Delgadillo Works Phones, Podiums to Raise Profile

Only seven months into his first job as an elected official, Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo is making moves that suggest he has his sights on higher political office.

On Saturday, Delgadillo--who was virtually unknown before he ran for city attorney a year ago--welcomed hundreds of Democrats meeting for the state party convention in Los Angeles, stepping in as the city’s representative.

Earlier this month, as Mayor James K. Hahn announced that he would oppose Police Chief Bernard C. Parks’ reappointment, Delgadillo was on the phone, calling a dozen African American officials and community leaders from South Los Angeles to make sure they knew that he was supporting Parks. For good measure, he even contacted the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who reciprocated by offering to help the city attorney in any way he could.

He has even taken a turn on the national stage, appearing several weeks ago at the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting. While sharing a stage with the governors of New Jersey and Virginia, he told the DNC audience that he was proud to be the first Latino in a century to win a citywide office in Los Angeles.

Although the 41-year-old city attorney won’t discuss his political ambitions, his advisors are already talking privately about Delgadillo running for a statewide position such as attorney general, or perhaps the mayor’s office.

“I’m putting Rocky on my radar screen,” said longtime Los Angeles political watcher Steven Erie. “He’s clearly looking toward a higher office. The question is, what?”

Aware of the speculation, Delgadillo said he is focused on his current post.

“There is one job I think about running for every day--the one I have,” he said. “I’m trying to become the best city attorney the city has ever had. If I can do that, my future will take care of itself.”

Making City Attorney’s Office More ‘Activist’

To that end, Delgadillo--who grew up in East Los Angeles and attended Harvard University--has set an aggressive tone since he took office in July. He gave a speech at USC in September promising to make it a more “activist” office than it was under Hahn’s lengthy administration.

He brought in outsiders with a wide range of experience and impressive credentials. He hired Terree A. Bowers, a former federal prosecutor, as chief deputy. He brought in former Police Commission President Gerald L. Chaleff as one of his senior advisors. Delgadillo also hired George Cardona, a UCLA law professor and former federal prosecutor, to run the office’s criminal division.

While looking for ways to improve the office, his staff members have also been on the lookout for political opportunities for their boss. One of his special assistants had a contact at the Democratic National Committee and suggested that Delgadillo be invited to participate. That appearance led to an invitation to take a role in this week’s state convention.

Bolstered by the staff changes, Delgadillo announced a number of policy initiatives, including assigning prosecutors to some of the city’s most troubled neighborhoods to help residents crack down on crime and blight.

He also staked out a prominent role in the high-stakes debate over billboards, calling for strict restrictions on the giant signs although several companies donated more than $400,000 of free advertising space on Delgadillo’s behalf during his campaign. At a council meeting last month, he urged city lawmakers to take steps to eliminate billboards in the city.

“You have to give him credit for seizing the moment,” said veteran political consultant Rick Taylor. “He’s not afraid to jump out on controversial issues.”

By jumping into the middle of the controversy over Parks’ reappointment, Delgadillo is reaching out to the African American community that was vital to Hahn’s election. Delgadillo endorsed Parks from the pulpit of a South Los Angeles church--the day before Hahn came out against the chief.

Police Commission President Rick Caruso complained that Delgadillo’s endorsement has compromised the objectivity of his office, which advises the Police Commission on legal matters. Caruso said the commission will now be forced to hire outside counsel.

“I don’t understand what he’s thinking, other than pure politics,” Caruso said.

Delgadillo said the commission will be able to rely on the city attorney’s office. He said he will erect “an ethical wall” in his office and recuse himself from all matters regarding the chief’s appointment. He named Patricia Tubert, chief of the municipal counsel branch, to act as city attorney on the issue.

Chilly Relationship With Mayor

Deputy Mayor Matt Middlebrook said the mayor’s office did not have any comment on Delgadillo.

Since Hahn and Delgadillo took office in July, their relationship has been chilly.

The two Democrats got off to a bad start in November when Hahn invited all the Latino elected officials except Delgadillo on a trade mission to Mexico.

In December, Delgadillo released a performance audit of the city attorney’s office that was critical of how it was run under Hahn. Soon after, the mayor’s aides fired back, criticizing Delgadillo for proposing millions of dollars of new programs at a time of a growing budget crunch.

Tim McOsker, the mayor’s chief of staff, said that many of Delgadillo’s proposals could be accomplished by using current staff.

“When he was city attorney, Mayor Hahn addressed these kinds of issues many times,” McOsker said at the time. “It just takes some creative management.”

While Delgadillo may not have forged a strong relationship with Hahn since taking office, he has strengthened his ties with members of the city’s African American community.

The Rev. Frederick Murph, who received a call from Delgadillo in the wake of Hahn’s announcement on Parks, said he felt comforted by his conversation with the city attorney. “He called to express his concern, as well as to let me know that whatever he could do, he was there for us,” said Murph, a minister at Brookins AME Church in South Los Angeles.

Delgadillo has strong ties to the city’s black community. As deputy mayor under Richard Riordan, he coordinated rebuilding efforts in South Los Angeles after the riots. He was married by the Rev. Cecil “Chip” Murray of the First AME Church. In last summer’s election campaign, basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson made a television commercial for Delgadillo, who was carried into office by strong support from African American and Latino voters.

At the DNC meeting in Washington, Delgadillo spoke of the need to have cross-ethnic appeal.

“When it comes to winning elections, there is no longer an ethnic majority in L.A.--or California, for that matter,” Delgadillo said. “To win elections in this new America, you must be able to reach beyond narrow ethnic politics.”

In an interview, he calls himself a “big dreamer” when it comes to the path of his career.

“All those [rumors] flatter me,” he said. “But the biggest source of new work is the work on my desk.”