The runoff in the city's 2nd District will pit Assemblyman TonyCardenas against Wendy Greuel, an executive at entertainmentconglomerate DreamsWorks SKG. Both are Democrats, but each foughthard during the campaign to let voters know about their differingviews on several key issues.

Cardenas, 38, is running for the City Council because termlimits prevented him from running for the State Assembly inSacramento again. He is backed by powerful City Council PresidentAlex Padilla, the LA County Federation of Labor, and somewell-heeled owners of Indian casinos. Cardenas also has theofficial endorsement of the Democratic Party, and well as someunions that represent police and firefighters.

Greuel, 40, is a former HUD executive who also spent severalyears working as an aide to former Mayor Tom Bradley. She receivedmuch of her backing from the region's all-important entertainmentindustry—DreamWorks executive Steven Spielberg and his partnerspersonally threw a star-studded fundraiser for her—and also had theendorsement of a majority of the City Council. Other supportersincluded groups ranging from the LA Area Chamber of Commerce andSheriff Lee Baca to the Sierra Club.