'Best defense a good offense'

Democratic strategist Darry Sragow, a free agent in the mayoral race, turns to the headline cliche to explain Antonio Villaraigosa's new commercial, which began airing Monday. It rips Jim Hahn for the City Hall corruption investigations, noting that Hahn's email and aides have been subpoenaed, and for questionable donations to his 2001 campaign and the campaign against secession. Sragow says it's smart for Villaraigosa to turn the issue back on Hahn, after the controversy over his own Florida donations, but Hahn consultant Bill Carrick claimed it's a sign that Villaraigosa's campaign "is sinking like a rock." Meanwhile, independent expenditures approached $1.5 million, with $982,000 spent for Hahn and $514,000 for Villaraigosa. Stories: Times, Daily News.