The blush is definitely off the romance between the city's leading center-right blog and immigrant-bashing, billboard-friendly mayoral candidate Walter Moore. Of all the snowball-in-hell long-shots running against incumbent Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Moore, an L.A. attorney, has raised the most money and been able to peddle himself the most successfully to the media — figuring favorably in several Steve Lopez columns in the L.A. Times. Today, however, Michael Higby, who operates the highly read Mayor Sam's Sister City blog,  publicly denounces Moore in a post titled, “Friends Don't Let Friends Vote for Walter Moore.”

Right: Walter Moore

The order of Higby's charges are that Moore is 1) arrogant, 2) selfish, 3) self-absorbed and petty, 4) has a problem with L.A.'s diversity and 5) is a poor decision-maker. In some ways the list seems in reverse sequence of importance — after all, Higby's first three criticisms are generally thought to be job requirements for executive positions, whether in City Hall or in corporate board rooms. The most serious charge against  Moore (as it would be for any candidate) is that he brims with contempt for the city's immigrant population — or at least, for Latinos.

“Moore finds trouble with Spanish radio stations,” Higby says. “Even more troubling is his desire to make Los Angeles an “American city” that apparently means banning taco stands and TV novelas on Spanish language TV.”

Higby

also notes that while Moore has raised nearly $300,000, the candidate

has apparently blown it all on lawn signs and bumper stickers, while

making no effort to set up a phone banking system or organize precinct

walkers who would canvas neighborhoods for his candidacy. In other

words, Moore's campaign appears to be nothing but a narcissistic

gesture and not a serious effort to challenge Villaraigosa. The Mayor Sam bill of

charges against Moore seems incomplete, however, for although Higby doesn't

mention Moore's shilling for the billboard industry, the L.A. Weekly recently examined the issue, as have the Street Hassle and Ron Kaye L.A. blogs.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.