Some Hints for Voters Heading to the Polls-- Again

Question: So, there was a mayoral election last week. Why another one in May?

Answer: Los Angeles voters -- or rather 26% of them -- went to the polls for the first part of an election to choose the next mayor.

Among the candidates were five veterans of the local political scene: Mayor James K. Hahn, state Sen. Richard Alarcon, former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg and Councilmen Bernard C. Parks and Antonio Villaraigosa.

But because no one candidate won a majority, the top two candidates, Villaraigosa and Hahn, will face each other in a runoff election on May 17.

Q: Aren’t those the same candidates as four years ago?

A: Yes. Villaraigosa also finished first in April 2001, followed by Hahn, who beat Villaraigosa in the June runoff. But this election is not expected to be a carbon copy of the last. Villaraigosa, 52, is better known in Los Angeles than he was four years ago, and he has shown that he’s willing to go toe-to-toe with Hahn.

Hahn, 54, on the other hand, has angered voters in some parts of the city. His fight against Valley secession alienated some voters there, and his drive to replace Parks as police chief left many African Americans feeling betrayed.

Q: What are the big issues in this election?

A: Villaraigosa will continue to portray the mayor as a weak leader who has failed to inspire residents or set a course for the city.

Villaraigosa is certain to keep criticizing the mayor for lax ethical standards, pointing out that a federal grand jury is investigating how Hahn’s administration awarded city contracts.

No one has been charged with wrongdoing.

The mayor, meanwhile, will continue to defend his record, saying that he has offered the city strong, steady leadership and proved that he has the guts to make tough decisions.

Don’t be surprised if things get ugly. Villaraigosa was criticized four years ago for not responding aggressively to last-minute negative ads.

This time, when Hahn attacked him on television in the final days before the March 8 election, Villaraigosa started airing his own critical ad the same day.

Q: Who can vote in this election?

A: Only people who live in the city of Los Angeles and who register to vote by May 2 can cast ballots.

That includes residents of communities such as Venice, Hollywood, San Pedro and Pacific Palisades, which are neighborhoods within the city of Los Angeles. People who live in cities such as Pasadena or Santa Monica are not eligible to vote.

Q: Have the candidates already raised big bucks for the runoff?

A: Not yet. After the March election, they start from scratch, a reform intended to level the playing field.

The maximum an individual or business can contribute is $1,000.

If one of the candidates donates or loans more than $30,000 in personal funds to his own campaign, the $1,000 limit is raised to $1,500 for the opponent, but only until the opponent has raised the total of personal funds invested by their rival.

Q: Do the candidates get any public funds?

A: Yes. Candidates for mayor who make it to the runoff receive $160,000 in taxpayer money and up to $640,000 in matching funds.

To receive matching money, candidates for citywide office must abide by the spending limits and participate in at least two debates.

Q: Is there a cap on how much they can spend in the runoff?

A: There is. The city limits expenditures by candidates who receive matching funds to $1.8 million. But there’s a loophole. Groups not controlled by the candidate can make independent expenditures to support or oppose a candidate.

In elections where independent expenditures exceed $200,000 for or against a candidate, candidate spending limits are lifted.

In the March 8 election, Hahn benefited from more than $690,000 in independent expenditures from unions and other groups. Independent expenditures supporting Villaraigosa totaled less than $107,000.

Q: What does it cost to run for mayor?

A: In the 2001 mayoral election, Hahn spent about $7.3 million on his successful campaign, while Villaraigosa spent about $7.5 million.

As of March 2, the end of the last campaign finance filing period, Hahn had spent about $3.5 million and Villaraigosa $2.6 million on the election.

Q: What can the mayor do, anyway?

A: The mayor is the city’s chief executive. That said, Los Angeles has historically been had a “weak-mayor” system. That changed somewhat in 2000, when a new, voter-approved charter took effect.

Under it, all the department heads in the city, from the zoo to the airport to the port, now report to the mayor.

He also has the right to approve or veto laws passed by the City Council, and serves as the symbolic face of the city.

The mayor is elected for four years and can serve two terms. The job pays $186,989 and comes with a few perks: a dramatic City Hall office; free housing in Getty House, the mayor’s official residence near Hancock Park; a car and driver; and an annual invitation to the Oscars.