MAYOR'S RACE GETS NASTY ATTACK ADS AIR AS CAMPAIGN HITS FINAL WEEKEND.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

With his political career at stake, Mayor James Hahn launched a barrage of negative television advertisements against his two main rivals Thursday - and then was hit with retaliatory attack ads from Antonio Villaraigosa and Bob Hertzberg.

With the three in an apparent dead heat for the two runoff spots in Tuesday's mayoral primary, Hahn took to the airwaves with a 30-second commercial that sought to link the two former speakers of the state Assembly with the energy crisis and the Enron Corp. scandal.

It also revived the controversial Vignali letters charge that helped Hahn stage a come-from-behind victory four years ago against Villaraigosa. The new ad accuses the councilman and Hertzberg of sending letters supporting the pardon of a convicted drug dealer nearly a decade ago.

``They have been running around for months attacking us and it's time for them to defend their records,'' Hahn campaign manager Bill Carrick said as he acknowledged that the race was up for grabs.

``We think one-third of the voters have yet to make up their mind and another third can be persuaded. We want those voters who haven't made a final decision to have this information.''

Hertzberg fought back by changing the opening of his latest ad depicting himself as a giant big enough to solve Los Angeles' traffic, crime and educational problems.

Now the ad begins with the lead-in from Hahn's commercial on a monitor and a giant foot crushing the television.

Hertzberg appears on the screen and says, ``I'm Bob Hertzberg and that's just wrong.''

The Villaraigosa commercial, featuring newspaper clippings and grainy black-and-white pictures of Hahn, attacks the mayor over ongoing local and federal criminal investigations of his administration about ``pay-to-play'' contracting allegations.

It concludes with an announcer saying: ``Isn't it time for a change?''

Villaraigosa campaign manager Ace Smith said the mayor's strategy shows he is desperate.

``It's not surprising when you see an incumbent mayor and 75 percent of the voters say they want someone else,'' Smith said.

Hertzberg campaign manager John Shallman said he hopes to stick to the key issues of the campaign as much as possible through the weekend but is prepared to fight back.

``Our hope is to remain focused on the issues that have got us here - the need to break up the Los Angeles Unified School District, how we can hire more police and fix the traffic problems the city is facing,'' Shallman said.

``But if we feel we have to respond, we will.''

The Hahn commercial revives accusations the mayor made at a news conference Wednesday, accusing Villaraigosa of supporting energy deregulation and Hertzberg of developing a bailout plan that could have helped Enron - charges that are vigorously disputed by the candidates.

``We think people are starting to pay attention and we want them to know what the two have cost Los Angeles taxpayers,'' Carrick said.

``The energy crisis cost the state billions and resulted in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars to local government that could have been used for more police, on schools and traffic.''

Political experts questioned how effective the ad would be since Los Angeles did not suffer blackouts or higher costs during the energy crisis because the Department of Water and Power had its own supply. In fact, the DWP sold hundreds of millions of dollars to the state energy grid during crisis, generating money that helped cut its debt and fund the city's general fund.

``Obviously, they are trying to use Enron as the symbol of corporate corruption and hope that gets through to the average voter,'' said political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe.

``In some ways, it is a very subtle approach to try to connect them to that on an issue where most Los Angeles residents didn't feel the pinch of the energy crisis because the DWP was exempt.''

The commercial also revives an issue raised in the 2001 mayoral campaign - a letter Villaraigosa had written seeking presidential clemency to allow the release of imprisoned cocaine dealer Carlos A. Vignali, the son of Horace Vignali, a major political contributor.

Hertzberg also had written a letter on behalf of Vignali as did many other prominent people, including Cardinal Roger Mahony. On his last day in office, President Clinton granted clemency to the former Encino resident who had served six years of a 15-year sentence in federal prison.

The same charge in 2001 against Villaraigosa sparked widespread accusations that the Hahn campaign had turned to a racial attack in order to win.

Also on Thursday, Hertzberg was joined by former Mayor Richard Riordan in a stunt for a talk-radio show to demonstrate the traffic problems in the city with a ``rush-hour race'' from City Hall to their respective homes in Sherman Oaks and Brentwood and then on to the KFI radio station in Burbank.

With the two wearing leather racing jackets, Riordan came to the defense of Hertzberg.

``This is a man who can bring the leadership we need to the city,'' Riordan said. ``When I was mayor, he was the one person I would go to for help in Sacramento.''

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

In this image taken from an ad aired by Mayor James Hahn, a no vote is urged for mayoral challengers Antonio Villaraigosa and Bob Hertzberg.