The Mayoral Race

THE AD: The latest 30-second television spot by the Riordan campaign features a narrator speaking as black-and-white pictures of state Sen. Tom Hayden flash on the screen. In each picture, Hayden is scowling or frowning, until the narrator notes that he voted to raise his own salary. In that picture, Hayden smiles broadly.

“Where was Sen. Tom Hayden when Los Angeles taxpayers needed him?” the narrator asks. “Sen. Hayden missed 1,000 votes just last year. He missed 4,900 votes in the last four years. And Hayden skipped crucial votes on tougher sentences for gang criminals, grants to fight crime and violence in our schools and on domestic violence. But five different times, Sen. Tom Hayden made sure he was present to vote to raise his own pay. Tom Hayden, not there for us, not right for mayor.”

THE ANALYSIS: Legislative records confirm that Hayden missed 1,069 votes from Dec. 5, 1994 through Oct. 18, 1996. In the three previous legislative sessions, Hayden missed 3,919 votes, though Hayden maintains that he timed his absences to days when the Legislature’s business was relatively unimportant. Except for the year of his divorce, Hayden says he has voted on about 90% of the bills that have come before him during his 15 years as a member of the Legislature. In addition, on some bills, Hayden missed one vote but was present to vote at another stage of the legislation, either to approve it in committee or on the floor of the Senate. Hayden did vote to increase his own pay, but the last vote cited in the ad occurred nearly eight years ago. Meanwhile, Riordan has supported pay raises for locally elected officials, though he only collects $1 per year as mayor. During the current session, Hayden has waived the per diem payments he is entitled to receive.