Rivals Court Voters Across City

Mayor James K. Hahn, speaking to precinct walkers Saturday in the San Fernando Valley, once again accused challenger Antonio Villaraigosa of siding with gang members instead of poor families.

The councilman, meanwhile, roved Los Angeles, attending a community cleanup, a library opening and an event for seniors, and answering questions about the death of labor leader Miguel Contreras, a friend of his.

Contreras, the head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, died Friday night at age 52. Although Contreras was friends with Villaraigosa, he had a close working relationship with Hahn, who received the labor group’s endorsement in the mayoral election.

Villaraigosa described Contreras as a brother, while Hahn praised him as a brilliant negotiator and “a great guy to work with.”

With just 10 days before the May 17 election, neither candidate could afford to take a day off from campaigning.

The mayor rallied union members over doughnuts in a parking lot in San Fernando before exhorting them to “knock on those doors” in nearby precincts in Los Angeles.

He also offered a blistering critique of his opponent for opposing a gang injunction 14 years ago in San Fernando.

“My opponent Antonio Villaraigosa should have been on the side of the poor people who were struggling to make sure their children were safe and their families were safe,” the mayor said. “But he picked the side of gang members. That’s wrong.”

Villaraigosa, who served for years on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, was a plaintiff in an ACLU lawsuit to overturn a gang injunction in San Fernando.

In the 2001 mayor’s race, Villaraigosa said he supported gang injunctions, a position he has reiterated in this campaign.

On Saturday, Villaraigosa appeared sad and distracted by Contreras’ death, but he struck an upbeat tone at his three events.

At the opening of a library in Westwood, he stooped to hug children, cooed over a Girl Scout’s puppy and told the receptive audience that he had spent his afternoons after school in a library.

On his way to addressing a convention for seniors in downtown Los Angeles, Villaraigosa said he was “looking forward to the next 10 days but more important the next four years.”

He began his day by leading El Sereno residents in community service projects.

“That’s what I want to do: Engage people, empower them ... get people involved enough to care about their community in their city to make a difference,” he said.

*

Times staff writer Susannah Rosenblatt contributed to this report.