Street, standing with nine women at a news conference, pledged to take "a bold stand on domestic violence" and proposed to spend up to $100,000 more from the city budget at a facility where victims can report a crime of abuse to the authorities.

Katz, accepting the endorsement of gay and lesbian groups, pledged to form an administration that would include "all parties, all interests, all constituencies of all races of all communities."

Each also yesterday introduced an upbeat television ad in which a biracial group urged support for his candidacy.

With 12 days remaining before the Nov. 2 election, the mayoral campaign is approaching its endgame. Both candidates are trying one last time to reach undecided voters while at the same time exciting the already-convinced to get out and vote.

Organized-labor leaders held an outdoor rally for Street last night at a busy intersection in the Northeast, their second in four days. Katz, whose Republican Party is outnumbered by Street's Democrats 4-1, has been less visible in the streets, but his party plans a big event Tuesday night at a rented union hall.

At the labor rally, Street and other speakers stressed that now is the time to put ethnic, racial and political differences aside and come to the aid of the Democratic Party.

"I am determined to be the mayor of every single person in this city, in every single neighborhood of this city," Street told about 300 union members and Democratic Party loyalists gathered at the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Workers Union Local 1034 hall at Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue.

Other speakers excoriated those Democrats who had crossed party lines to endorse Katz. Saying that if the Republicans won, they would control the city for a long time to come, City Controller Jonathan Saidel cried: "This is a struggle for the survival of the Democratic Party!"

Marty Weinberg, who lost to Street in the Democratic mayoral primary, said: "Not many people knew before this, but in the primary, John Street and I pledged to each other that whoever won the primary, the other would help to win the election."

"I'm asking everyone in this room tonight to work as hard for John Street as you did for me."

In the next week and a half, the candidates together are expected to spend more than $1 million on television ads - the way in which a majority of voters will be reached.

In their new ads yesterday, Street and Katz made a pitch for the swing voters that both mayoral camps have identified as key. These are liberal Democrats who rarely pull a Republican's lever but may be attracted to Katz, a former Democrat.

In 30 seconds, viewers of the Street ad hear snippets of endorsements from four well-known Democratic figures, who extol Street's positions on schools, crime and jobs. Endorsements come from State Rep. Dwight Evans, one of Street's opponents in the May Democratic primary; District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham; state Sen. Allyson Schwartz; and electrician's union leader John J. Dougherty.

Street now has two TV ads, a mix that reflects his need to both reach converts and fire up hard-core supporters. The second TV spot, which was introduced at a Street rally Friday night in North Philadelphia, tries to paint Katz as financially reckless.

In the ad for Katz, which debuted last night, viewers see a campaign button that reads "Democrats for Katz." The ad ends with a message from former Democratic mayoral candidate John White Jr.: "I'm voting for Sam Katz, and I hope you do, too."

Katz earlier yesterday had two TV ads running, both of which had been around for days. One excoriates Street for running negative ads. The other is a pitch to senior citizens.

Yesterday, Katz complained about the negative tone of the campaign, which most observers have characterized as fairly mild - at least in comparison to the May Democratic primary. The New York Times on Sunday said that the "sheer amiability" of the two men in public "makes this a campaign to behold."

But Katz was complaining about ads that have characterized him as eager to dismantle city schools and cut the wage tax so much that city services would be sacrificed.

Katz also complained about a "scurrilous" brochure mailed to voters this week by the Democratic State Committee that declares: "Republican Sam Katz is hiding a few dirty little secrets from voters."

These "secrets," according to the brochure, are a "risky tax scheme" and an aim to "put our schools on the auction block."

Katz said, "The negative campaign that is going on now is unprecedented. There isn't a positive message coming out of John Street's mouth or by his advertising representatives."

Ken Snyder, Street's spokesman, said there was nothing in the TV ads or the brochure that Street "hasn't said to Katz's face" and in debates.

He said that Katz, who ran sharply negative ads against two Street foes in the Democratic primary, was being hypocritical.

"Being called negative by Sam Katz is like being called ugly by a frog," Snyder said.

Katz said he did not plan last-minute attacks on Street.

"I don't have to," he said.

He said he believed he was winning the election and saw no pointing in turning around to trip the man behind him.

The bickering emerged from a day in which both candidates started out to be positive.

Street released a domestic-violence plan that included a promise to make the problem a priority of his administration. With him was Blondell Reynolds Brown, a Democratic nominee for City Council.

Among other things, Street promised to "provide leadership and support . . . in developing a public awareness campaign."

"This is one of society's insidious problems that doesn't get much attention," Street said.

The plan included only one specific and new proposal - to beef up the counseling and legal staff at the basement office in the Criminal Justice Center where people may report abuse and start the process of seeking protection from their abuser.

The office is open 24 hours a day, but counselors are not always present, Street said. His staff, he said, estimated it would cost $50,000 a year to make the necessary staff additions. But he said he was prepared to allocate up to $100,000.

Katz appeared before the press with leaders of three gay organizations - Mark Segal, chairman of the Pride of Philadelphia Election Committee (POPEC); Steve Black, political director of the Pennsylvania Gay and Lesbian Alliance; and David Greer, president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Philadelphia. Also on hand was lawyer Michael P. Williams, a leader of a group called Gays and Lesbians for Katz.

Greer said the endorsement of the groups "sends a message. . . . that Sam Katz cares about our issues."

The group members said they represented most gays and lesbians in Philadelphia. They said that even the city's gay Democratic organization could not bring itself to endorse the Democratic nominee but had chosen instead to endorse no one.

Katz promised yesterday to fight for a state bill that would extend civil-rights protection to gays. He said he would oppose moves in his own party in Harrisburg to overrule the legislation that extended employee benefits to the same-sex partners of gay city employees.