Candidate Chips In Funds for Measure

In a move that could boost Antonio Villaraigosa’s visibility as he campaigns for mayor, the Los Angeles city councilman said Tuesday that he planned to spend more than $500,000 from his state campaign fund to promote a county ballot measure that would raise the sales tax to pay for more police officers and sheriff’s deputies.

Villaraigosa faced potential legal barriers in spending that money directly on his effort to unseat Mayor James K. Hahn in the March election. But in putting the funds toward Measure A, he may appear in television advertisements to promote the plan.

“This represents my steadfast commitment to put more than 1,200 additional police officers on the streets of Los Angeles,” said the councilman, who represents an area of East Los Angeles that has at times been ravaged by violent crime.

Villaraigosa said there is “absolutely not” any connection between his mayoral campaign and his decision to spend money on Measure A, which would raise the county sales tax from 8.25% to 8.75%.

But the move could nonetheless benefit Villaraigosa. He entered the campaign late and began raising money after the mayor, who defeated him in 2001, already had $1.5 million.

Villaraigosa, who launched a similar effort to support a successful statewide parks bond several years ago, said his committee would be separate from the one Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca created to raise money for the campaign.

He said the details on how his committee, called Citizens for More Police in Our Communities, would spend the money had not been worked out, but they could include television ads.

“What I’m doing here is putting my money where my mouth is,” said Villaraigosa, who had transferred the money into a fund for a future Senate campaign in 2000 when he was speaker of the California Assembly. “There’s no question in our minds that this measure is going to be close, and that we need as much financial support as possible to get us over the top.”

Baca, who is fervently campaigning for the measure and has raised almost $2 million, hailed Villaraigosa’s decision as the actions of “a good Angeleno.”

Villaraigosa’s opponents in the mayor’s race had varied reactions to his plan, and some questioned whether the move was legal.

State Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sun Valley) and Councilman Bernard C. Parks, the former police chief, said they appreciated Villaraigosa’s help for the ballot proposition, which they also support.

“I’m sure there are people who will figure a variety of sordid details as to why they think it’s happening,” Parks said. “But I think if you have funds available ... that’s good.”

Others were less effusive.

“Welcome to the fight,” said Hahn political strategist Bill Carrick, who said “the mayor has been working on this issue for a long time.” Hahn transferred $10,000 to Baca’s war chest in June with money left over from his campaign to oppose San Fernando Valley secession.

Carrick added that he would not approve if Villaraigosa appeared in campaign ads for the measure.