"We need more than rhetoric to run a city," Hahn said. "Do you want, you know, a fancy smile and a fancy suit, or do you want somebody who every day rolls up their sleeves and gets stuff done in this city?"

His face as steely as the mayor's, Villaraigosa also spoke harshly.

"We can't afford four more years of corruption probes and stagnation," said Villaraigosa, who lost to Hahn in 2001 before winning a City Council seat two years later. "We need a fresh start."

"The question was asked: 'What did you accomplish in two years of being a City Council member?' " Hahn said. "Did you hear any great transportation plans? … No, you said: 'I brought people together.' "

At another point, Villaraigosa chastised Hahn for a lack of openness. He called on him to make public his calendar, as both he and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have agreed to do. And he told the mayor that he should release to the public the e-mails his office turned over to federal investigators.

"There's not a lot in my e-mails," Hahn responded.

"There's not a lot in your administration, Mr. Hahn. That's why I'm running for mayor," Villaraigosa retorted.

"It is about trust. You can't tell people: 'Elect me, I promise to be your council member for four years … and then break that promise," Hahn said. "You can't go to court against the gang injunctions that I was filing as city attorney and then turn around and say, 'Well, I think gang injunctions are a good idea.' "

In response, Villaraigosa snapped: "There you go again, Jim Hahn, mischaracterizing my record…. That's what you do. You blame everyone except taking responsibility for yourself."