Woo Distorted Crime Data, Gates Charges

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Peggy Stevenson Wednesday received a campaign boost from Police Chief Daryl F. Gates, who appeared at a press conference with Stevenson to charge that her foe had incorrectly used police statistics in a brochure saying that crime has gone up in her district.

With the election less than a week away, Gates said he decided to speak out in her behalf Wednesday because he was “outraged” by a campaign brochure on the subject of crime--a crucial issue in the race--which was sent to voters in the 13th Council District by Stevenson’s opponent, Michael Woo.

The brochure said Police Department statistics proved, contrary to Stevenson’s assertions, that major crime in the district has been increasing during the last four years.

Stevenson, 61, who has held the 13th District seat for 10 years, is facing Woo, a 33-year-old former aide to state Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), in a runoff that the candidates agree has turned into a close race.

Failed to Get 50% in Primary

Stevenson was forced to meet Woo in a runoff after she failed to win a 50% majority in the April primary. Woo finished second in the primary, besting four other challengers.

Gates said he agreed to take part in the press conference after Stevenson showed him Woo’s brochure because he believes it manipulates statistics to paint a false picture of crime in the district.

“I am outraged by the fact that these figures have been misused. I’m not going to put up with someone’s lying,” he told reporters outside Parker Center police headquarters.

Gates said the crime statistics cited by Woo came from the three Police Department divisions--Hollywood, Rampart and Northeast--that serve the 13th District. But, he said, the statistics also reflected crimes that took place in division neighborhoods outside the district.

“They added up all the crimes committed in the geographical areas served by those divisions, and those areas extend beyond the 13th District,” Gates said.

According to Gates, Woo’s brochure ascribed 101,644 crimes to the district between 1981 and 1984 when only 37,502 occurred.

“Woo reported 64,142 crimes that did not happen (in the district),” Gates said.

Gates Notes 20% Decrease

Yet, the statistics quoted by Gates for the 13th District show that major crimes--murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery and burglary--did increase in the district over the last four years by 7%. But in the last year, the major crime rate was down 20%, bolstering Stevenson’s assertion that district crime has dropped. During that year, only the murder rate increased--by 8%.

Woo acknowledged Wednesday that the figures quoted in his campaign brochure counted crimes that took place outside the district.

“I’ll concede that point,” he said.

But, he said, the divisional statistics were the only figures made available to his staff by the Police Department. Asked why he used them when they included areas outside the 13th District, Woo replied that, in general, the statistics paint an accurate picture of crime in the district.

“We stick to our assertions that crime has not gone down in the area,” he said.

Woo added that he thought it was “offensive” for the police chief to become involved in a political campaign.

In 1981, Gates was criticized for endorsing Stevenson, who was running against Woo at the time. Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky said he questioned the propriety of a police chief endorsing a candidate. However, Mayor Tom Bradley, who has frequently been at odds with Gates, said at the time he did not object to the endorsement as long as it did not imply official Police Department support for Stevenson.

Gates said his appearance Wednesday side-by-side with Stevenson during the last few days of a close race should not be interpreted as an endorsement.

But his presence is a plus for the Stevenson campaign. A Times Poll in March showed 56% of those surveyed in the central portion of the city, which includes Stevenson’s district, approved of the way the chief did his job.

His appearance came at an opportune time for Stevenson. Her campaign experienced a shock last week when Councilmen Marvin Braude and Yaroslavsky endorsed Woo.

It is rare, though not unprecedented, for members of the City Council to publicly oppose a colleague running for reelection.

The importance of late campaign developments is underscored by recent poll results reported by both candidates. They showed Stevenson and Woo running within a few percentage points of each other. Stevenson’s poll, conducted the week of May 24, had her ahead 41% to 39%, while Woo’s, done over the same period, showed him leading 43% to 38%.

In a separate campaign development Wednesday, the Municipal Elections Committee of Los Angeles, the city’s largest political action committee representing gay men and lesbians, announced that its board had voted last month to take the same position adopted in the primary--endorsing Stevenson but indicating that Woo is an acceptable candidate. MECLA made financial contributions to both candidates. Bob Burke, the group’s political co-chairman, said Thursday that MECLA delayed announcing its runoff choice in order to inform its members close to election time.