidates for Los Angeles city attorney were asked to name their most significant endorsement--a tricky task for any campaigner leery of offending supporters who go unmentioned.

City Councilman Mike Feuer named U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer and segued into a long list of other Democratic elected officials before settling on the City Attorneys Assn., which represents most of the lawyers in the office Feuer hopes to win.

“They know the office best,” Feuer told the lunchtime forum of the Central City Assn., a major City Hall business lobby that has spearheaded efforts to revitalize downtown Los Angeles.

Deputy Mayor Rocky Delgadillo alluded briefly to his support from his boss, Mayor Richard Riordan, and basketball star-turned-businessman Earvin “Magic” Johnson but singled out former U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher, an architect of police reform in Los Angeles, whom Delgadillo said urged him to run for city attorney.

“He’s an incredible role model,” Delgadillo said, adding that the former secretary of state has been his mentor since Delgadillo joined Christopher at one of the city’s most prestigious law firms, O’Melveny & Myers.

The candidates’ answers said something about their contrasting styles, backgrounds and priorities in their increasingly contentious battle for the office in the June 5 runoff. Delgadillo’s main supporters come from the city’s business establishment--including the group that sponsored Wednesday’s debate--while Feuer has drawn backing from Democratic Party leaders, organized labor and much of the city’s legal community.

Delgadillo, responding to weeks of attacks by Feuer--ranging from charges that he is beholden to outdoor advertising interests (some of whom put up billboards and raised money for him) and was “afraid” to debate--went on the offensive himself Wednesday.

Delgadillo blamed Feuer, who heads the council committee dealing with city budget and finance matters, for a sharp rise in city liability obligations and said his rival had “ignored the early warning signs” of the Rampart Division police corruption scandal. Delgadillo also said his work as head of Riordan’s economic development efforts gave him a much better knowledge of neighborhoods throughout the city.

“My experience has not been narrowly limited to the wealthy Council District 5,” Delgadillo said in a swipe at Feuer’s six years representing the San Fernando Valley and Westside district.

Feuer noted that the host group had endorsed his opponent and that Wednesday’s moderator had held a fund-raiser for Delgadillo.

“Coming here is like coming to the Delgadillo campaign finance committee,” Feuer joked in beginning his opening remarks. “But that’s OK. . . . I think that elections are about choices . . . and it’s important that everyone be able to compare us.”

Feuer listed his top priorities as reforming and rebuilding the Police Department, improving neighborhoods and battling elder abuse, consumer fraud and environmental risks.

Delgadillo said he would focus on improving education and addressed criticism from Feuer and some others that school concerns are not part of the city attorney’s job. Improving education “is imperative to everyone here in Los Angeles,” Delgadillo said. He also promised to cut the city’s outstanding liability--now estimated by the controller at more than $1 billion--by one-third and to oversee implementation of recent charter reforms to ensure stronger neighborhoods.

Also Wednesday, the Feuer campaign began airing a commercial on major television stations. The ad features Feuer’s endorsements from police and firefighter groups and his efforts to combat billboard blight.

“Now, billboard companies are spending big bucks to defeat Mike Feuer,” the ad says. A Feuer spokeswoman said the campaign plans to air televised ads until election day. She declined to say how much the campaign is spending, saying the buying is not yet complete, but acknowledged that the tab will be at least $250,000 a week.

The Delgadillo campaign plans to begin TV advertising by this weekend, a spokeswoman said.