Hertzberg family feud*

The Daily News' James Nash reports on an unusual court hearing yesterday where Bob Hertzberg's ex-wife asked that he be stopped from running for mayor. Karen Moskowitz argued that Hertzberg should not get to reduce his child support payments to their sons (as he sought) in order to run. Hertzberg made more than $1 million as an attorney last year but has said he will cut back his hours and reduce his compensation to $300,000 to campaign this year. If elected, he would make $186,989. The judge did not immediately rule, but there was lively discussion, including a complaint by Moskowitz that Hertzberg pays a driver $60,000 a year.

Ex-wife Karen Moskowitz's attorney, Judith Salkow Shapiro, argued that Hertzberg's sons shouldn't be penalized for their father's political ambitions. She said the child-support obligations should not be reduced from about $9,800 a month to $1,800.

The judge responded that there's a larger societal benefit to people like Hertzberg serving the public, citing the example of attorneys who leave behind $500,000 salaries to serve as judges.

"Consistently, society values civic contributions as an important goal equal to the support of children. The court has to balance all of that in each case."

Shapiro said Hertzberg's goals were less noble.

"Now he says, 'I want to take (child support) away -- not to go on the bench, but because I want to run for public office, which I may or may not win, to have all the personal satisfaction of holding that office,"' Shapiro said. "I don't think Mr. Hertzberg has that right."

Hertzberg told the Daily News: "I weighed this very seriously before entering into this. I don't want to do anything that hurts my boys. I don't think it has any bearing on my ability to serve Los Angeles." He is married now to Cynthia Ann Telles, a UCLA professor of medicine and city library commissioner.

* More: Matt Krasnowski's story for Copley News Service says that Moskowitz was seeking an increase to $10,315 monthly. The judge ordered Hertzberg to continue paying $9,800 for now and set another hearing for July. Hertzberg alleged in a declaration that his ex was trying to hurt his political reputation.