10 OF 88 CITIES REPRESENTED AT AIDS FORUM.

Byline: Keith Stone Daily News Staff Writer

It was billed as Los Angeles County's first AIDS meeting for mayors, but only 10 out of 88 cities sent representatives Tuesday.

In his opening remarks, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan voiced frustration over how even among some mayors there is lingering ignorance about the depths of the county's AIDS epidemic.

Riordan singled out one city's mayor for the way in which she turned down her invitation to the meeting, held at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. His staff later identified that mayor as Grace Hu of Cerritos.

"Her response was simple, direct and appalling," Riordan told the group of approximately 65 people. "She said: 'We don't have AIDS in my city. Why should I bother?'

"The fact that AIDS does exist in her city is besides the point," Riordan continued. "In this day and age, AIDS is a fact of life for all of us."

Across the 88 cities that make up Los Angeles County, more than 31,000 people have contracted AIDS since the epidemic was first measured in 1981, including more than 20,000 who have since died, county records show.

At least 17 Cerritos residents have AIDS, not including an unknown number whose infection is not serious enough yet to be deemed AIDS, county records show.

Hu denied in an interview later Tuesday that she had told the Los Angeles AIDS Coordinator's Office that AIDS is of no concern for her city.

"Somebody called me. They asked me some strange question. I said: I don't want to answer. You will have to call the city staff," Hu said.

Hu said she didn't go to the meeting because she had business obligations with her real estate companies. Asked whether as mayor she believes AIDS is a problem in Cerritos, Hu said: "I don't know anything about this."

In contrast, Calabasas Mayor Dennis Washburn attended the meeting because he said he needs to know more about the extent of AIDS in his community. On Tuesday, specific numbers of cases for Calabasas were not available, but the Health Department said they could provide them later.

Washburn said that Calabasas - an affluent city and home to many people in the entertainment industry - is proof that AIDS has a far reach.

"One of my neighbors just two blocks away suffered from AIDS and committed suicide - in Calabasas," Washburn said.

Tuesday's meeting was meant to join cities under the newly established Inter-governmental AIDS Policy Committee - to unite them in their fight against shrinking federal grants and to help them share expertise with AIDS service organizations.

Los Angeles has provided $100,000 to pay for the committee's salaries and coordination, and Riordan said other cities will be asked to contribute.

"Together we can and will make a difference," Riordan said. "AIDS affects us all - as leaders, as policy-makers, as human beings."