LOCAL ELECTIONS / PROPOSITION 1 : Mayoral Race Eclipses Tax for More Officers : Police: Measure to boost property levies lacks organized support even as Los Angeles prepares for possible unrest.

As the Los Angeles Police Department girds for the largest emergency mobilization in its history, an April 20 ballot measure to beef up the force is languishing in the background with no organized support.

Analysts give slim odds to the passage of Proposition 1, which would impose a special property tax to add 1,000 officers over five years. It has largely been lost in the hubbub of a crowded and noisy mayoral race, they say, adding that voters are also wary of any new taxes because they expect to pay more under President Clinton’s deficit-reduction plan.

Supporters of the measure, including Police Chief Willie L. Williams, Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti and City Council President John Ferraro, have signed an impassioned ballot argument that says: “We have too few police to protect us. . . . Unless we do something, things will only get worse, and you or your loved ones may be next.”

The argument notes that the city, with 7,690 officers, has the lowest ratio of police officers to residents of the six largest U.S. cities. (It has 2.4 officers per 1,000 residents, compared to 3.6 officers per 1,000 residents in New York City.)

An identical measure was narrowly defeated in November, despite coming on the heels of the nation’s worst urban riots this century and a $200,000 campaign that included mailers and television spots. That measure won 63% of the vote, just short of the two-thirds required.

Now, even as the Police Department prepares to put up to 6,500 officers on street duty as the Rodney G. King civil rights trial draws to a close, many expect Proposition 1 to again fall short of the two-thirds requirement.

“Smart traditional wisdom says that without a lot of discussion a special tax issue will go down,” said Paul Clarke, a Northridge-based political consultant.

“I think it just got lost in the shuffle,” said Councilman Hal Bernson, who opposes the tax measure.

Another opponent, Joel Fox, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers’ Assn., agreed: “It’s been lost in the mayor’s race.”

Fox and Bernson, along with Councilman and mayoral candidate Ernani Bernardi, were among those who signed the ballot arguments against the measure. They say the Police Department can be expanded without new taxes.

Backers include Deputy Chief Mark A. Kroeker, former Police Chief Edward M. Davis, the Rev. Cecil Murray of First African Methodist Episcopal Church, and Councilman Marvin Braude, who urged the council in December to place the measure on the ballot.

An aide to Braude said the councilman will speak in support of the measure but has no plans to raise funds, send mailers or become involved in other campaign activities for the measure. Braude has been campaigning in his own reelection bid.

“I don’t think there is an actual campaign structure,” said Glenn Barr, Braude’s deputy aide.

LAPD Cmdr. David Gascon, a spokesman for Williams, said the chief has been too busy “to be a politician and spearhead a campaign.”

But he added: “It’s troubling that there has not surfaced a viable campaign.”

Supporters such as Gascon and Barr said they hope that growing concern over crime will carry the measure to victory.

Clarke said the measure’s only chance of success may be another riot. “It depends on whether the next riot is before or after the next elections,” he said.

Proposition 1 would charge property owners a special tax based on the size of their homes or businesses. The owner of a 1,500-square-foot home, for example, would pay an additional $73 annually.

The measure also has competition from other proposals.

Councilman Nate Holden, a candidate for mayor, has proposed rehiring retired officers and firefighters for a maximum of one year. The City Council voted unanimously in January to place that measure on the April ballot, too.

Meanwhile, Bernson has proposed a City Charter amendment that would ensure that police and fire services are funded before all other city services, with the Police Department to be expanded to 10,000 officers by 1997. He is collecting signatures to place the proposal on a ballot in 1994.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League has not taken a stand on the police tax measure and a spokeswoman for the group said it is unclear whether it will.