Villaraigosa Outlines Plans to Fight Terror

Mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa released a plan Thursday to protect Los Angeles from terrorists, including an expansion of police intelligence units, and accused Mayor James K. Hahn of failing to do enough to make the city’s airports and harbor secure.

Hahn, in turn, called Villaraigosa’s opposition to an $11-billion modernization of Los Angeles International Airport shortsighted, saying it was essential to improve security.

In announcing his plan to boost security, Councilman Villaraigosa was joined by Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice). The congresswoman endorsed Hahn for mayor four years ago but said Thursday that she was now backing Villaraigosa, in part because she was dissatisfied with Hahn’s work to keep the city safe from terrorists.

Also Thursday, Hahn picked up the endorsement of former Councilman Nate Holden at Mama’s House Restaurant on Crenshaw Boulevard. Holden urged African American voters who deserted Hahn in the March election to “come on back home.”

Holden, who was a deputy to Hahn’s father, the late county Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, described the mayor as “a trusted friend, a dear friend to my community. It’s always been said you don’t trade in proven old friends for unproven new ones.”

Standing with Villaraigosa in Trask Triangle Park next to LAX, Harman said she believed that he would do a better job.

“The people living near the No. 1 terrorist target in California know they will have a mayor who will work with the congressional delegation and federal officials to make LAX more secure, make L.A. city safer and not shut them out of the conversation,” she said.

Villaraigosa promised to hire 1,600 additional police officers, which would allow the city to deploy more officers to guard key L.A. sites against terrorism. He also said he would spearhead a “vast expansion” of LAPD intelligence units and greater participation in regional antiterrorism working groups.

Villaraigosa, who did not commit to a specific number of new intelligence officers, said the LAPD had assigned 38 to antiterrorism activities while New York City had 500.

The councilman also said he would work with federal and state legislators on obtaining the resources to pay for better security. “We can’t afford four more years of stagnation, of failed policies on airport expansion and security,” he said.

In addition, he pledged to implement simple, short-term measures to protect the airport, port and Union Station. At the harbor, he said, he would increase inspections of containers. At the airport, he supports recommendations by Rand Corp. to install more security checkpoints and bomb-resistant glass and barriers, and to speed up the check-in of passengers so they are less vulnerable to attack.

“Unlike the current administration, I will be more supportive of solutions that come from Rand or the Congress or any other experts who can help us keep our airport secure,” Villaraigosa said.

Rand concluded that cutting check-in times by 5% would cost about $4 million annually, but could reduce fatalities in a luggage bombing by 80%.

“What was particularly galling about the cavalier way that the Hahn administration dismissed the recommendations from the Rand Corp. is that they were very specific about some of the things we could do that don’t cost a lot of money,” Villaraigosa said.

Hahn, after a news conference to accept Holden’s endorsement, denied that he was not open to suggestions by the think tank. “We’re actually working with Rand, and we want to work with them, as we continue to modernize LAX,” the mayor said. “The recommendations that they are making that make sense we are going to implement. The ones that really don’t pan out, we’re not.”

The mayor noted that the airlines had said they could not afford to increase ticket-counter staff to speed check-ins.

Airport officials disagree with Rand’s findings. A consultant hired by the airport recently concluded that the airlines would have to hire 25% to 75% more personnel to reduce lines during peak periods, an increase they say they cannot afford.

Hahn faulted Villaraigosa and Harman for opposing his LAX modernization plan, which he contends would make the facility more secure from terrorists. “Neither Jane Harman nor Antonio Villaraigosa can see that vision: that you can never make the present design as safe as you need to make it,” the mayor said. “That’s why you have to change the design.”

Harman and Villaraigosa said the mayor’s plan would worsen security by requiring all passengers to go through a central check-in facility.

Hahn campaign advisor Kam Kuwata said Villaraigosa would know about security plans in the works if he had not skipped a briefing by airport officials for a council committee this week.

Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, who has endorsed Hahn for reelection, said the steps outlined at the meeting included moving concession stands at the Southwest Airlines terminal to give more space to baggage screeners and to avoid backups in passenger lines. The councilwoman also noted that design work had been completed on a new luggage-screening system that would reduce LAX lines 50% by 2008.

Airport officials say they have spent $141 million since Sept. 11, 2001, to boost security.

“LAX was the first airport in the country to meet the federal government’s deadline of screening all bags for explosives,” Hahn said. “We’re putting in additional stronger, higher perimeter fencing around the airport. We’re installing video cameras inside the terminals, as well as the perimeter.”

Also Thursday, Villaraigosa’s campaign accused Hahn of flip-flopping on airport expansion, noting that he signed a pledge in 2001 to oppose the LAX master plan at the time and keep the airport at the capacity of its then-existing facilities.

“Four years ago, Jim Hahn signed a pledge that he would oppose LAX expansion -- he broke that pledge,” said Ace Smith, manager of Villaraigosa’s campaign.

Kuwata said Hahn opposed the master plan as it was written at that time. “He changed it,” Kuwata said, noting that the plan is designed to keep the annual capacity at 78 million passengers. “He’s not reneging.”

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Times staff writer Noam N. Levey contributed to this report.