Stein Remains Defiant to the End

Having served three mayors over more than a dozen years, Ted Stein surprised detractors who said he had an abrasive manner and super-sized ego that would result in a short career in Los Angeles politics.

Stein’s loyalty to the mayor of the day and his tenacious drive to advance his patron’s agenda allowed him to remain a City Hall insider long after many of his critics had departed.

But on Tuesday, Stein made an abrupt exit from city government, resigning as president of the Airport Commission amid two grand jury investigations into whether city officials had tied campaign contributions to the awarding of airport contracts.

Stein was defiant to the end, issuing a lengthy statement Tuesday that denied wrongdoing and denounced the anonymous allegations that had triggered the grand jury inquiries.

“This irresponsible and reckless practice has clearly been designed to harm anyone who has shown a willingness to take on entrenched contractors looking to continue feeding at the public trough,” Stein said.

More than one of his critics said hubris had much to do with Stein’s downfall.

“It’s long overdue. He was always autocratic,” said former Councilwoman Ruth Galanter, who had clashed with Stein over the mayor’s proposal to expand Los Angeles International Airport.

Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, whose district includes LAX and who has opposed the mayor’s modernization plan for the airport, said her problem with Stein was that he would not seriously consider her ideas.

Stein’s friends said he had been unfairly pressured to step down and that he had drawn heat for his strong personality and his refusal to put up with mediocrity.

“Ted is very demanding,” said Harvey Englander, who ran Stein’s campaign for city attorney in 1997. “He does not suffer fools.”

Added Mayor James K. Hahn, “Sometimes you rub people the wrong way when you are focused on a mission.”

Stein, 55, was not being paid for his service on the Airport Commission. He makes a good income as a developer and maintains a private law practice. He lives in Encino with his wife, Ellen, who is a member of the city Public Works Board. One of his daughters works as an aide to Mayor Hahn.

Stein’s parents were German Jews who fled from the Nazis in the 1930s. He grew up in Stockton, where his parents sold used cars. He graduated magna cum laude from USC before going on to Loyola Law School.

Stein served as a deputy district attorney before becoming a criminal defense attorney. He ended up as a civil practitioner representing small developers, including himself.

A moderate Democrat, Stein first joined city service in 1988, when Mayor Tom Bradley appointed him to the Planning Commission. He served on the Airport Commission and then the Harbor Commission in the 1990s under Mayor Richard Riordan.

Tuesday’s resignation marks the second time he has left city office amid controversy.

Riordan removed Stein from the Harbor Commission in 2000 when Stein backed Hahn for mayor instead of Steven Soboroff, who was Riordan’s candidate.

Hahn appointed Stein to the Airport Commission, even though the two had clashed fiercely in a race for city attorney in 1997, during which Stein had accused Hahn, the incumbent who ultimately won the race, of being an incompetent prosecutor.

Riordan advisor Bill Wardlaw, who also went into the development business with Stein, said Stein had been a great airport commissioner for the same reason he was a great fundraiser: He was tenacious.

“Pay to play is a figment of some people’s imagination,” Wardlaw said.

Bob Stern, head of the Center for Governmental Studies, said it came down to whether Stein was worth more to Hahn as a commissioner than the bad publicity was costing.