Bradley Gains Pledge on Disputed Coliseum Job

With Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley exerting heavy personal pressure for a settlement, Coliseum Commission President Alexander Haagen and two other commissioners Wednesday night signed a letter of intent to go ahead with a $9-million Memorial Coliseum seating reconfiguration this year.

The work would involve placing thousands of retractable seats over the Olympic track and lower levels of the stadium, reducing its capacity from 92,000 to about 80,000 and bringing fans much closer to football action.

If the plan goes forward, Los Angeles Raiders owner Al Davis has said he will also resume construction of his $8-million luxury suite project on the north rim of the Coliseum. He suspended that project Feb. 18 in a move to force the commission to go ahead with what he termed its end of a deal.

Under Wednesday’s letter of intent, all of the work is to be finished by the Aug. 15 start of the Raider home season for 1987. Haagen said heavy construction should begin by May 15.

Commissioners Haagen, Fred Riedman and Richard Riordan signed the letter in the presence of Bradley at a hastily called meeting in the mayor’s office at City Hall.

Although participants said the letter does not represent a legal commitment to go forward, they saw it as a moral commitment by Haagen to support doing the work this year. Up to now, he has opposed going ahead with the reconfiguration project this year on the grounds of lack of time and money.

As late as Monday, Haagen had refused to sign a letter of intent at a meeting with Bradley, Davis and industrialist Armand Hammer. Haagen gave credit to Bradley for changing his mind in telephone calls and the City Hall meeting.

“Tom Bradley did step in, a very dangerous place to step into, but he did,” he said in a telephone interview.

“I made up my mind to go along upon a review of all the facts and all the conditions, as well as the positions of the various parties. I had agreed that I would recommend to the Coliseum Commission that it give its approval, if these matters could be resolved.”

The Coliseum’s two major tenants, the Raiders and USC, still must provide security for a loan the commission must obtain to do the reconfiguration. But the letter of intent was viewed by Haagen and another participant in the meeting, Riordan, as a vital step forward in the protracted dispute over how to refurbish the stadium.

Bradley could not be reached for comment.

The mayor’s press secretary, Ali Webb, said that when she last spoke with the mayor Wednesday night, he was still adhering to the position he has taken during a week of often-tense private discussions--that he would make no public statement on the matter.

What is often termed by Bradley’s friends “his quiet, behind-the-scenes way of operating” was so much in evidence on Wednesday that even some of his closest allies in the talks were uncertain precisely what Bradley had said to finally win Haagen over. Haagen sidestepped that question.

Bradley had been urged Tuesday to take a more forceful position with Haagen, a longtime supporter and shopping center developer. “Haagen does a lot of work with the city, and I think the mayor has to play all his cards,” said one participant in the talks.

Another participant, a longtime Bradley confidant, said Wednesday night: “I don’t know what the mayor actually told Haagen. I told him to put it on the question of, ‘You’re my friend,’ ” in other words, mutual loyalty.

Asked if Bradley had exerted any improper pressure on him, Haagen responded:

“Absolutely not, absolutely not, and I’m not conning you. Nor did Dr. Hammer (exert improper pressure),” he added.

Haagen said that even though he signed the letter of intent and now will support going forward, he remains dubious that the work will be completed by Aug. 15.

But another participant in the talks said the Raiders and USC will be asked to promise not to take any legal action against the Coliseum Commission, if the work is not finished on time.