Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard C. Parks made it official: He is running for mayor against James K. Hahn, who pushed him out as police chief two years ago.
"I'm in, with a capital IN," Parks said Wednesday, 10 weeks after he filed fundraising papers and began criss-crossing the city to meet voters. Parks' entry means that Hahn, once considered unassailable, will face at least three strong challengers in the March 2005 primary.
State Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar), a former city councilman from the San Fernando Valley, jumped into the race three months ago. Former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, an advisor to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, declared his candidacy in April.
City Councilman and former Assembly speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, Hahn's opponent in the last race, is considering a rematch.
Political insiders said the campaign could be unpredictable.
"Anybody who tells you the answer, they're full of baloney," said political consultant Joe Cerrell. "If I bet the money in my pocket, I'd bet on Jim Hahn. But would I bet more than the money in my pocket? No, because you don't know."
The 60-year-old Parks, who plans an "open house" this morning to kick off his campaign, said that his recent whirlwind tour of Los Angeles convinced him that voters believe that the city is "adrift" and will welcome his business-friendly ideas.
The mayor, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment on Parks' decision and referred calls to his campaign strategist, Bill Carrick. "He needs to be taken seriously," Carrick said. But he added, "I'm not worried. Jim is going to get reelected."
No incumbent Los Angeles mayor has lost since Sam Yorty was defeated by Tom Bradley in 1973. But as federal and county investigators probe ties between city contracts and campaign donations, potential challengers have seen the mayor as vulnerable. As Parks met with voters to discuss his candidacy in recent months, he criticized the mayor's stewardship. "The corruption issue is always one that is ever-present," he said again Wednesday.
Though anticipated, Parks' decision was welcomed by the other challengers, in part because the city's second black police chief is widely expected to undercut Hahn's support among blacks. Some of those voters may still be angry at the mayor's decision to oust Parks.
"He's a good man," Hertzberg said. "I've got a profound respect for him."
