Counting votes

While everyone else is consumed with the current election, the L.A. political establishment is increasingly caught up in the next election. In today's Times, Patrick McGreevy counts noses and finds seven members of the L.A. city council backing Jim Hahn's reelection as mayor. They are, for the record: LaBonge, Garcetti, Miscikowski, Reyes, Smith, Zine and—naturally—Janice Hahn. The mayor's highest profile backer on the council last time, president Alex Padilla, has yet to say, nor has his compadre from the Valley, Tony Cardenas. Wendy Greuel also endorsed Hahn last time but so far is playing it safe. Of the 15 members, two others—Villaraigosa and Parks—are running themselves. Martin Ludlow is expected to back Villaraigosa. Jan Perry hasn't said.

Today at noon, Jack Weiss will jump into the Villaraigosa camp. He's appearing with Reps. Howard Berman and Henry Waxman, who haven't gotten along with the Hahn family since at least 1985, when the Westside Dems wanted Lisa Specht to become City Attorney, Kenny Hahn wanted his son Jimmy, and the Westsiders sent Mickey Kantor downtown to suggest that Jimmy should wait his turn. The Hahns told him (nicely I'm sure) to shove it. Jimmy routed Lisa and, incidentally, has yet to lose an election. Today's event will be held in front of Canter's on Fairfax, scene of much political mini-theater through the years.

Rick Orlov's Monday column in the Daily News mines the candidates' fundraising reports for big names. Former mayor Richard Riordan and his wife Nancy each gave the maximum $1,000 to Hertzberg. So did Haim Saban, Sherry Lansing and Dino DeLaurentis, as well as former Arco chairman Lodwrick Cook. Eli Broad gave $1,000 to Parks. Hahn's list of $1,000 givers includes Rupert Murdoch, Quincy Jones, Richard Zanuck and Wes Craven. Alarcon got Ed Begley Jr. for $200.

Edited 12:45 p.m.