It will be a stormy L.A. election day for the first time in years. Will rain hurt turnout? Will mud slow down votes? And, if candidates get some criticism, will mud slow down their campaigns and turn some of them into martyrs?
In this special report, we look at the candidates, and the mud they’ll get because of mudslinging. And because the candidates will be candidates once again, we’ll offer an analysis of what to expect from the mudslingers this time around.
Who’s in?
First things first:
The races are all about the candidates. They’re not so much about the parties — Democrats or Republicans — in control as they are about the candidates. And a bunch of them will be out in front of the cameras today, speaking against the mudslingers that have been attacking them.
Here’s a look at the mud-dauers in this race, and how we’ll know who to expect:
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck
In January, Beck and the L.A. City Council unanimously approved a resolution condemning the president for his decision to order the killing of American-born Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Islamic cleric believed to be behind the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks.
Beck was right to denounce what he called an “assault on our country” and to call a halt to a drone program that targeted America’s enemies.
But the L.A. Times reported that even though Beck and the City Council did their duty:
The resolution was criticized at the time by former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who called the measure a “political stunt.” Villaraigosa said the resolution “should have been directed at the White House.”
This was followed by an ad by Beck’s campaign called, “Banksy’s dream will not happen in L.A.”
In April, Beck announced he was taking a leave of absence in order to run for re-election.
Beck told The Times:
I didn’