Backstage at the debate *

If nothing else, last night's televised debate removed any doubts that the mayor's race is going to be a rancorous, negative and highly personal clash. The challengers pounced on Jim Hahn from the start about his Administration's ethics and performance, and he sneered right back at them. At one point, Hahn said he refused to be lectured by Antonio Villaraigosa and Bob Hertzberg, calling them Sacramento pols. Later in the interview room, Hahn lost his cool briefly while denying there is any ethics cloud darkening his term. The morning news stories all pick up on the theme that the challengers made Hahn the story:

Times: Debate Puts Hahn on Hot Seat
Daily News: Foes Hammer Hahn
Daily Breeze: Rivals Gang Up on Mayor, Hammer at Corruption Theme

Who knows if anyone watched, but media interest was high. Two dozen reporters and photographers squeezed in with political consultants and campaign aides to watch the debate from an upstairs annex at the Museum of Tolerance. Afterward, the candidates took turns in the interview room. Hertzberg and Villaraigosa both criticized the mayor for hiring his 2001 campaign fundraiser [Troy Edwards] as a deputy mayor. Bernard Parks said that a federal grand jury wouldn't embargo the mayor's office email and call witnesses for no reason, and he said Hahn has allowed an unethical environment to flourish. Richard Alarcon pushed his plan to ban campaign contributions from developers and city contractors. Hahn came last, and got into it with NBC-4 reporter Laurel Erickson over questions about the "scandals" in his Administration. "What scandals?" the mayor demanded, pointing out that no one has been charged with any wrongdoing.

The last word went to analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, who called the debate "an audition for the opinion makers, the media and the contributors." She said no one won, but she gave Alarcon—who some call the biggest longshot in the race—points for clearly making his positions known. The next time the hopefuls all get together is Dec. 21 at the L.A. County Museum of Art, when they will be queried by six environmental activists for the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters.

Blog Watch: Mack Reed at LAVoice blogged the entire thing, 25,000 bytes worth. MartiniRepublic posts "to our eyes, Hertzberg won--he got under Hahn's skin the most, anticipating the most logical pairing in the runoff." Reaction also by Greg Dewar, Lonewacko, Mayor Sam's Sister City and Hertzberg campaign consultant John Shallman, who weighs in at the HertzBlog to—as you might expect—call a winner. Apparently the Hertzberg blog staff was spinning online even as the debate was underway. * Late risers: LAist weighs in (misspelling the name of debate panelist Ron Kaye fixed) and comments on the other city races by linking to a three-week-old Times story.