Council campaign heats up.

The campaign tussle on L.A.'s Westside for the 11th District City Council seat now held by termed-out Cindy Miscikowski is heating up, as each major candidate tries to tie the other to the pay-to-play allegations.

The first volley came in an Aug. 3 letter from candidate Flora Gil Krisiloff, the community activist who, until she stepped down to run for the council, was chair of the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission. Krisiloff asked her chief rival, former local cable television talk show host Bill Rosendahl, to return the $500 campaign contribution he had accepted in March from Fleishman-Hillard Inc., the public relations giant facing allegations of overbilling the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power.

Rosendahl campaign consultant Parke Skelton shot back a letter accusing Krisiloff's campaign of engaging in its own version of "pay-to-play" politics, centering on Krisiloff retaining Dakota Communications partner Rick Taylor to run her campaign.

According to the letter, Dakota's client roster includes Playa Capital LLC, Los Angeles World Airports, Wal-Mart Stores, Arden Realty and other entities with major projects now up for city consideration.

The letter made no mention of the contribution from Fleishman-Hillard; Skelton last week said Rosendahl intends to keep the $500. Meanwhile, Krisiloff said she has no intention of dropping Taylor from her campaign payroll.

And it's only August. The election is still seven months away.

Staff reporter Howard Fine can be reached at [phone], ext. 227, or at [e-mail].