Mayoral Contest Leaves City Hall a House Divided

Los Angeles City Council members have often congratulated themselves on just how collegial they are compared to the fractious body of years past.

They spoke too soon.

With a month left until a contentious mayoral election that pits Mayor James K. Hahn and City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa against each other for the second time, tensions are running high in the ornate council chamber.

Tempers are flaring. Intemperate words are flying. And some City Hall observers say city business, including major policy initiatives, is taking a backseat to political theatrics.

"There's some bad behavior down here," said Councilwoman Janice Hahn, the mayor's devoted younger sister. "Politics has risen its ugly head here in the council chambers on more than one occasion.

"I'm not excluding myself," added the councilwoman, who, in one of the more notable outbursts on the council floor, angrily told Villaraigosa earlier this spring to "keep your crappy speeches for the candidate debates."

Hahn is not only the mayor's sister, but also one of his most trusted confidantes and his staunchest defender on the council. But the mayor can also count on seven other members who have endorsed him, giving him a slim majority of the 15-member council: Tom LaBonge, Cindy Miscikowski, Jan Perry, Ed Reyes, Greig Smith, Eric Garcetti and Dennis Zine.

Villaraigosa, meanwhile, is backed by a feisty trio: Martin Ludlow, Jack Weiss and Bernard C. Parks, the former police chief and outspoken Hahn critic who was a candidate himself until he was eliminated in the March 8 election.

Three others -- Wendy Greuel, Alex Padilla and Tony Cardenas -- have so far stayed safely on the sidelines.

Hahn does not usually appear at council meetings. And, although their offices are one floor apart, he and Villaraigosa are rarely seen together in public in City Hall.

"There is no question that the mayor's race has become the 800-pound gorilla in the room," said Weiss, a former federal prosecutor who has repeatedly challenged the mayor.

Over the last few months, the mayor's race appears to have influenced the outcome of several major issues that could affect the city for years to come.

A controversial proposal that would require developers to offer below-market units in new housing developments has been quietly shelved.