Villaraigosa Weighs Hahn Rematch

From that crushing moment on election night three years ago when he knew he had lost the mayor’s race to James K. Hahn, Antonio Villaraigosa said he always knew one other thing too: “I was going to run again.”

Now, surveying a widening field of challengers and a mayor weakened by a corruption scandal, the councilman who promised last year to serve out a four-year term representing his East Los Angeles district said Thursday that he would decide by late summer whether to challenge Hahn to a rematch.

“I do want to be mayor like nothing else,” Villaraigosa told Times reporters and editors in an interview Thursday.

But Villaraigosa also indicated that he was not sure he had the stomach for another campaign like the last one, in which he says he was portrayed “like a gang member and a drug dealer.”

“I saw how easy it was to demonize a guy ... to make me look like a gang member,” Villaraigosa said. “My kids had to go to school and hear ‘Your father sells drugs.’ They don’t need to hear that again.”

In the waning days of the 2001 mayor’s race, Hahn’s campaign aired a television ad with images of a crack cocaine pipe and cocaine being cut that dramatized Villaraigosa’s efforts to seek clemency for convicted drug dealer Carlos Vignali. Villaraigosa insisted he had done nothing wrong in Vignali’s case, but Hahn went on to defeat him, 54% to 46%.

Political strategists say the 51-year-old councilman also must consider another issue: Can he beat Hahn, a famously tough campaigner who has never lost in six citywide elections? And if he gets in and loses, could a two-time loser remain viable in politics?

“The overriding factor is ... whether he can win or not,” said Fernando Guerra, director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. Guerra supported Villaraigosa in 2001.

One final factor: Villaraigosa is deeply involved in Sen. John Kerry’s presidential campaign, which the councilman co-chairs. Villaraigosa has campaigned extensively for Kerry and is co-chairing the committee preparing the Democratic platform in advance of this summer’s convention. If Kerry were to win, Villaraigosa might hope for a reward in Washington. A race for mayor would require him to be less active on Kerry’s behalf, Villaraigosa conceded.

Despite the doubts, the ebullient councilman -- a high school dropout from a tough Eastside neighborhood who eventually graduated from UCLA and rose to become speaker of the California Assembly before running for mayor in 2001 -- has begun acting like a candidate. He turned up miles away from his district last week to chat with members of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.

He wrote an opinion piece for The Times on prescription drug reform. And while careful to stress that he thinks the mayor is “personally a decent guy,” Villaraigosa has become increasingly vocal about what he says is a lack of leadership emanating from the executive office on the third floor of City Hall.

Avid followers of Los Angeles politics are watching closely.

“It’s certainly Topic A,” said Councilman Jack Weiss, a fan of Villaraigosa’s who sits next to him on the council horseshoe. “If he gets in, he’s the 500-pound gorilla.”

Deputy Mayor Julie Wong said Thursday that the mayor had no comment on Villaraigosa’s plans.

Already, the race to unseat Hahn is shaping up as one of the most dramatic against an incumbent in decades.

As federal and county investigators probe city contracting, several candidates have moved on the mayor’s presumed vulnerability.

Candidates already in the race include state Sen. Richard Alarcon and former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg. Councilman Bernard C. Parks, the former police chief, has launched an exploratory campaign.

The candidates “have personal histories with each other, not always good ones,” said Jaime Regalado, director of the Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute at Cal State Los Angeles.

In addition to any lingering tensions between Villaraigosa and Hahn, Villaraigosa and Hertzberg also have a cool relationship. Though the two were roommates in Sacramento when both were in the Assembly, they tangled over how Hertzberg took over the Assembly speaker’s chair from Villaraigosa four years ago.

Parks meanwhile, is widely thought to be nursing a grudge against Hahn for denying him a second term as police chief -- a charge the former chief denies.

Wherever he goes in the city, Villaraigosa says, people are telling him to run.

“The city needs a strong leader, someone who is in touch with communities, who is going to turn the city around,” said Manny Hernandez, president of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council.

Hernandez said he supported former Councilman Nick Pacheco against Villaraigosa last year. But he said he has been so impressed with Villaraigosa as a councilman that he will urge him to run for mayor.

Rabbi Steven Jacobs, who leads congregation Kol Tikvah in Woodland Hills, said he supported Villaraigosa in 2001 and will support Villaraigosa again should the councilman run.

But in some ways, Villaraigosa faces longer odds this time.

An incumbent mayor has not been unseated since 1973, when Tom Bradley beat Sam Yorty.

And three years ago, when Hahn beat him, Villaraigosa had the backing of the influential Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Villaraigosa acknowledged Thursday that he would not be able to count on that again.

Since his election, Hahn has labored to build a close relationship with the federation and its head, Miguel Contreras. Hahn appointed Contreras to the Airport Commission. And the mayor has been a frequent speaker at labor events, including the recently settled grocery workers strike.

Still, Hahn’s win last time was owed in large part to overwhelming support among black voters and in the San Fernando Valley.

With Hertzberg and possibly Parks in the race, Hahn may not be able to bank on such strong support this time around.

Close friends say they can’t predict what Villaraigosa will ultimately decide.

“I know Antonio would love to be mayor of Los Angeles,” said Councilman Martin Ludlow, a former Villaraigosa deputy.

But, he added, “Antonio keeps his cards very close to his chest. And he’s very good about it. He’s learned that he can be burned if he doesn’t.”