THE MAYOR’S COMMISSIONERS : Changing of the Guard : Road to City Hall Still Paved by Big Givers, Supporters

Richard Riordan’s arrival at City Hall nearly a decade ago won special, if not particularly glowing, notice: The newly appointed Recreation and Parks commissioner had loaned $300,000 to then-Mayor Tom Bradley’s failed gubernatorial bid, the largest contribution the campaign received.

Big givers have traditionally found their way to coveted spots on City Hall commissions. But now, as Los Angeles’ new mayor, Riordan says his 200-plus appointments reflect a new commitment to competence, without regard to political connections.

“I (was) looking for doers . . . the best and brightest people in the city, regardless of who they were,” Riordan said. “I wanted to have commissioners who did not have (private) agendas.”

But a review of Riordan’s appointees indicates that many of the well-traveled paths between political support and political appointment have endured in the new regime.

Nearly 50 commission appointees, or their companies, contributed a total of at least $54,000 to the mayor’s campaign, records show.

At least several others helped bring in thousands of dollars more by assisting with Riordan’s campaign fund raising, records and interviews show. DWP Commission President Dennis Tito, for example, lent his palatial Pacific Palisades home for an event he estimates brought in more than $200,000.

Other new commissioners contributed thousands of dollars and played key campaign roles, such as rallying support among targeted constituencies such as ethnic minorities, San Fernando Valley residents or Republican women. Some of the choicest appointments went to high-profile campaign figures.

Attorney Stan Sanders, who emerged as Riordan’s most prominent African American spokesman, received a slot on the powerful Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Riordan’s campaign treasurer, restaurant operator Frank Sanchez, is president of the Harbor Commission and a key campaign strategist. Attorney-developer Ted Stein heads the Airport Commission.

Sprinkled across the nearly 40 City Hall panels are lesser-known campaign foot soldiers. Housing Authority Commissioner Mary Barrientos, a Valley Republican activist, said: “My (campaign) job was not to come in until I rounded up all the Republican (women’s) groups.”

And the help did not stop on Election Day.

At least one appointee, Community Redevelopment Agency Commissioner Stanley Hirsch, hosted a Riordan fund-raiser at his home in recent weeks, where an estimated $25,000 to $30,000 was collected to help retire the mayor’s campaign debt.

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A number of appointments went to associates of political figures who directly or indirectly aided Riordan’s election. Among those who said they were promoted by Councilman Richard Alatorre, Riordan’s leading Latino ally, is Housing Authority Commissioner Diego Cardoso, one of Alatorre’s former top City Hall deputies. Kerman Maddox, an African American political activist, said he conferred with his close associate, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), before taking an appointment on the Civil Service Commission. Waters’ high-profile neutrality in the mayoral campaign was seen as giving a boost to Riordan, who was opposed by many other black officials.

In an interview, the mayor acknowledged that political considerations were discussed “every now and then” in the appointments. But he said an ability to deliver on his agenda was most important. Also, he said, it would be impossible to pick well-qualified people without coming across some “who have given money to myself or someone else.”