Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn began a final burst of television advertising in his reelection campaign Tuesday with a scathing spot that accused rival Antonio Villaraigosa of doing "special favors" at City Hall for Florida campaign donors.
Dogged for months by accusations of impropriety in his fundraising, Hahn is using his first television ad of the runoff race to raise doubts about Villaraigosa's integrity.
It aired a day after the city councilman had started running an equally harsh ad that rips Hahn for criminal investigations of city contracting and the mayor's fundraising.
"After collecting their money in Florida, Villaraigosa did special favors for many of these Florida businesses in the L.A. City Council," an announcer says in Hahn's ad. "Now the district attorney has opened an investigation of Villaraigosa's fundraising."
The ad, debuting two weeks before election day, shows Villaraigosa saying, "I'll lead by example." The announcer concludes: "The Villaraigosa example of special favors for special contributors: Los Angeles just can't trust Antonio Villaraigosa."
Hahn's ad draws on Villaraigosa's recent acceptance of $47,000 in donations from employees of two Florida firms and their family members.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said last week that he was opening a preliminary "money laundering" inquiry. His announcement followed news reports that some employees seemed confused about the donations or had difficulty explaining them -- and that the companies could be interested in concessions contracts at Los Angeles International Airport.
Villaraigosa, who pledged last week to return the donations, has denied helping the Florida contributors.
"These are desperate lies from a desperate man," said Ace Smith, his campaign manager. "And from the same guy who ran the dirtiest campaign in American history four years ago, it's not surprising."
Hahn's ad went on the air after seven days of unchallenged commercials from Villaraigosa -- a delay that underlines the troubled circumstances of the mayor's campaign. Low poll ratings have led to lackluster fund-raising, which has made it hard for Hahn to buy the television ad time that he needs to reach voters with an anti-Villaraigosa message.
With that backdrop, Hahn had little choice but to "launch a blitzkrieg," said Steven P. Erie, a political science professor at UC San Diego.
