Shirley Jahad talks to Mark Haefele about the Los Angeles mayoral race.
Shirley Jahad: Good afternoon. This is All Things Considered on 89.3 KPCC. I’m Shirley Jahad here with Marc Haefele. He is dean of the city hall reporters. Hi, Marc.
Marc Haefele: Hi Shirley.
Jahad: Well Marc, we are just on the heels of a historic election and inauguration, and in the Southland, just ahead, we have another election coming. This, many might say, is much more lackluster, if only because there’s no real contest ahead. L.A.’s mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, is up for reelection in March.
Haefele: Yup, and if you haven’t heard a lot about it, don’t feel it’s your fault. Antonio faces one moderately well-funded candidate, a Westside lawyer named Walter Moore. A nice guy, I believe, but Antonio has 10 times as much money in his campaign. Walter really is only going to make it if a miracle happens his way.
Jahad: We should say, although there’s no major competition, there is a total of nine candidates running against the incumbent mayor. And Marc, what kind of report card would you give Villaraigosa for his first term in office?