Hahn, rivals grapple in immigration, housing, traffic

AP ^ | 2/28/5 | MICHAEL R. BLOOD

[SmithL]

Los Angeles - With his job on the line, Mayor James Hahn grappled with his four major rivals Monday over issues from illegal immigration to transportation to gang violence in their final televised debate before next week's primary election.

As he has throughout the campaign, Hahn faced a steady stream of criticism from his challengers, who described Los Angeles as a city adrift where little has been done to address urban problems from gridlock to troubled schools to corruption allegations at City Hall.

But Hahn, who has anchored his campaign to a falling crime rate, said changing leadership would slow the progress his administration has made on public safety, job growth and affordable housing.

"If you want leadership in this city, I'm your guy," Hahn said. He alluded to making controversial decisions like pushing for the ouster of former police chief and now-candidate Bernard Parks in 2002, but insisted, "We are changing Los Angeles."

The 90-minute debate, to be aired Tuesday on CBS, gave candidates a chance to connect with a broad audience at a time when they have been competing for attention against everything from record rainfall in southern California to the run-up to the Academy Awards.

The debate came as a Los Angeles Times poll, to be published in Tuesday's editions, found the race was wide open, with Hahn, former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg and city Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa in a statistical, three-way tie.

If the election were held now, Villaraigosa would win 24 percent, followed by Hertzberg, with 21 percent, and Hahn with 20 percent, the poll found. Parks would capture 11 percent, while state Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Sun Valley, would get 5 percent.

[SmithL]

Are they going to use San Diego Runoff rules: The top two primary winners plus a crazy write-in candidate?

[umgud]

With his job on the line, Mayor James Hahn grappled with his four major rivals Monday over issues from illegal immigration to transportation to gang violence in their final televised debate before next week's primary election.

All related.

[heleny]

Are they going to use San Diego Runoff rules: The top two primary winners plus a crazy write-in candidate?

Good point! Maybe a GOP or 3rd party candidate can run, since the runoff will likely be between two Democrats (just as it was between two Republicans in San Diego when the Democrat woman ran as a write-in). Does the LA city charter or whatever law specifically prohibit write-ins in runoff elections?

[CBart95]

LA is a mess. Hahn is no Savior. No mayor can ever fix a city that isn't a city. The other candidates are stooges of different flavors.
This is all a bad joke.
The invasion of illegals will start it's inexorable turn toward justice as this debacle makes immigration a front and center subject that can no longer be ignored.