"TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON", The Final Tote $1.6 Million

The final "tote" in Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's "TROLL FOR DOUGH A-THON" is in and lets give credit (and a "Double, Double" with onions) to the former Daily News Editor Ron Kaye on his scoop regarding the final tally.

$1,600,000

Now some of the "spin" from the likes of "Team Villar Campaign Manager Ace "Parke" Smith.

Villaraigosa's campaign manager, Ace Smith, called the donations an affirmation of the mayor's vision for the city, which includes hiring 1,000 police officers and reforming the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"People are supporting Antonio Villaraigosa because he's a person who, as mayor, is out there and willing to take some risks," Smith said. "He's willing to take on some of the challenges that have sat dormant for a long, long time."

and surely more from the "Third Floor" shortly, upon issuing of talking points from Ace.

Some comments from challengers.

Villaraigosa's campaign war chest has the potential to scare off would-be competitors in next spring's mayoral election.

Still unclear is whether he will face a challenge from billionaire shopping mall developer Rick Caruso.Caruso said he is "seriously considering" challenging Villaraigosa and will make his final decision by early fall.

"I think it's more of a question of when, not if," said Caruso, a prolific Republican fundraiser and creator of the Grove shopping mall in the Fairfax district.

"The question is: Is this the right time, or some time down the road?"

Villaraigosa's biggest opponent so far is Walter Moore, a lawyer from Westchester, who finished sixth in the 2005 mayoral race.

Moore, a regular on local talk radio, has raised slightly more than $113,000 since January 2007 and had $7,999 in cash on hand as of June 30, records show.By comparison, Villaraigosa has $1.4 million in cash on hand.

"It's frustrating because the career politicians can raise that much in 15 minutes at one of their cocktail fundraisers," Moore said.

And a breakdown of the favors, err, donation from David Zahniser in today's Times.

For Villaraigosa, a major source of funds was the real estate industry, including companies that have sought taxpayer subsidies or permission to build projects that require exemptions from the city's limits on development. In some cases, real estate companies provided money through their employees and family members, including at least:

* $19,000 from executives and employees of Anschutz Entertainment Group. AEG received up to $270 million in financial help from the city to build LA Live, a complex in downtown Los Angeles that is slated to include a 54-story hotel.

* $10,000 from executives with the Related Cos., which is seeking to build the Grand Avenue project with more than $120 million in taxpayer assistance.

* $8,000 from members of the Delijani family, which owns several key properties on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. Earlier this year, Villaraigosa kicked off the "Bringing Back Broadway" initiative, which would provide new public improvements and possibly a new city-funded parking garage for local businesses.

The entertainment industry provided a substantial boost to Villaraigosa's campaign, with $1,000 apiece coming from directors Spielberg, Streisand and Rob Reiner. Employees of the William Morris Agency gave nearly $40,000 to the mayor's reelection bid, while executives at Walt Disney Co. provided $18,000.

A closing thought, how many votes did $600,000+ buy for the Mayor's cousin John Perez in his run for Assembly? Something to ponder as we look ahead to 2009.