Which Way, L.A.?

Mayoral Politics in LA, Potholes or 'The Vision Thing?'

Except for televised attack ads and last-minute mailers, the campaign for Mayor of Los Angeles is finally winding down, but what will voters be thinking when they go to the polls tomorrow? Will they be looking for a Mayor who uses the bully pulpit to expound long-term visions, or somebody who'll fill up the potholes? Will they want long-term visions of how America's second largest city can be a model for the rest of the country, or will they have more basic concerns like preserving the quality of life in their different neighborhoods? We hear competing answers, from economist and political analyst Joel Kotkin, who calls for "more efficiency and less big picture-please," and from Tom Gilmore, whose property development company is involved in urban revitalization in downtown Los Angeles. Making News: Governor Schwarzenegger Fundraises on the East Coast Candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger accused then-Governor Gray Davis of raising too much special-interest money. Now, as Governor, he's embarked on a fundraising trip to Ohio, New York and Washington, where he'll pull in single contributions of $100,000. Several have given more than a million, not directly to Schwarzenegger, but to an "independent committee" called Citizens to Save California. Richard Hasen is an expert on campaign finance law at Loyola Law School. Reporter's Notebook: Can an LA Mayoral Solve Traffic Congestion? However they feel about grand "visions," Los Angeles voters care a lot about traffic. That's the finding of the LA Times' poll, which says 24% of registered voters said transportation was a major concern--equal to education. Sharon Bernstein, who writes on transportation for the Times, compares what the major candidates promise to do about traffic congestion.