City Attorney Calls Ethics Chief ‘Unsuitable’ for Job : Investigation: Stinging attack comes after inquiry clears 2 top aides to James Hahn. He accuses Bycel of pursuing further review for personal vindication.

One day after the district attorney’s office dropped an investigation of his office, City Atty. James K. Hahn on Tuesday sharply questioned whether city ethics chief Ben Bycel should retain his office.

Hahn’s stinging attack came in a letter sent to Mayor Tom Bradley, City Council members, the Ethics Commission, and to political watchdogs and ethics experts, apparently as part of an effort to derail further inquiry into allegations that city attorney’s office employees mixed political work with public business.

Bycel’s agency initiated the investigation into Hahn’s office.

Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner’s office said Monday that it found no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing after a yearlong investigation triggered by a tip to the Ethics Commission’s whistle-blower hot line.

However, Bycel has said his office will review the district attorney’s investigation to determine whether any administrative or civil action should be pursued in the case, the first major inquiry launched by the 2-year-old ethics agency.

In his letter Tuesday, Hahn accused Bycel of “wasting . . . scarce taxpayers funds in his vain pursuit of self-vindication.” The district attorney’s office conclusion of the criminal probe should close the case entirely, Hahn argued, saying any further inquiry would amount to harassment of his employees.

He charged Bycel lacked objectivity and was “totally unsuitable” for his job, citing a comment the ethics chief made on a news program early this year. Acknowledging the high stakes in the investigation of Hahn’s office, Bycel had said, “I will be back practicing law in Santa Barbara if we’re wrong.”

Bycel said Tuesday evening he is merely doing his job and has conducted himself professionally.

“I’m not going back to Santa Barbara,” he said. “I have no personal animosity toward Mr. Hahn . . . the verbal Scuds directed at me haven’t daunted my spirit, nor my responsibilities to the Ethics Commission and the people of Los Angeles.”

Ethics Commission President Dennis Curtis expressed strong support for Bycel, saying the investigation was handled properly and the ethics panel should review the work done by the district attorney’s office to determine if any independent action is required.

“We’re going to look it over,” said Curtis, a USC law professor. “We certainly are not going to predict what conclusion we’re going to come up with.”

Curtis said Hahn’s letter, coming on the heels of a harsh blast by Hahn Monday at Bycel’s handling of the case, was “ludicrous” and “character assassination . . . without any justification.”

Hahn has been particularly upset over the publicity surrounding the case, as well as the use of search warrants and subpoenas in the early stages of the inquiry. But Curtis noted that district attorney’s office investigators, who were working with the ethics agency, obtained and served the search warrants and subpoenas.

He also noted that a state appellate court last week found that the ethics agency had acted properly.

Hahn could not be reached for comment. Geoff Cowan, a leader in the effort to create the ethics agency, said, “Sometimes in the heat of passion things are said that are best left unsaid. My feeling is everybody has tried to do their job responsibly.”