Mike Aguirre

To ensure re-election, City Attorney Mike Aguirre needs to hit not just a home run, but a legal grand slam. While not without meaningful successes in office, his negatives are piling up, among them declaring the city guilty of causing the Mount Soledad slide and urging a mass evacuation during the October fires.

Voters know that Aguirre has helped clean up City Hall, or at least made officials very, very wary about who they hang out with and do business with. The flip side is voters are concerned his maverick style is holding back some changes and leaving some wary of even dealing with the office.

Nevertheless, Aguirre is a tough politician, savvy campaigner and an incumbent. All his foes will be painted as “the establishment.” But if the city attorney really wants to ensure his re-election, he needs a big win, one where city coffers benefit by tens, maybe hundreds of millions, likely taking it out of the hide of city employees' retirement money. So far, though, we are all waiting.