Parks Backs Villaraigosa, Attacks Hahn

Sharply criticizing Mayor James K. Hahn, Councilman Bernard C. Parks endorsed mayoral challenger Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday, saying his colleague on the City Council has “the integrity to move this city forward.”

Citing the local and federal investigations into city contracting, Parks said, “I don’t believe this city can prosper under those circumstances, and I don’t believe we deserve ... four more years of those types of investigations.”

Later Tuesday, Hahn, surrounded by seven current and three former council members who support his reelection, responded that Parks’ decision to back his opponent was no surprise. “It was clear that Councilman Parks and I disagreed on some things when he was the police chief and we still do,” said the mayor, who pushed Parks out of his job as police chief in 2002.

Hahn appeared outside City Hall on the day The Times reported that investigators recently asked for information about the mayor’s trip to Asia in November 2002 in an apparent effort to examine a deal that involved space at the port.

The mayor bristled at questions about the investigations.

“So far what we have are investigations. So far what we have are allegations,” he said. “We don’t have facts yet.”

However, the mayor did say he was concerned to learn that the city Ethics Commission and the district attorney are looking into the connection between former Airport Commissioner Leland Wong and Evergreen Marine Corp., which hired Wong as a consultant.

In 2002, the mayor’s office was negotiating to lease more space at the Port of Los Angeles to Evergreen and also pushing an affiliate, EVA Airways, to move its cargo operation from Los Angeles International Airport.

Wong accompanied Hahn on a trip to Asia at which the deal to move EVA to Ontario International Airport was announced.

“If there is an appearance problem, if there is an actual conflict problem, that needs to be investigated,” Hahn said.

But Hahn said he was not aware of Wong’s ties to Evergreen Marine at the time. “I can’t be held responsible for something I don’t know about,” he said.

The incumbent, who is fighting for a second term, also said he wants the city’s African American voters to judge him on his record in office and not on the basis of his decision to replace Parks.

“The voters are going to see me talk about that record of making the city safer, building more housing, bringing in more jobs, getting more kids in after-school programs,” Hahn said.

In a taste of the campaign to come in the six weeks leading up to the May 17 runoff, Hahn described Villaraigosa as “an empty suit.”

“You can’t get by on the good looks and your charming smile in this job,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to roll up your sleeves and work with people and get things done.”

Parks became the third major African American leader since the March 8 election to endorse Villaraigosa. The councilman joins U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) and Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke.

The endorsements underscore the substantial erosion of Hahn’s longtime political base among the city’s black voters. Many were loyal to him out of respect for his father, former county Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, who represented South Los Angeles.

During his appearance with Villaraigosa at a school near Exposition Park, Parks was harshly critical of Hahn and lavished praise on Villaraigosa.

Parks spoke modestly about his ability to deliver the black vote, tilting the spotlight toward Villaraigosa and his message.

“Antonio Villaraigosa will deliver the African American vote,” Parks said. “He’s the candidate ... [who] touched the hearts and minds of people all over the city.”

Villaraigosa used the event to attack Hahn, citing the city Airport Commission’s decision Monday to extend lucrative contracts for seven concessionaires at LAX without a word of debate. Some of the concession operators have contributed to Hahn and his political causes.

“Jim Hahn can’t accuse people of misrepresenting the record when he’s being investigated by the U.S. attorney, the FBI and the district attorney,” Villaraigosa said, citing “another allegation of pushing through contracts without discussion, another allegation of moving ahead to approve a contract before its time without any debate.”

Villaraigosa, along with Parks and Councilmen Jack Weiss and Martin Ludlow, introduced a motion Tuesday to have the City Council review the Airport Commission’s action in extending the concessionaires’ contracts.