It is shown that the La 5p photoemission (PE) spectra consist of a superposition of two final states reflecting predominantly 5p(5)4f(0) and 5p(5)4f(1) character. In contrast to La 3d spectra, the 4f(1)-derived component appears at the high-binding-energy side of the 4f(0)-derived emission due to a weaker interaction between the photohole and the 4f electron. This splitting into two components is crucial for the quantitative understanding of the resonant behavior of the 5p states at the 4d-->4f excitation threshold. In addition to the participator decay channel usually considered for the description of the resonant PE, a spectator decay channel must be taken into account that leads particularly to an enhancement of the 4f(1) originating emission. The contributions of the spectator transitions are particularly important in the range of the so-called preresonances, e.g., at the P-3(1) and D-3(1) excitation thresholds. [S0163-1829(99)03647-4].