Hertzberg, Parks bids would be big threat to Hahn.

IF the rumors are true, Mayor James K. Hahn's re-election campaign in 2005, some analysts predict, will be much, much tougher than the war he waged to beat down efforts to carve up Los Angeles in 2002, which Hahn himself has described as "the biggest battle of his political career."

According to one prominent Valley business leader and a former candidate for the Los Angeles city council who has asked not to be identified, former Assemblyman and Speaker Robert Hertzberg is said to be quietly considering a run for the mayor's office. Rumors are also beginning to take shape on the other side of the hill that City Councilman Bernard Parks is on the same page.

Together, Hertzberg and Parks carry the potential to wrestle a significant number of votes from Hahn, with Hertzberg snagging the bulk of the most important votes in an L.A. mayoral race: those of Valley constituents, and Parks wrestling Hahn's coveted lineup of prominent African American supporters.

Hahn has already launched his re-election campaign, which is smart, because typically supporters don't pull checks or support at the 11th hour.

But historically, refugees from the state Legislature (Hertzberg was termed out of office in 2002), have not been successful at booting out an incumbent mayor; they are usually seen as Sacramento outsiders looking for a cushy place to settle into.

Just ask former Assemblyman and now L.A. City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa, whose first quest for the mayor's seat in 2001 was snuffed out by Hahn through a combination of a barrage of negative campaigning, backed by contributions for Hahn from Indian gambling cash.

But Hertzberg is clearly no stranger to these parts, having represented the Valley in Sacramento from 1996 until his return here in December of 2002. While in office, he helped craft legislation that, in addition to laying out a blueprint for legally breaking up Los Angeles, stripped the city council of its powers to quash a breakup campaign here in the Valley. That was a vital first step in getting a measure for secession on the ballot and voters won't forget it.

Hertzberg refused to bill himself as a prosecessionist, but clearly he took the view of many breakup supporters that L.A. is just too big to govern from one location and invested time and resources in crafting a plan for creating a borough system.

"It would be a major campaign battle," said Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies. "I sort of understand why Hahn is so feverishly raising funds now and lining up allies. Obviously Hertzberg would be viewed by the voters as a true 'Valley' candidate, building on anger here left over from the secession movement.

"My guess is Hahn would try to pull out all the stops to get Hertzberg not to run because it would almost certainly force him into a runoff," said Stern. "And, Hahn has a disadvantage of not being a very visible mayor, not just in the Valley, but citywide. People just have not seen him in high-profile situations. Hertzberg has more energy than five of us put together."

Hertzberg is now a partner at the Los Angeles office of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw in the firm's government relations practice.

He did not return calls for comment.

Back to the Boroughs?

A forum held by Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley and The Valley Industry and Commerce Association, Nov. 4 brought Valley secession leaders, neighborhood council representatives and business and economic experts together for a discussion on the state of the Valley a year after the breakup vote was defeated.

According to Jill Banks Barad, who chairs the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council, one of the more prominent sentiments to surface during the forum was a plan for revisiting the idea of establishing a borough system for Los Angeles.

"We were asked by Wendy and others if we had a magic wand, what change would we like to see?" said Barad. "I said I'd like to see 15 boroughs. David Fleming, (a secession supporter and chair of the Economic Alliance who also sat on the panel), said he'd like to see seven.

"We just feel that city council districts are just too far away from one another, and too large and it's just almost impossible to touch base with everyone in those districts. And with districts this large, it costs a fortune to run. Instead of neighborhood councils, which are merely advisory, so many of us on the panel supported that. But I also think that, in reality, like every other cause, it's going to need someone to champion that."

Greuel has given few hints that she intends to take on the challenge. However, it was Greuel, fueled in part by a pro-borough plan pushed by Assemblyman Robert Hertzberg, who introduced legislation during the secession drive calling for a vote on the creation of boroughs as an alternative.

Had it not been shot down by the city council, a borough initiative would have appeared on the ballot alongside Measure F, the secession initiative.

In VICA's "This Week with VICA" news flash released after the forum, the group echoed the sentiment expressed during the discussion for continued efforts at decentralization of city government.

"The event's message was clear: create a participatory city government where residents feel economic and governmental empowerment, or face future political discontent," VICA's roundup read.

Staff Reporter Jacqueline Fox can be reached at [phone] or at [e-mail].