Gates Says He Bluffed Staying, Lashes Critics : Police: The chief says ‘crummy little politicians’ endanger the department. Sheinbaum likens him to a lame-duck despot, and calls him ‘mean-spirited.’

Igniting a full-scale war of words that has been building for months, an unrestrained Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates on Monday said he was only bluffing when he threatened to prolong his stay on the job--even though he believes a bunch of “crummy little politicians” are endangering the department.

In a performance that underscored the deep hostilities between Gates and certain city officials, the chief said during a news conference that he still plans to retire at the end of June, but had threatened to remain at work until the middle of July to protest what he said were signs that the department was becoming politicized.

“I will admit that was a threat, a bluff,” the chief said. “But that’s the only thing a lame duck has these days, to threaten. And it was a good threat because of the screwed-up system in this city.”

At immediate issue was a promotional list that Gates said he wanted to save from expiration last Sunday so the candidates would not have to unfairly compete again. But Gates was rebuffed by the Police Commission, City Council and personnel director, prompting the chief to allege that city officials wanted to install their own candidates.

To an audience that included applauding police officers, the outgoing chief lashed out at the decision in a nasty bout of name-calling, provoking his targets to get even meaner later in the day.

Police Commission President Stanley K. Sheinbaum went so far as to compare Gates to the Shah of Iran and Haile Selassie in the final days of despotic rule. “They begin to lose confidence in their people and they begin to strike out. Worse, they seem to want to leave chaos behind.

“This is a mean-spirited man,” the Police Commission president said of Gates. “Almost every time he mentions anybody, he has a snide remark to make.”

For the chief’s part, he described Mayor Tom Bradley as a manipulator who has the Police Commission “dangling by the puppet strings right now.” He said Sheinbaum is “a confused individual” and that commission Vice President Jesse A. Brewer, a former assistant chief, has made some “absolutely unbelievable” remarks about the morale of the rank-and-file officers.

The chief suggested that both commissioners resign for the good of the Police Department and the city.

He suggested that Sheinbaum, his boss, was willing to spend more money hiring a private attorney for the panel to figure out how to oust him than it would have cost to promote the officers on the disputed promotional list.

“That’s the kind of mentality that guy has,” Gates said. “I think the guy’s confused. You all should know that by now. . . . This department is dispirited. It’s demoralized. Mr. Sheinbaum ought to retire when I do. It would help the morale of this department greatly.”

Asked whether he would provide Sheinbaum with a letter stating the exact date of his planned retirement, Gates said: “I wouldn’t give him anything that would give him the slightest bit of satisfaction.”

Gates also took a swipe at Brewer for suggesting Sunday that the chief’s rhetoric is inflaming some members of the community and endangering police officer safety. Brewer was referring to an incident early Sunday in which 35 officers were injured in a melee at an alleged truce meeting for gang members.

“The next person who should resign when I do, or retire, is Commissioner Brewer,” Gates said. “That he would suggest that what happened in South-Central Los Angeles when a bunch of drunk gang members injured a lot of police officers was a result over my failure to leave . . . it’s absolutely unbelievable that this man would do that. He ought to resign also.”

Both men said they have no intention of stepping aside.

Gates’ remarks--telecast live from Parker Center--brought a remarkably strong response from those who were singled out.

The mayor, in a later “press availability,” said that Gates, “for his own petty reasons, was trying to hold the city hostage.”

Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, a longtime Gates foe, said: “I have never dealt with a sicker mind, and a more outrageous personality, megalomaniacal personality than this man, who has a problem recognizing what the truth is (and) a problem giving his word and keeping it.”

“We are sick and tired of his cheap games,” said Councilman Michael Woo. “The time has come for Chief Gates to go.”

And Councilwoman Joy Picus said the city’s political leaders should have recognized Gates’ latest backsliding on his retirement date as a bluff.

“I believe he called the tune to have us dance to it,” Picus said, “and those of us who got caught up in it were making a big mistake. If we had not bitten into that we would have had a more peaceful transition.”

Much of the criticism of Gates’ threat to stay centered on the problems it would cause for his successor, Willie L. Williams. Because of reforms approved last week by voters, the selection process would have had to be done again.

Unlike feuding officials in Los Angeles, Williams declined to be drawn into the fray during a telephone interview from his home in Philadelphia.

“It’s a little gamesmanship on both sides,” he said of the warring factions. “There’s a process where one side says things and then the other side reacts.

“But under new leadership,” he added, “my job will be to turn the Los Angeles Police Department around and renew the morale of the police officers and the faith in the public that their Police Department can serve them.”

Although Williams held his tongue, Gates was not so reticent. He said the former Philadelphia police commissioner looks like someone with a lot to gain as police chief in Los Angeles, but who seems to be taking his time to get here. Gates mocked Sheinbaum’s statement Sunday that Williams was “cool” about the latest flap.

“Of course he was very cool about it,” Gates said. “He’s being paid by Philadelphia until the end of September. He’s got his salary. He’s getting moving expenses to come out here, and a 70% pay increase. So of course he’s very, very cool.”

Williams responded: “I’m not going to get into a debate over Chief Gates’ comments. I will be moving into Los Angeles this week and take a few weeks with my family to settle in, and then I plan to be sworn in at 10 a.m. on June 30.”

