Bob Hertzberg ran for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2005. The former California Assembly Speaker and adviser to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger lost and moved on away from politics to working on solar power in Wales where the Guardian newspaper named him one of the "50 people who could save the planet." In a way, Hertzberg is like Los Angeles' version of Al Gore. The guy who almost made it but is now well known......

By the end of 2008, there will have been three elections, the last one being the Presidential. But after that, things won't be calming down as major city races head into full swing mode. Councilwoman Wendy Greuel will run for City Controller and City Controller Laura Chick will probably run for City Council. But of note is who will run against Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for the biggest job of all? Rumors and talk of who......

Beyond Obama in '08, local politicos are already talking about 2009 elections here in LA. From Controller to Council, here comes Chick. Who the hell is going to oppose the powerhouse of Mayor V? Wendy and Weiss will leave council and try their hands at Controller and City Attorney. But there are some people, like those who call Weiss "Wacko Jacko," that are petitioning someone else to run for City Attorney in 2009. In what......

We’re not really sure when we stopped paying attention to the inconsistencies and broken promises spouted by the political leadership of Los Angeles. “We” not only being the writers of LAist, but also the editors of the Times and the City’s citizens. The instant broken promise we are referring to “Stem Cellgate” as Bob Hertzberg’s former verbal hatchet man, Matt Szabo, called it. (Check his blog out; it’s quite good.) Over and over again......

Bob Hertzberg might be gone from the Mayor's race, but he's launched a new website this week to make sure he's not forgotten. Called Big Ideas 4 LA, the site so far has a lively blog that culls stories from the day's news into a snappy, still-evolving digest format. Former Hertzberg campaigner Brian Hay is behind most of the work, and the digests are sure helpful to those who like getting a snapshot of......

With Bob Hertzberg conceding the race this morning, the May 17th election will now be between Antonio Villaraigosa and Mayor Hahn a rematch of the 2001 runoff. The real story might be the low voter turnout, though, which blogging.la is reporting as 24% of registered voters. Yikes. For much more comprehensive coverage, LA Observed and West LA Online are doing the job.......

Although we don't know who's winning the first round of the mayor's race -- which will likely end up with two finalists facing off on May 17 -- we do know that tonight two candidates will be celebrating. The three who don't make the finals may share their sadness with the people who worked hard to make their campaigns come to life. Who's sharing where the parties start? Richard Alarcon: Cha Cha Cha in Encino......

The big day is here--municipal election day. Hertzberg, Villaraigosa, and Hahn are the front-runners, as we said a few moons ago. Whether you pick one of those three or the two longshots (Parks and Alarcon) the important thing is to get out and vote. The level of civic engagement in this city is pathetic, and don't let yourself be a part of that disgrace to democracy. As to who we are endorsing? This LAist......

As predicted in earlier columns, Mayor Jim Hahn and former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg are in a struggle to the death for 2nd place in the runoff, as the new Times Poll shows. Hertzberg has surged into a virtual tie with Hahn around 20%, and Villaraigosa holds a slim lead at 24%. Huggy Hertzberg has taken the first shot of the final week, calling for the resignation of several commissioners who also happen to......

LAist has to admit, it’s been a banner weekend for mayoral candidate Bob Hertzberg. Running as the #3 in a 3-man race, in the last several days Hertzberg has received some major endorsements that could help boost him into a runoff. The combined effects of the three endorsements help him in his base constituencies: Republicans and Valley voters. Schwarzenegger Endorses LAUSD Breakup LAist has noted with amusement that every time the Times mentions Hertzberg’s......

Much like the New England Patriots, Taft High School seems like a team of destiny. The two time national Academic Decathlon champions have won the district tournament and move one step closer to another national championship. Their win comes on the same day that Governor Schwarzenegger called for the breaking up of LAUSD while throwing his support in the Mayoral race to Bob Hertzberg. In other Mayoral news, former police chief and current councilman......

Two major events dominate the week in LA politics–Bob Hertzberg’s introduction of the first TV ads in the mayoral campaign, and Laura Chick’s secret meetings with the mayoral challengers. (Sorry, fellow hacks–the Hahn signs at the sanitation yards aren’t that important.) Attack of the 50-foot Mayoral Candidate Bob Hertzberg released his first campaign ad to a variety of reviews. Boi from Troy says “Message gets an "A" but the imagery gets a kinda-spooky "C",”......

