From a doughnut stand in the South Bay, to a Little League baseball field in the San Fernando Valley, to a second-floor Boyle Heights walk-up, to a print shop on the west side and many other spots all over Los Angeles, the major candidates for the mayoral position scrambled to garner voter support.
Incumbent Mayor James Hahn, State Senator Richard Alarc?n, Councilmember and former State Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilmember and former L.A.P.D. Chief Bernard Parks, and former State Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, all Democrats, mobilized family, volunteers and other supporters (celebrities, ineligible-to-vote youth, labor unions and even some Republicans) in a relentless drive to capture citizens’ attention.
As is standard in the ritual of today’s campaigning, our finely manicured candidates employed lots of door knocking, hand shaking, baby kissing, and back slapping. They also counted on the sweat, loyalty and labor of their campaign workers, who strove to garner recognition for their candidacies, promote their positions on important issues, and foster votes.
