Monkeys, Sex Offenders & TV Ads: Mayoral Site Check 19*
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Nineteen days and counting, and the carnival barkers have trotted out their most compelling exhibits for the Los Angeles mayoral campaign.
Step right up to the greatest show in L.A.: Over here, Antonio Villaraigosa proposes broadcasting information about the city's 4,000 registered sex offenders on television. (Just a taste of this one, folks. The Times said nothing more Ah, here it is).
And next, we have Bob Hertzberg, vowing to triple, yes, TRIPLE controller Laura Chick's million-dollar auditing budget, and eliminate wasteful expenses like the $15.7 million blown on PR services for the DWP - and the $1 million in taxpayer dollars that Los Angeles promised to spend on to renting three golden monkeys from China for the Los Angeles ZOO.
Whew. I'm getting a tad breathless here. Better sit down and watch some TV ads - those will give me a nice clear picture of where the candidates stand ...
But no, the ads are just ads - brisk, sparkly confectionery image-pops that try to leave an impression while saying little that's concrete. Here's a rundown of the spots available on each of the top 6 candidates' sites. (It should be noted that apparently none of the other seven candidates has shelled out big bucks for TV ads:
<a href="http://alarconforla.com/board.php?b_code=ad" target=_new>Richard Alarcon (15 secs x 4 ads - Quicktime, Windows Media):
Four - count 'em - four 15-second spots. "Ethics": He's in the back of a limo, being driven somewhere, checking what looks like an address on a business card. Alarcon's v.o.: "No one should get a city contract after contributing to a politician. My initiative will end that." "Punch": He's working a punching bag, fists hard, jaw tight, eyes sharp. "They jack up the water rates and waste the money on PR contracts. So I sued them." "Jobs": He's in an office tower, listening to traffic reports. "We're America's low-wage capital. More middle-class jobs would solve a lot of L.A.'s problems." "Crime": He's walking up to a crime scene, bathed in police strobes. "I gave them a plan for 1,000 more cops. I'm tired of waiting." On all four spots, the clang of a boxing-ring bell, and an announcer's v.o.: "Richard Alarcon - the Senator for Mayor."
Evaluation: Crisp, economical and solid image bites based on things Alarcon's done or said he'll do - with the exception of "Jobs" which leads one to say, "If wishes were fishes, we'd all cast nets." What are you actually going to do about L.A.'s job market? - and this is the problem with all these little clips - they're short on usable, votable facts.
<a href="http://jimhahn.org" target=_new>Mayor James Hahn (30 secs, 15 secs - Quicktime, Windows Media):
V.o.: "Mayor Jim Hahn - gutsy decisions." Hahn is surrounded by a gaggle of adoring extras on a sunlit street lined with picket fences. He ditches them and strides toward the camera beneath headlines touting his accomplishments. I brought in a new police chief, Bill Bratton. Now violent crimes are down 18% and response times are faster. We stopped Sacramento politicians from raiding our tax dollars - money L.A. needs for our police, firefighters and local services. And ..." (and here's the claim I don't get) "we kept L.A. together." Extras gather around him again with well-acted smiles. Fade to black. The 15-second spot touts Hahn's work on after-school programs, affordable housing and environmental regulations intercut with images of the extras and schools, apartments and the beach.
Evaluation: The 30-second spot touts the one thing (other than the politically dicey issue of his righteous fight against Valley secession) that he can point to proudly as a pro-active move. The action to block Sacramento from raping our tax funds was purely self-preservation.
<a href="http://changela.com/bigsteps.htm" target=_new>Bob Hertzberg (30 secs - RealPlayer, Quicktime, Windows Media):
I still can't decide if this one is impressive or just plain funny. CGI-enhanced Bob strides around Los Angeles, 40 feet high, dismissing some of the city's toughest problems as almost childishly solveable. Shrugs, snorts, expansive hand gestures. LAUSD? A failure. He'll break it up into smaller, better run districts - despite the fact that the mayor has absolutely no such power. "If you can't synchronize the (traffic) lights, - SHRUG - you shouldn't be mayor." Simple equations march across the screen - City revenue grows $100 million = 12,500 police, no new taxes. Catch-phrase: "We don't have to raise taxes to make L.A. work again."
Evaluation: Other than the Alarcon "Punch" spot, this one is the most visually entertaining, and symbolically iffy. Do we want a mayor who sees all our problems as easily solvable? Does his can-do attitude come off as smugness? Look out, that bus almost smashed into your leg! The jury's still out, but in the end, it's more memorable than any of the other ads, so it surely achieves what it set out to do.
<a href="http://mayor4u.com/commercials.htm" target=_new>Walter Moore (30 secs - Windows Media). Moore has a series of videotaped policy and position statements on his site, but apparently hasn't spent the money to have them appear on television yet. They're pretty basic: Moore stands in what looks to be a law library, and speaks directly into the lens, holding forth on 10 topics ranging from illegal immigration and pay-to-play politics to poor police coverage and "career" politicians. Sample statement: "I'm the only candidate for mayor who's vowed to everything possible - legally - to fight illegal immigration."
Evaluation: What these spots lack in polish they make up for in honesty: The man's standing squarely in front of you, telling you what he thinks. While this type of presentation is not likely to sway enough voters to get him elected, it feels refreshingly blunt and honest.
<a href="http://bernardparks.com/Parks_0001.mp4" target=_new>Bernard Parks (30 secs - MP4):
This one's running in front of movie trailers in some theaters. Probably the best spot he could afford, but it says nothing about what he would do as mayor, and low-budg production values cement his underdog status. Boyhood snapshots dissolve to cadet-to-chief LAPD mugshots capped by live footage of cheering campaign supporters. Voice-over declares that Parks "became leader of the most well-known police department in the country, cutting crime nearly in half" and then claims breathlessly (and implausibly), "It's the story that's sweeping the city - the story of Bernard Parks and his rise to the mayor's office." Cut to Parks in a dimly-lit room in front of hideous neon-pink campaign signs, saying stiffly, "Vote Bernard Parks for Mayor on March 8 [pause]. Oh. And enjoy the movie."
Evaluation: This spot is all image, no substance and - frankly - makes the candidate seem a lot less cerebral than he is. The final shot - which looks and sounds like it was shot with a Handicam in (bad) ambient light - throws a bucket of ice water on any fire that the police and campaign-trail shots might have generated. Proof that money for good TV ads really matters.
<a href="http://www.antonio2005.com/multimedia?id=0004" target=_new>Antonio Villaraigosa (30 secs - RealPlayer, Windows Media): The works: Humble upbringing, hard work, a man of accomplishment, heart and potential. A pastiche of family snapshots with the voiceover, "Raised by a single mother! Mentored by a committed teacher ..." Accomplishments: Labor negotiator, assembly speaker - education and healthcare reform, neighborhood cleanups and neighborhood watches. Image-oriented catch-phrase: "The kind of man he is, the kind of mayor he'll be: hands-on leadership, straight from the heart."
Evaluation: The most intricately-scripted and visually musical of the spots, this one tries (and almost succeeds) to be all things to all people. You're meant to feel impressed, heartwarmed, invigorated, inspired, all at once. 10 pounds of emotion in a 5-pound bag. Too bad it doesn't actually offer a realistic philosophy for confronting L.A.'s diverse and thorny problems.
But again - on all of these - maybe I ask too much of a 30-second ad. I'd rather watch what they do and say - or track them online. That's where better proof of their abilities, ideas and character lies:
