LA's Mayor Down 18 Points in Poll

The LA Mayor race is 2 weeks from the final showdown, with Mayor Jim (who) Hahn vs. "fancy suit" Antionio Villaraigosa. Very few people of Los Angeles, let alone anyone else, really cares. And they probably shouldn't. Though a first term Mayor in this crazy city is likely to get a rare boot by the first Latino Mayor since the 1780s, few expect any significant changes.

The election has come down to Antonio playing it so safe that you can bareley tell the old Tony is standing there. His "stagnation and investigation... "time for a fresh start" rhetoric has become borderline offensive - even for a supporter like me.

But I support Antonio because, even though I work for Jim Hahn, I don't know him. I don't know what he thinks, beyond when he gets cornered into a position. Anonio's background is impressively liberal - ACLU, Unions, education and park bills, John Kerry state chair in 2004... but still I can't say that he's that different from Hahn. But I trust Antonio more to do right for South LA.

On urban planning and preservation issues, Antonio is generally to the better of Hahn, though not by much. He talks a good talk, but will he walk the walk? Hahn has actually not been bad on housing and planning issues... Antonio's ambitious vision of transit and fully funded affordable housing and inclusionary zoning tips the balance.