Davis Calls Riordan ‘Walking Contradiction’

Gov. Gray Davis on Sunday called former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan “a walking contradiction” and accused his Republican gubernatorial rival of reversing himself on issues.

Riordan charged back that Davis was distorting Riordan’s record on energy in an effort to divert attention from his own failures.

In an interview with The Times, Davis continued a line of attack he has sketched out in an unusual barrage of negative ads against Riordan, who is running against Secretary of State Bill Jones and financier Bill Simon Jr. in the March 5 Republican gubernatorial primary. Davis, who is essentially unopposed on the Democratic side of that election, accused Riordan of reversing his stance on abortion and of inconsistency in other areas as well.

“I don’t believe a thing Riordan says,” the governor said. “He’s a walking contradiction. There’s no topic on which he’s not reversed himself at least two or three times.”

Across the country, Riordan stood outside the headquarters of Los Angeles’ Department of Water and Power and asserted that Davis was distorting his record on energy.

“If anybody is to blame for higher rates and blackouts, it’s Gray Davis,” Riordan said.

The GOP contender touted the performance of the DWP under his administration, which shrank an $8-billion deficit and avoided the blackouts that racked the rest of California last winter.

Although Simon has taken to criticizing Riordan in recent days, he joined his fellow Republican in the critique of criticizing the incumbent. Simon accused the governor of passing the buck by asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to revise the power contracts Davis signed last year.