Harsher Tone Enters Mayor’s Race Debate

The previously genteel tone of the race for mayor of Los Angeles turned tougher this week, as three of the top contenders suggested they would not appoint Police Chief Bernard C. Parks to a second term and most of the candidates began bashing apparent front-runner James K. Hahn.

The new level of hostility came three days after a Times poll showed Parks badly lagging in the public’s esteem and Hahn, the city attorney of Los Angeles, leading in the race for mayor.

With the remaining candidates in a statistical dead heat for second place--a key spot because the election is likely to head to a June runoff--other contenders lashed out at Hahn at a Wednesday night debate in Granada Hills. They accused the city attorney of failing to prevent nearly $1 billion in litigation costs confronting the city in coming years. Hahn’s rivals also charged that he only belatedly become an opponent of the controversial Sunshine Canyon Landfill in the north San Fernando Valley.

While Hahn is a natural target because of his poll standing, Parks has faced pressure from a number of fronts. On Monday, the new poll revealed the softening in his public approval rating. The next day, Parks was first confronted with allegations that his department tried to bypass the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office in its investigation of the Rampart Division police scandal. A report by the LAPD’s inspector general said the chief misled the public when he said his department had been cooperating with county prosecutors. Parks disputed both conclusions.

After that report, mayoral candidate and City Councilman Joel Wachs said that if he becomes mayor he will not grant Parks a second five-year term in office. That pronouncement seemed to unleash a flood of criticism of the chief.

Later Wednesday at the Granada Hills debate--which will be televised on Adelphia Cable television tonight and over the weekend--former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa said he doubted that the chief should get a second term.

“I just don’t think he’s the right person for the job,” said Villaraigosa. Moments later, Rep. Xavier Becerra joined in the condemnation of the chief, saying Parks “has written his own epitaph. . . . Let’s move on [reforms] and let’s do it with a police chief who is willing to reform.”

Becerra and Villaraigosa were more equivocal when asked again Thursday whether they would retain Parks as chief. Both said they would have to review the matter once they took office. But the assessments of the 36-year LAPD veteran have turned decidedly more critical in recent days.

Two other candidates had already suggested that they will be viewing the head of the 9,300-officer department with an extremely critical eye if they take the mayor’s office. Businessman Steve Soboroff said he would remove the chief if the decision had to be made today, but said he would still give Parks a chance to reform his department. State Controller Kathleen Connell said that if Parks doesn’t begin to radically change the department within 30 days of her taking the mayor’s office, “He will be gone.”

That leaves Hahn as the only major candidate for mayor who still speaks hopefully about Parks’ chances of bolstering morale, stemming attrition and accommodating federal oversight of the department.

“The chief is going to be held accountable,” Hahn said in an interview Thursday. “But on the other hand, I want to see this chief--who is very committed to cleaning up the department--given the opportunity to do it.”

The city attorney said he had seen Parks’ abilities over many years and believes he can succeed as long as he dedicates himself to reforms and accepts the presence of federal monitors.

As the gloves came off in the mayor’s race, Hahn found that he, too, was the most popular target.

At the North Valley Coalition debate Wednesday, his opponents said Hahn could have done much more to prevent the Sunshine Canyon Landfill from reopening--a popular complaint in a debate co-sponsored by community groups that have been fighting the dump for years.

Turning to face Hahn at the debate, Soboroff waved a sheaf of old news clippings and read excerpts to the audience, including one in which a lobbyist for the landfill operator said he was confident that the city attorney would not block the dump.

“People who dig dumps, who allow them,” Soboroff said, “shouldn’t now be [saying] they are trying to keep us out of the dump.”

Wachs piled on, suggesting that if Hahn’s office “can sue to stop big tobacco and gun manufacturers, then we can sue to stop this dump.” The team battering of Hahn on Sunshine Canyon even managed to unite Soboroff and Wachs, who have been feuding for months. They signaled their newfound alliance with a brief and laughing embrace before the crowd of 500.

Hahn appeared slightly taken aback by the allegations, which he called “stupid and silly.” He said he had been acting for years to limit the operation of the dump, although constrained somewhat by his duty to act as legal representative to the City Council. He noted that it was the council that voted 8-7 to reopen the landfill.

“That was wrong,” Hahn said. “I don’t think the council should have done it.”