Mayor James K. Hahn scored a major victory Thursday when the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor endorsed him for a second term, a decision that will bring considerable money and muscle to his campaign.
Hahn won the coveted endorsement of the political arm of the county AFL-CIO despite the enthusiasm of several unions for mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa.
The Eastside councilman and former union organizer won the federation's endorsement in 2001 only to lose a bitter race to Hahn.
At a late afternoon news conference at the federation's headquarters near MacArthur Park, Hahn could hardly contain his delight about labor's backing.
"This is huge," said the mayor, who beamed as he stood beside Miguel Contreras, the executive secretary-treasurer of the county AFL-CIO and the top union leader in Los Angeles. "Time and time again, I think, organized labor has proven how formidable they are."
Hahn said he won the endorsement because of his work on issues that matter to labor, such as his efforts to modernize Los Angeles International Airport, build more housing and expand after-school programs. "I think that at the end of the day, that kind of effectiveness -- getting results -- is what got me this endorsement."
The endorsement was particularly sweet for Hahn because it deprives Villaraigosa of the financial clout and volunteer support of the labor federation, which has 400,000 members in the city, although only about 60% of them are registered to vote.
Contreras said union leaders would meet in January to decide how much money to commit to Hahn, who faces 11 opponents -- four of them veteran local politicians -- in the March 8 election. He speculated that the federation would spend more than $1 million on mailers, phone calls and precinct workers to reach union households in the nation's second-largest city.
Touring a room in the federation headquarters that was newly adorned with Hahn signs, the mayor was buoyant as Contreras showed off phone banks and automated dialing equipment capable of reaching 35,000 homes a night. The labor leader said the room would be "humming with the word Hahn" as the election approaches.
Contreras told reporters that the endorsement of Hahn reflected a long tradition of rewarding officeholders who stick by union workers. "Today, we fulfill that tradition by endorsing for reelection an incumbent mayor who has consistently supported labor's agenda and issues at City Hall," he said.
