Jimmy Hah vs Tony Villa *

Times columnist Al Martinez has been around a long time. And he apparently has seen quite enough of the current campaign for mayor. His verdict: Unimpressed. Some snippets:

Once upon a time in the mythical land of El Lay, there were two men running for Chief Moolah who were working very hard to convince the people that if elected they would do nothing...

The candidates were incumbent Little Jimmy Hah and Tough Tony Villa, both of whom were being investigated at the time for allegedly evil deeds, such as cheating, lying and receiving money they weren't supposed to be getting.

In the final debate before the election, they pointed their fingers at each other with such ferocity that both men ended up with an occupational ailment that came to be known as digital politico paralysis. The index fingers of their right hands were frozen into a pointed position and would remain that way throughout the campaign.

They accused each other of pretty much the same things and didn't spend a lot of time spelling out the details of what they wanted to do for El Lay, which pretty much indicated that they had no real plans...

On the one hand, Little Jimmy Hah, the incumbent, had spent four years in office proving beyond a doubt that he could occupy the chair of Chief Moolah and do nothing, while Tough Tony had demonstrated in a variety of political positions that he could also do nothing when it was required.

Also: Villaraigosa today unveiled two new 30-second spots for cable TV. One features Bob Hertzberg telling Valley voters that Antonio is their man: "He won’t forget the San Fernando Valley." Magic Johnson stars in the other, assuring potential Villaraigosa voters "I trust him."

* Tonight: Villaraigosa is a guest on Which Way, L.A.? with Warren Olney, 7 p.m. on KCRW.