L.A. Mayoral Hopeful is Poised to Make a Splash (Walter Moore)

Los Angeles Times ^ | February 27, 2009 | Phil Willon

[nickcarraway]

It's Tuesday night and Walter Moore, candidate for Los Angeles mayor, is on the air and taking calls.

Ripping the record of the current officeholder, Antonio Villaraigosa, consumes a major chunk of his hour with KABC's John Phillips.

"Ask yourself, how would the city be different if it were expressly run by developers, gangs and the nation of Mexico? You'd be hard pressed to come up with any policy changes," Moore tells listeners.

The often caustic world of L.A. talk radio, which has never been friendly environs for the mayor, has become a comfort zone for Moore's long-shot campaign to unseat Villaraigosa, the former Assembly speaker and city councilman with almost 14 times the money and the political muscle to match.

Moore tosses out his rote campaign lines accusing Villaraigosa of coddling gang members, bankrupting L.A. and turning it into a Third World city.

Moore, in turn, has been accused of stoking racial animosity for political gain, using the slaying of an African American high school football star last year to rail against illegal immigrants.

What is clear is that Moore, a 49-year-old business attorney from Carthay Circle, has escaped the netherworld of political unknowns running against Villaraigosa to become his strongest opponent in Tuesday's primary election.

[ken21]

the mexicans number 2/3 of lost angeles county,

and they’ll vote for la raza.

[eclecticEel]

In truth almost no one will vote, since the election is being held on March fricken 3rd. I think the turnout for the last mayoral election was something like 11%, if we could just motivate people to get out there and vote we could turn things around.

[truthkeeper]

What's that expression? First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they attack you? It seems to me Moore has now moved past ridicule and into attack.

GO WALTER MOORE

[La Lydia]

I read the story. He sounds...normal. No made up name. No loyalty to other nations. Understanding of reality. If he would actually be elected I would take that as a sign that Angelenos are growing some common sense.

[blueplum]

Moore tosses out his rote campaign lines accusing Villaraigosa of coddling gang members, bankrupting L.A. and turning it into a Third World city.

i'd say it was more reality than 'campaign lines' - downtown LA is 14 miles of gang grafitti