Harold Meyerson’s op-ed on the LA mayoral race is a great summary save for one thing: it’s straight from the lips of Antonio Villaraigosa. That’s because the two are close personal friends, something Meyerson should have disclosed. It’s worth the read because the skeleton of the race is good (I, for what it’s worth, support Hertzberg), but contrary to how the op-ed makes it look, when Antonio Villaragosa walks, angels do not sing, rain does not stop, and flowers do not bloom. Oh, and he was always planning to challenge Hahn for the mayorship, that stuff about him sitting out in City Council and being “shocked, shocked!” by Hahn’s actions is spin straight from Antonio’s campaign. Villaraigosa ran for City Council specifically to set himself up for mayor, and he broke a pledge to his constituents when he decided to run. Otherwise, the piece gets the pure ethnic tribalism of the race exactly right. Parks is going for blacks, Villaraigosa for Latinos, Hertzberg for Valley whites and moderate Republicans, and Hahn is trying to cobble together what’s left. It’s really quite fun to watch, and I’m all for Meyerson writing about it. Meyerson he needs to either tone down the bias or disclose the relationship, otherwise, the piece just isn’t credible.