Rivals Keeping Big Stick at Hand

As they maneuvered for advantage Monday, their strategic debate was whether negative ads would help the candidate who airs them -- or doom him to defeat in a voter backlash. With polls showing at least three top candidates vying in the March 8 election for just two slots in the likely May runoff, the stakes are huge and the outcome unpredictable.

"This is like playing three- or four-level chess," said Democratic strategist Garry South, who backs mayoral hopeful Antonio Villaraigosa but does not work for his campaign. "You have to not only try to figure out what the possible consequences of every move you make might be, but what the consequences of the countermoves of your opponent might be. And that's very difficult to do."

Setting the stage for a rise in hostilities, candidate Bob Hertzberg, a former Assembly speaker, called on incumbent James K. Hahn on Monday not to use misleading negative ads or personal attacks -- and to urge supporters to uphold the same standards for independent spending on the race. The Sherman Oaks lawyer gave Hahn 48 hours to accept his challenge, which included a one-on-one debate.

"I will be fair and honest with the people, but I will hit back just as hard as I possibly can in response to what he seeks to do," said Hertzberg.

Hahn strategist Bill Carrick, citing a series of Hertzberg mailings attacking the mayor, called the challenge "disingenuous political doubletalk."

"As far as I'm concerned, Bob Hertzberg already started running a negative campaign, and for him to suggest now that he wants to call it off is deceitful," Carrick said.

So far, none of the candidates has gone on the attack in television advertising, the main avenue for reaching voters in an L.A.'s mayor's race.

In keeping with the positive tone set so far, the latest spot, released Monday, shows Villaraigosa promoting himself as a city councilman and former Assembly speaker who has proved he can "get things done."

Villaraigosa "led the fight for more police, expanded neighborhood watches, demolished a crack house and organized residents to clean up graffiti," the ad says.