Bradley ‘Won’t Be Pushed’ on Bird Decision

Declaring that he is “not going to be pushed by anybody,” Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley refused again today to say whether he will support or oppose the reconfirmation of Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird.

The Democratic candidate for governor also condemned the “hypocrisy” of Republican Gov. George Deukmejian demanding that Bradley take a stand on Bird while Deukmejian has not taken a stand on Supreme Court Justices Stanley Mosk, Joseph Grodin and Cruz Reynoso, who are also on the November ballot this year.

The question of whether Bradley will support Bird this year dogged him during his formal announcement for governor two weeks ago, when he rejected all questions, saying he would decide in 60 days.

He repeated that timetable when the issue came up today in a question-and-answer session with a friendly audience at a Communications Workers of America legislative conference.

“I’m going to do it according to my priorities, not somebody else’s,” Bradley said. “I don’t have to be pushed or shoved or questioned to get an answer. But I will do it according to timetables I set for myself.”

Bradley added that he will probably announce his stand on the controversial chief justice, whose 1978 confirmation campaign he co-chaired, before the 60-day period that he set for himself.

Speaker Willie Brown calls delay an error, Page 3.