The recent fracas began Friday when Gates said he was angry that the promotional list was being expunged. He threatened to postpone his retirement from the end of this month to the middle of July, which, under recently approved Charter Amendment F, would have voided the selection of Williams and forced the city into a second--and costly--chief selection process.

On Saturday, several Police Commission members suggested that Gates should be fired and numerous City Council members indicated they were willing to at least support a proposal to significantly dock his pension amount.

The commission Sunday voted unanimously to ask the council to provide them with an outside, independent attorney to advise them on their options in dealing with Gates, should he refuse to leave by the end of June. That request is to be discussed today by the council.

Sheinbaum said Monday that despite Gates’ announcement that he will leave by June 28 or 29, the commission still wants the private lawyer in case the chief changes his mind, which he has done repeatedly since the beating in March, 1991, of Rodney G. King.

“We have a Police Department to be responsible for,” Sheinbaum said, adding that he can “only hope” that Gates keeps his word this time.

Gates denied that he reversed his departure date out of fear of being fired, or because he was trying to boost the sales of his new autobiography. “I don’t do anything at all for commercial reasons,” he said. “Though when I retire I become completely commercial, I’ll have you know.”

During his news conference, the chief spoke at length in describing his efforts to extend the promotions list, and said he believed that Yaroslavsky and city Personnel Director Jack Driscoll would try to keep it intact. But when he said he learned instead that the Police Commission wanted to let the list die, it confirmed his suspicions that politicians were manipulating the Police Department.

He said this was the very thing he worried would happen with Charter Amendment F, the police reform bill passed by voters last week.

“The Los Angeles Police Department,” he said, “is now in the hands of crummy little politicians who are now manipulating the promotional process.”

He alleged that Driscoll conceded to him that certain unnamed politicians had contacted him about not recertifying the list.

Driscoll could not be reached for comment, but his assistant said the decision not to certify the promotion list was standard operating procedure, not a political cave-in.

All city departments have had promotion lists expire during a nearly 2-year-old hiring freeze--unless the City Council and mayor agreed to make an exception to fill critical staff vacancies, said Phil Henning, assistant personnel director. The commanders list was allowed to expire only because of the ongoing freeze on those positions as a result of the city’s financial woes, Henning said.

Weekend War of Words

Since Friday, Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl F. Gates has been battling the city’s leadership over his threat to delay his departure until July 15, jeopardizing the appointment of Chief-designate Willie L. Williams. Although there has been heated dialogue about Gates’ departure for more than a year, things boiled over this weekend. Here are selected comments from four of the leading rhetoricians--Gates, Mayor Tom Bradley, Police Commission President Stanley K. Sheinbaum and Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee: FRIDAY Daryl Gates: “I said I was going to retire at the end of June and my feeling is now, ‘Screw you, I’ll retire when I want to retire.’ ” Tom Bradley: No public comment. Stanley Sheinbaum: “You have a Police Department and a city that have gone through 15 months of destabilization. All of this could be very costly and damaging to the city.” Zev Yaroslavsky: “Daryl Gates was trying to blackmail the city into a decision that is not in its best interests . . . and he would be willing to sabotage the selection of the new chief, Willie Williams. . . . Who the hell does he think he is?” SATURDAY Gates: “If you don’t play ball with the politicians, they wreak vengeance on the chief. . . . I suppose everybody will just have to wait and see until I retire. After 43 years, people ought to give me a little grace to retire when I want. . . . Vengeance is taking place. Vengeance.” Bradley: “How many times have we been promised that he’d finally leave? I think the people have had enough of Daryl Gates jerking them around.” Sheinbaum: “He’s threatening us, not only the commission, but the City Council and the community, with a very drastic measure . . . that he stay on and the selection of Williams would be invalidated. . . . This man is disrupting the city in a serious way. The city remains tense. No one knows if . . . there is imminent turbulence for one reason or another.” Yaroslavsky: “If he does not leave by the end of June, he will have lied to the leaders of this city and to the taxpayers of this city. On that basis alone, he should be dismissed. . . . The people of the city want him gone. . . . He has no friends, and I think he’s under some delusion he can stick it out. He will not stick it out.” SUNDAY Gates: Could not be reached for comment. However, City Council President John Ferraro spoke to him, and reported: “I think he’ll reaffirm his original decision to retire June 28 or 29.” Bradley: No public comment. Sheinbaum: “We’ve had enough. . . . The chief has gone too far.” Yaroslavsky: No public comment. MONDAY Gates: “I will admit that that was a threat, a bluff, but that’s the only thing a lame duck has. . . . I am anxious to be out of here by the end of June. . . . The Los Angeles Police Department is now in the hands of crummy little politicians who are now manipulating the promotional process.” Bradley: “It’s very clear that for his own petty reasons he was trying to hold the city hostage.” Sheinbaum: “This is a mean-spirited man. Almost every time he mentions anybody, he has a snide remark to make.” Yaroslavsky: “I have never dealt with a sicker mind, and a more outrageous personality, megalomaniacal personality, than this man, who has a problem recognizing what the truth is. . . . He has left that Police Department in a total shambles. He has left this city in a total lurch.” RELATED STORIES: A24-A25