Campaign Monday *

It's the day before the day before the real race for mayor begins. In the main daily stories, the Times decided to cover the gamut:

From black churches to Jewish delicatessens, five rivals for Los Angeles mayor hopscotched across the city Sunday, offering a mix of promises and promotional stunts as they worked to rally support and rouse the city from its preelection slumber.

Mayor James K. Hahn fired the starter's pistol to begin the Los Angeles Marathon, then barnstormed the city in a white Winnebago plastered with orange-and-blue reelection placards. At one point, he bumped into rival Bob Hertzberg, who ambushed him over plates of pastrami and corned beef in a Fairfax district deli.

Antonio Villaraigosa attended services at eight predominantly African American churches in South Los Angeles, once sharing a wooden pew with opponent Bernard C. Parks.

Richard Alarcon rallied volunteers at his Van Nuys office before heading to the Panorama Mall, then strolled through a neighborhood in North Hollywood.

The Daily News lede, on the other hand, sticks close to Hertzberg:

After days of direct clashes over ethics and leadership in their fight for a runoff spot in Tuesday's election, Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg and Mayor James Hahn met face-to-face briefly Sunday at a popular Jewish delicatessen in the Fairfax District.

Hertzberg tried to present Hahn with a stainless silver kitchen sink when they crossed paths campaigning at Canter's deli, saying, "You've thrown everything but this at me."

Hahn's breezed past him, but Hertzberg followed him into the restaurant.

"Let's sit down, and I'll buy you a corned beef sandwich," Hertzberg said as the two shook hands.

Hahn then shook his head and walked away, muttering, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Deep in the Times story, Hahn eyes Hertzberg tailing him later at Farmers Market and says to an aide, "Hertzberg just keeps chasing me. I don't know what that's all about."

Also:
• Oh yeah, voters: The Times' Jessica Garrison and Mark Z. Barabak go out and talk to voters on the eve of the election. As you'd expect in a race where no candidate figures to get out of the 20s, voters are unimpressed.
• Downtown Bernie: Bernard Parks, going against the grain, will have his election night party downtown at the Biltmore. Everyone else is scattered: Hahn at the Conga Room in Miracle Mile, Villaraigosa at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood, Hertzberg at the Airtel in Van Nuys, Alarcon at Cha Cha Cha in Encino. No mention in the Times item about how much the lingering hotel-labor impasse is behind the break with tradition.
• Tipoff: Rick Orlov recounts some of the barbs thrown at Hahn during last week's Diabetes Association roast of Sheriff Lee Baca. Also, betting that the next big sex scandal involves Schwarzenegger.
• Google hits galore: Michael R. Blood reports and the nation listens, because he's from Associated Press.
• The LAX effect: What happens to the $9 billion expansion/modernization if Hahn is diselected? The Breeze looks into it.
• San Jose Mercury: Laura Kurtzman's story begins, "San Francisco has Gavin. Oakland has Jerry. California has Arnold. L.A. has . . . whom?" Your L.A. Observer is quoted being less than profound.
• New York Times: John Broder's lede: "James K. Hahn should be coasting to re-election as mayor of Los Angeles. He has a solid political pedigree, a reasonably strong economy, a falling crime rate, the backing of the city's pre-eminent labor federation and a long list of endorsements. Heading into the city's primary election on Tuesday, however, the polls show that the race is a dead heat..."
• Washington Post: Amy Argetsinger's story begins, "On the off chance that Hollywood ever makes a biopic about this city's mayor, James K. Hahn, it could portray his tumultuous first term by casting just a few vivid and symbolic characters."
• Boston Globe: Steve Carney ledes with "Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn rode into office four years ago with a solid-gold pedigree and the backing of two of the city's most powerful voting blocs: blacks and suburbanites. Since then, he's alienated both those groups with the two highest-profile acts of his tenure: He heads into a mayoral primary tomorrow against four strong opponents, including the black police chief he ousted in 2002, and faces the prospect he could be the city's first mayor in 32 years to lose reelection."
• Washington Times: Walter Moore gets a story for one reason—they say he targets illegals. By Valerie Richardson.
• Around the blogs: Greg Dewar gets all thoughtful and may not vote for any of them...Ken Reich seconds the LAT endorsements, praises Kinsley...Joseph Mailander also likes the idea of a Villaraigosa-Hertzberg runoff...BoifromTroy says hey, a Bobzilla's got to eat...Mayor Sam finally makes it official about Hertzberg, also clears up that "I do not nor have I ever worked for Bob Hertzberg."...Brian Hay says the Hertz-Blog has received three million hits...Angelino says just vote.

• * Wait there's more: Laura Mecoy in the Sacramento Bee...Gabriel Snyder in Variety...Robert Gelfand in American Reporter...Blogs Phoblographer, The Last Call and the Hedgehog Blog. (Some culled from Hertzberg's ChangeLA.com)