LOCAL ELECTIONS / L.A. MAYOR : 10 Candidates Lock Horns in Spirited Debate : Campaign: Budget trouble, racial tensions are major themes of first prime-time meeting.

Ten of the leading candidates for mayor of Los Angeles--hoping to reach their largest audience yet--squared off Friday night in a freewheeling, prime-time televised debate that allowed them to sound their major campaign themes less than a month before Election Day.

Generally cordial but filled with several confrontations between candidates, the 2 1/2-hour debate--broadcast live on public station KCET-TV--provided the most diverse forum yet for the candidates to outline their broad visions of Los Angeles and their plans to revive its economy, reduce crime and restore hope. The event was simulcast on radio station KCRW.

The major themes for the evening, as determined by a group of Los Angeles journalists, were Los Angeles’ looming budget crisis and lingering racial tensions. And with a federal jury about to begin deliberations in the trial of four LAPD officers accused of violating Rodney G. King’s civil rights, the forum quickly and inevitably turned to the prospect of verdicts being met with violence similar to last year’s riots.

Only minutes into the debate, City Councilman Joel Wachs was challenged for urging that the city request the presence of the National Guard before verdicts are announced to keep the peace in Los Angeles.

Wachs’ proposal has drawn fire--principally from political rivals--since its introduction Thursday. But Wachs said that last year many at City Hall and elsewhere similarly opposed a show of force before the first King verdicts.

“I think we have to learn from our mistakes,” Wachs said. “I think we have to avoid any disturbance before it breaks out.”

That sort of anxiety was echoed throughout the forum, if not always in the context of civil unrest. And the confrontations between candidates--and sometimes between candidates and journalists--peppered the discussions.

The most-often challenged candidate was multimillionaire businessman Richard Riordan, who was questioned about his friendship--and financial dealings--with former junk bond king Michael Milken and Riordan’s financial dealings in and out of government.

During the first confrontation, state Assemblyman Richard Katz took issue with Riordan’s reference to saving the Mattel Toy Co.

“Mattel was saved,” Katz said. “But the jobs went to Mexico.”

“That was way before I got involved” with the company, Riordan responded.

After the debate, Katz’s campaign released statements indicating that Riordan was on Mattel’s board of directors when the company laid off 250 employees.

The Katz-Riordan clash was one of many Friday night. They ranged from Councilman Nate Holden being questioned about sexual harassment allegations to criticism of Councilman Michael Woo’s record in Hollywood and his support of the controversial Community Redevelopment Agency.

The criticism led two candidates--businessman Nick Patsaouras and former Deputy Mayor Linda Griego--to scold their rivals for focusing on attacks more than political agendas.

“Attacking each other won’t do anything,” Griego said.

Patsaouras said: “It’s insulting the viewers what is happening here.”

Although the event had many of the same question-and-answer trappings common to debates, it did offer some insight into other aspects of the candidates.

Among the most interesting was which candidates owned guns. For the record, Katz said his wife owns a shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol, former school board member Julian Nava said he owns a hunting rifle, and Holden said he owned a small handgun that was a gift.

The other candidates--including Councilman Ernani Bernardi and lawyer Stan Sanders--all said they do not own weapons.