And so it begins... Although the mayoral candidates have been jousting for position the last 6 months, the next five weeks that will determine who will become the next mayor. Brace yourselves for the onslaught of TV ads, mailers, and phone calls as the candidates will make a play for your support. As a public service, LAist offers a primer on the top three candidates (Hahn, Villaraigosa, and Hertzberg), their experience, positions, and possible......

The big local story this morning is happening right now as two metrolink trains derailed in Glendale this morning. The Times reports that three are dead but according to a fire department spokesman on KTTV's Good Day LA there are now four fatalities. As of this writing, those injured on the trains have not been cleared to leave. If you are concerned that a relative was on one of the trains, you can contact......

The first LA mayoral debate, hosted last night at the Museum of Tolerance, probably wasn’t on the radar of local voters. Many are still worn out from the long presidential campaign that ended just a month ago; others are simply wrapped up in the holidays. KNBC forged ahead, though, sponsoring and airing the debate, which featured the station’s Colleen Williams as moderator. She was joined by panelists Jose Ronstadt of KWHY, which also aired......

As noted in LAObserved.com yesterday, the Los Angeles Times published a story this weekend about Los Angeles mayoral candidates wooing various financial backers for support. Candidates are going to need full coffers in order to pay for the heavy TV advertising necessary to compete in this spring's election. Reporter Michael Finnegan wrote: The top contenders for mayor of Los Angeles have jostled for months to make a favorable impression on Eric Bauman. Four have......

LA Mayor James Hahn has apparently resolved a "scheduling conflict" that aides said would have prevented him from participating in a Mayoral debate next week, clearing the way for all 5 major candidates to square off in the first rhetoric rumble of the campaign season. Hahn had been taking a beating from his challengers over his initial refusal to debate, especially from Bob Hertzberg, the former Assembly Speaker who mounted a web-based petition drive......

Tired of politics? You'd better get your second wind because local politicos descended on City Hall Monday to file the paperwork for the city wide election on March 8th. Should be a noisy fight as 26 incumbents and challengers launch campaigns for Los Angeles mayor, eight City Council seats and a handful of other offices. The Los Angeles Daily Breeze reported "the crowd of [mayoral] hopefuls included Mayor James Hahn and one of his......

LAist is increasingly impressed with the early efforts of mayoral hopeful Bob Hertzberg. Bob is currently fielding a great TV spot that's designed to ferry civic-minded Angelenos over to his dynamic Change LA website. It offers a parade of attractive digital photographs and a Hertzberg voice-over that contains fair criticisms about the city's current leadership. The ad demonstrates that Bob, who cut his teeth as an advance man for Jimmy Carter's White House press office,......

Rick Orlov, the Dean of City Hall reporters, levels with Mayor Hahn in his Daily News column. His message? Between the nascent police scandals, political controversies, and a tough field of rivals, it looks as if Jimmy's got a tough row to hoe. Orlov outlines the substance of Hahn's political peril: ...he alienated two of his key areas of support. He forced Parks out as chief, angering many in the African-American community, and he lost......

Will he or won't he? City Hall watchers are breathlessly waiting for Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa to electrify the race for Mayor by entering the ring for a rematch with Mayor Hahn. The Times reports he's getting close. Local media aficionado Kevin Roderick chimes in at L.A. Observed, noting Antonio's hints that his decision would come soon (in between flashes of his trademark smile). Over at Change L.A., Bob Hertzberg continues to enjoy financial success......

Over at L.A. Observed, some fantastic rumor-mongering: "About that gathering race for mayor, everybody I spoke with today for a magazine piece I'm writing had heard the same rumor: Antonio Villaraigosa intends to join the fray next week with an official announcement that he is gunning for a rematch. If true, that should make things deliciously complicated for a whole bunch of people already struggling to choose sides without losing friends. Perhaps no one is......

Mayoral hopeful Bob Hertzberg has unveiled an impressively interactive new campaign website. The page features a number of innovations pioneered by Joe Trippi of the Howard Dean campaign, including a 'Hertz-blog' (groan) and a palm-tree thermometer to keeps track of new donations. It even implores Angelenos to set up "BBQs for Bob" in order to generate interest and money for the campaign. LAist is taking Hertzberg's candidacy seriously - he's raised more money than the......