Clinton Makes Pitch to Business Leaders : Politics: Minority merchants and professionals quiz candidate about his plans. They discuss banking reform and health care.

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton delivered a broad-gauged and optimistic pitch to Los Angeles-area minority Chamber of Commerce leaders Friday, trying to win them over during a round-table discussion on the sweltering grounds of the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium.

After months on the hustings, Clinton strategists scheduled the half-hour business discussion in the San Gabriel Valley because the region “is a microcosm socially, demographically and economically of what’s happening in California,” said campaign aide Jay Ziegler.

But Clinton’s people were careful not to exclude business leaders representing areas affected by the Los Angeles riots. Those who attended came from South Los Angeles, Koreatown and other urban areas as well as the suburban valley.

During the round-table discussion, which brought together Clinton and nearly two dozen business leaders on a manicured lawn in wilting heat, financial adviser Daniel Lamaute, a member of the Black Business Assn., pressed the candidate about how his presidency would enhance opportunities for small businesses.

One answer, Clinton told him, is that banking reforms could make loans possible “to people with low incomes who are good risks.”

Accountant Ruben Jauregui, a member of the Latin Business Assn., sought assurances that Clinton would appoint Latinos to his Cabinet and other top posts. A Clinton Administration, the candidate told him, would reflect the ethnic diversity of the American people.

And Koreatown supermarket owner Kee Whan Ha wanted to know if his neighborhood, hard hit in the riots, would be included in an “enterprise zone” to fuel rebuilding efforts.

The answer: An emphatic yes.

To win the presidency, Clinton strategists are trying to woo back registered Democrats who in recent years have cast votes for Ronald Reagan and President Bush--many of whom could be found among the working-class and middle-class enclaves of the San Gabriel Valley.

People like Estelle Romero of La Puente, a marketing consultant who describes herself as a “Republicrat.” She said that after voting for Reagan and Bush in past years, she is leaning toward the Arkansas governor after a frustrating flirtation with Ross Perot.

“I’m not in anybody’s hip pocket. You’ve got to earn my vote. . . . Right now, I’m inclined to vote Clinton, but I’ll wait until we hear what Bush says at the Republican Convention.”

Like several other business people who gathered in a semi-circle around Clinton, Romero wanted to know how the Democratic nominee intended to protect the interests of small businesses.

The candidate did his best to assure them that their concerns were close to his heart. Clinton cited his record in enhancing small business and job growth in Arkansas.

Clinton called for “a banking system that is particularly sensitive to the need to build a strong business economy in the inner cities” and urged that federal regulations be relaxed to free money for loans.

“These banks that got in trouble, the banks and S&Ls;, did not get in trouble by making small business loans to their neighbors,” he said as listeners smiled approvingly. “They got in trouble by making highly speculative loans outside their area. But the small business community is now paying the price for somebody else’s speculative mistakes.”

Controlling health care costs, Clinton said, would also help small businesses, many of which have denied or reduced health benefits to employees in recent years.

“The single most glaring cause of the federal deficit is the explosion in health care costs,” the candidate said. “. . . All those costs are then passed on to you as taxpayers in the form of higher taxes, lower investment or a bigger deficit.”

By the end of the discussion, some participants said they had been won over.

“He’s consistent,” Lamaute said.

And even Kee, though registered as a Republican, said he would consider voting for Clinton “because we need young, energetic leadership.”

But Jauregui said neither Clinton’s business policy nor his promise of Latino Cabinet appointments will sway his vote.