Hahn Could Be Election’s Loser

Even as former Police Chief Bernard Parks was being sworn into office as Los Angeles’ newest city councilman Wednesday, officials and political analysts already were speculating that Mayor James K. Hahn’s clout will erode amid the power shift underway at City Hall.

The City Council took the unusual step of immediately appointing Parks to the vacant 8th District seat, a day after he and former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa won election to the council for terms beginning July 1.

Both Parks and Villaraigosa are expected to butt heads with Hahn and Council President Alex Padilla, and with two council races still to be decided in a May runoff, the changing dynamics were already apparent.

“It has the potential to shake up the power at City Hall quite a bit,” Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political scientist at USC, said of Tuesday’s election.

“You have two rivals of the mayor joining the City Council where they will now be major players. I don’t think the mayor is celebrating the results of this election.”

Some council members were openly speculating that Villaraigosa would challenge Padilla for the council presidency, a move that would further weaken Hahn’s influence.

“There may be a change in presidency,” said Councilman Dennis Zine, a Padilla supporter who said there is already talk about others running for president. “When you have a high-profile person like Antonio, who was speaker of the Assembly, that is obviously a challenge if he decides to come in and take over the presidency.”

Parks, who was denied another term as police chief last year after Hahn refused to back him, easily outpolled four others in the 8th District. The seat has been vacant since November, when Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas moved to the state Assembly, so the council exercised its rarely used power to appoint Parks even before the election has been certified.

Villaraigosa, who lost to Hahn in a close race for mayor two years ago, won the 14th District election with about 57% of the vote, unseating Councilman Nick Pacheco, who was backed by Hahn and Padilla but received only 40%.

“Clearly the mayor has to mend fences and reach out,” said Miguel Contreras, a Villaraigosa ally who is head of the county Federation of Labor. “After all, he fired one and won an election over the other.”

In the other races, voters reelected Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, unopposed in the 2nd District, and 4th District Councilman Tom LaBonge. Also elected was former Assemblyman Tony Cardenas in the 6th District.

Two other races, in the 10th and 12th council districts, will be settled in a May 20 runoff.

Parks and Villaraigosa both downplayed past differences with Hahn, and the mayor and Padilla said Wednesday they want to work cooperatively with the two powerful new council members.

“I’m someone who’s easy to work with,” Hahn said Wednesday. “I’m interested in working with anyone who wants to make the city better.”

“There’s no animosity on my side,” he added. “I think what I tried to demonstrate since I came in here, I’m someone who’s not at odds with the City Council.”

Some tension surfaced, though, when the mayor was asked about Parks’ comments that he opposes the new LAPD policy of no longer responding to unverified residential burglar alarms.

“I think that’s interesting because I think it was originally the police chief who said he was concerned about the number of false alarms and actually the process began back when he was police chief,” Hahn said.

On Wednesday morning, Parks said he received a call of congratulations from the mayor of New Orleans, a friend, but not from Hahn. A Hahn representative said the mayor tried to reach Parks early Wednesday morning, and hopes to meet with him this week.

Parks said he was willing to work with Hahn and Padilla despite any past differences.

“It’s going to be fine,” he said. “We look at this as a turning of the page and a moving forward, and anybody who carries burdens of the past, that is their burden. We don’t view it that way.”

Villaraigosa also downplayed past political squabbles and the impact of his election on council politics. “That kind of power politics is the last thing on my mind right now, frankly,” he said.

Although Villaraigosa said he has no plan to challenge Hahn for the mayor’s job in two years, many believe he, Padilla and Parks will likely be among the leading contenders for the job in six years, which further complicates the City Hall dynamics.

“I don’t believe the two new council members see that as a seat of retirement,” said political consultant Allan Hoffenblum. “They both have ambitions.”

Padilla extended an olive branch Wednesday, calling Villaraigosa to offer cooperation, pushing through a special motion to put Parks in office immediately and hosting the former chief’s private swearing-in ceremony in Padilla’s council office.

Still, some council members said Padilla, a close ally of Hahn, will have to fight to keep the presidency, and there were signs that some of his support may be eroding.

“There may be a change in presidency,” said Councilman Dennis Zine, a Padilla supporter who said there is already talk about others running for president.

Councilman Jack Weiss, who voted with the slim majority to elect Padilla as president two years ago, attended Villaraigosa’s victory party Tuesday night and said later he has not decided yet who he will support for council president.

“Leadership change can be a good thing,” Weiss said. “It’s important for the council to at least every two years reconsider leadership positions so the city is moving in the proper direction. No one has an entitlement to any leadership position in this city. You have to earn it.”

Villaraigosa said he had no opinion about whether Padilla should remain council president, noting that he, Villaraigosa, won’t be taking office for another three months.

Parks was asked if he plans to support Padilla to remain as president. “We have not gone to that point,” he said.

Padilla downplayed the talk about the council presidency, saying “I only serve at the will of the body.”

The balance of power at City Hall could also be affected by the outcome of the two runoff elections.

In the mid-city’s 10th District, Deron Williams received 39% of the vote, and will face legislative aide Martin Ludlow, who received 26% in a field of six contenders.

“I’m not taking any day for granted,” said Williams, former chief field deputy for Councilman Nate Holden, who was prevented by term limits from seeking reelection.

Several of his opponents sought to make the primary a referendum on Holden’s record. Ludlow said that issue will become even more prominent now.

In the 12th District, Greig Smith, a former top aide to retiring Councilman Hal Bernson, said he was looking forward to an energetic runoff campaign against former school board member Julie Korenstein.

“This narrows the message and makes a clear distinction,” he said. “You’re looking at her record ... on the school board, which is dismal, versus the fresh new vision and ideas that I bring.”

Korenstein said she will continue to criticize Smith for his years in the council office, when she said the district was neglected.

The County Federation of Labor put much of its resources into electing Villaraigosa, resulting in less help for other favored candidates, including Ludlow and Korenstein. Now with the 14th District race sewed up, Contreras said the federation can be expected to put many more resources into electing Ludlow and Korenstein

Political consultant Hoffenblum said the record-low voter turnout in Tuesday’s balloting -- 13% -- helped candidates, including Villaraigosa, who had well organized and strong labor support.

“That’s one of the real reasons labor did so well last night,” he said. “The only ones who turned out in numbers were union members.”

However, Pacheco said Villaraigosa’s “negative” campaign tactics helped the challenger win.

“I really have to give Antonio credit for responding when his back was against the wall,” Pacheco said. “He did something many people didn’t think he would do: He ran a negative campaign at the tail end and it was effective.”

Villaraigosa said he spoke to both Hahn and Padilla on Wednesday morning and told them that he is looking forward to working with them.

“I’m a new council member,” he said. “I don’t even know where the restroom is. So I think what you’re going to see is a guy who’s got the humility to walk in and roll up his sleeves and work with as many people as possible.”

Padilla seemed to earn points with Parks by spearheading the appointment of the former chief to the vacant council seat.

“The 8th Council District and its residents have gone unrepresented on the council for several months now and that’s not healthy for democracy and representation,” Padilla told his colleagues before the unanimous vote.

Parks said he would begin moving into his office and organizing a staff today. He appointed his son, Bernard Parks Jr., as his press deputy and longtime friend Helen Mars as a senior advisor.

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Times staff writer Hanah Cho contributed to this report.