RACE ENTERS FINAL WEEK HAHN, VILLARAIGOSA CAMPAIGN ON TRUST.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

Challenger Antonio Villaraigosa kept up the posture of a cautious front-runner Tuesday as the mayoral campaign entered its final week, while incumbent James Hahn defended himself against new ethical questions and insisted he would come from behind and win.

They continued to trade barbs about who can be trusted as they campaigned for critical votes among various constituencies as Tuesday's election day loomed closer.

Villaraigosa, bolstered by a Los Angeles Times poll showing Hahn gaining ground but still running 11 percentage points behind the councilman, said he would no longer address accusations made by the mayor against him.

``All Jim Hahn has done is distort my record,'' Villaraigosa said.

Hahn, who ran 10 percentage points behind Villaraigosa in the primary and polled as much as 18 percentage points down last month, said he likes his position.

``I would much rather be where I am, gaining ground on someone, than looking over my shoulder and seeing someone coming from behind to catch me,'' Hahn said at a late afternoon news conference.

``I like the position I'm in. Four years ago, I was behind and outspent and I ended up winning by 40,000 votes. The same thing is going to happen this time.''

Villaraigosa and his campaign reveled in the poll numbers but warned against complacency in what is expected to be a low-turnout election.

``I'd rather be where I am today,'' Villaraigosa said, while his campaign noted his election day numbers were in line or better than polls predicted.

After touring the Los Angeles harbor in a helicopter with former Mayor Richard Riordan, Villaraigosa - attempting to avenge a 2001 loss to Hahn - said he wants to deal with positives in the final week of the election, including a defense of his legislative record.

``I have a strong record on crime-fighting and voted for a number of get-tough laws,'' Villaraigosa said after a tour of the harbor and a call for tougher security measures at the port facility.

Allan Hoffenblum, a Republican consultant not involved in either campaign, said it represents a tough fight for Hahn - but no guarantee for Villaraigosa.

``Right now, for both sides, this is a race to the center,'' Hoffenblum said. ``Hahn is getting all the conservatives, Villaraigosa is getting the liberals. It will be the center where this race is decided.

``That's why the mayor is going so strong on crime issues. Those are the voters he needs to bring to the table if he's going to have a chance and capitalize on some confusion on who Villaraigosa is. For Villaraigosa, he has to continue to assure the people in the center they can trust him and remind voters who oppose the mayor why they need to make a change.''

Hahn also found himself subject to new questions regarding the activities of one of his commissioners, Harbor Commissioner Nick Tonsich.

The Los Angeles Times said there were questions over Tonsich and his laws firm's earning more than $1.2 million from no-bid contracts from the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority; its selection to represent the city in Rampart Division cases; his contact with a City Hall lobbyist; and his efforts to set up a company dealing with emission controls from cargo ships.

Tonsich issued a statement denying any wrongdoing, adding he has recused himself from all cases where there was a potential conflict of interest.

Councilmen Jack Weiss and Bernard Parks, both of whom have endorsed Villaraigosa, called for Tonsich to step down because of the newspaper article. If he refuses to leave, they said, Hahn should fire him.

In addition, they urged the district attorney, U.S. attorney and Ethics Commission to include Tonsich in the ongoing investigations of ``pay- to-play'' accusations involving the Hahn administration.

A spokeswoman for District Attorney Steve Cooley said his office would not comment on the matter.

``Due to the pending county-federal investigation, we will not be making any comments,'' spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.

The inquiry is into how contracts are awarded at the departments of Airport, Harbor and Water and Power. Tonsich reportedly has been subpoenaed to testify about the matter.

Hahn's office issued a letter it had sent out Friday to City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and the Ethics Commission, asking them to review whether Tonsich had violated any of the city's conflict-of-interest laws.

``The mayor asked for the review as soon as he heard questions were being raised about Mr. Tonsich,'' spokeswoman Shannon Murphy said.

But Hahn said he had no plans to replace Tonsich or ask him to quit.

``Nick Tonsich has been a great commissioner,'' Hahn said, adding that he represents the San Pedro community and has done a good job in helping develop the port while dealing with environmental concerns.

Weiss and Parks said they are considering whether to ask the full City Council to consider removing Tonsich.

The Hahn campaign countered with a request for information from Weiss and Parks on their support of a proposal to review concession contracts at Los Angeles International Airport.

Villaraigosa has denied any link with contributions he received from Florida firms said to be interested in the concessions. He did support a full City Council review of LAX concession contracts after he said questions were raised about them being extended without any discussion.

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com