Now O’Farrell is in crosshairs

An underdog four years ago, councilman faces rivals who are fighting development.

Four years ago, Mitch O’Farrell was the political underdog as he ran for Los Angeles City Council, vastly outspent by a competitor with powerful backers such as the mayor, labor unions and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

O’Farrell ultimately triumphed after a bruising campaign laced with accusations of homophobia, threats and voter fraud, winning on his record as a City Council aide.

Now O’Farrell is the one with the edge in campaign cash and the big-name endorsements. And now a new crop of underdogs is coming for him, arguing that O’Farrell has done too little to stop out-of-scale development that degrades neighborhoods and displaces renters in a gentrifying district that stretches from Hollywood to Echo Park.

At a recent debate in Silver Lake, one challenger urged residents to vote for him or several of his rivals — pretty much anyone but O’Farrell.

“For those of you who are sick of development that’s inappropriate for your community, you have to act up and vote for somebody else,” said East Hollywood activist Doug Haines.

The other challengers are tenant activist Sylvie Shain, former neighborhood coun-