Get Over It, Mr. Mayor

The private grudge Mayor James K. Hahn denies that he nurses against Gov. Gray Davis and the state Democratic Party seems to have gone public last weekend. Hahn’s schedule, his handlers said, was just too packed to play host to a state party convention in his own city. Oh, please.

Hahn understandably seethed when Davis campaigned for his opponent and fellow Democrat, Antonio Villaraigosa, in last year’s nonpartisan mayoral race. The Democratic Party not only endorsed Villaraigosa but spent hundreds of thousands of dollars campaigning on his behalf.

Hahn won anyway. Now his job as mayor requires cultivating good relationships with state and national leaders, not snubbing them.

When a gaggle of mayors gathered in Sacramento last fall to announce their support for the governor’s reelection bid, Hahn was conspicuously absent. Fine. Who Hahn endorses is his business. But it was not good for Los Angeles when the city’s mayor passed up the chance to hobnob last weekend with state leaders, not to mention national party leaders including Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.).

Mayors need good lines of communication with Congress if they hope to influence national legislation that affects cities and keep the pipeline open for federal grants. A mayor’s relationship with California government is even more important, given the role the state plays in allocating tax revenue for local services or--worse--in taking money away. With California facing a slumping economy and a $12.4-billion deficit this year, Los Angeles could lose tens of millions of dollars for city housing, libraries and park projects.

Hahn has not always been so heedless of these vital relationships. In November, he invited the 26 state legislators who represent the Los Angeles area to discuss budget issues and the city’s post-Sept. 11 security plan. It was, astoundingly, the first time in memory a Los Angeles mayor had held such a meeting, which is routine for other cities and for Los Angeles County government.

In December, Hahn joined Davis for a press conference announcing the state’s contribution to the purchase of an old Union Pacific rail property, Taylor Yard, which the city plans to turn into a park. Hahn thanked Davis and even praised him as a “great governor.”

He needn’t go that far. But the city could use more of this kind of statesmanship and less of last weekend’s politicking.