AGE, HEALTH ISSUES DON`T STOP BLOCK.

Byline: Lee Condon Daily News Staff Writer

In his 15 years as sheriff of Los Angeles County, Sherman Block has survived his share of political catastrophes.

His deputies have been accused of racism, corruption and brutality. Auditors have found that deputies were earning excessive overtime. Multimillion-dollar contracts have been awarded to the same companies year after year without being put out to bid. The U.S. Department of Justice has labeled the treatment of mentally ill inmates unconstitutional. Mistakes have allowed murder suspects to walk out of jail.

Block has come through all of these scandals virtually unscathed, and he's hoping his long-established popularity in the voting booth will translate into a fifth four-year term in the 1998 election.

But the 73-year-old sheriff may be pushing his luck, say critics and political observers.

These days, they say, Block's biggest liability is not political scandal but his age and his health.

The sheriff, who already has fought prostate cancer and lymphoma, now suffers from a serious kidney condition, requiring him to undergo a 3-1/2-hour dialysis session three times a week - two weekday afternoons and Saturday.

Political consultant Rick Taylor said politicians are like heavyweight boxing champions.

``They don't know when it's time to retire,'' Taylor said. ``It's not that I don't think sick people should hold office, but he is unfortunately very ill.

``This is not a normal campaign. Their biggest fear is to have to have an active campaign. If I were his adviser I wouldn't put him out that much. I'd hide him,'' Taylor said.

Joe Cerrell, another political consultant, said voters may be wary whether Block's illness is debilitating or not.

``People always want to believe the worst,'' Cerrell said of how voters view health issues.

But Richard Lichtenstein, who has run campaigns for Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alatorre, said Block is unbeatable, unless his health problems keep him out of the public eye during the campaign.

``If he was to become invisible, it could be a problem,'' Lichtenstein said.

Not ready to retire

Despite concern expressed by others, Block said work is his best medicine. The sheriff, a West Hills resident, said he strongly believes he is healthy enough to do the job better than anyone else.

``I just haven't thought about retirement. Period. I was told some time ago that nobody can even guarantee you tomorrow. I believe in taking each day and doing the best you can,'' Block said in a recent interview. ``The alternative is to sit around feeling sorry for yourself.''

While some may consider it a liability, Block is proud of his record of being straightforward about his health problems, saying he wants to be a role model for people trying to stay active despite illness.

He will be honored later this year by the National Kidney Foundation ``for going public and taking the mystery out of dialysis and the fear of going through the process,'' he said.

Block has long been seen as unbeatable, having easily disposed of challengers in four previous elections.

Latino contender

Cerrell said there are plenty of challengers waiting in the wings still afraid of taking on Block.

Others, he said, might ``get frustrated enough and say I'll make a run for it.''

So far the only potential competitor is Lee Baca, the sheriff's chief of field operations for Region 2, which includes stations in West Hollywood, Lennox, Marina del Rey, Carson and Lomita. Baca is one of the highest-ranking Latino members of the department.

Assemblyman Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, the chairman of the Assembly Public Safety Committee, has signed on as co-chairman of Baca's fund-raising committee. Hertzberg said the sheriff's health should not be an issue, but the campaign should be focused on the need for new leadership.

``(Baca) has the energy and vitality to lead the department into the next century,'' Hertzberg said. ``It's now time for Sheriff Block to step aside and let a new generation of sheriff come in.''

Baca, 55 - who has raised $11,209 compared with Block's $214,946 - has not declared his candidacy. Baca said he does not believe there needs to be any major changes in the department, and doesn't see any big wedge issues in the campaign.

Still, Baca said it's time for the public to be given a choice in who their sheriff is going to be.

``There has never been a credible opponent to (an incumbent) sheriff in the last 50 years,'' Baca said. ``The public has never had a real choice.''

Passing the mantle

Baca is referring to the manner in which new sheriffs have been anointed by their predecessors.

Block is only the fourth man since 1921 to hold the job. Sheriff William Traeger quit in 1932 to run for Congress, opening the door for the Board of Supervisors to appoint Traeger's top pick, Undersheriff Eugene Biscailuz. When Biscailuz retired in 1958, he strongly endorsed the candidacy of Peter Pitchess.

Block himself was appointed to the job in January of 1982 after Pitchess announced he would retire before the end of his sixth term. With strong prodding from Pitchess, the Board of Supervisors appointed Block as his replacement. Block was elected to the post in his own right as an incumbent just months later.

Overcoming challenges

Block's toughest challenge came in 1992, when the Kolts Report claimed that deputies were rarely punished for using excessive force, that officer-involved shootings were not properly investigated, that complaints of brutality were ignored and that there was bias in the department against women, minorities, lesbians and gay men.

Block weathered that scandal by instituting a series of reforms.

In the past year, he's been on the hot seat because a county audit found that some deputies were making $50,000 to $60,000 a year in overtime.

The county jails have been beset by a series of embarrassing inmate releases by mistake.

And last month the Department of Justice put the county on notice that it may sue to force the Sheriff's Department to improve its treatment of the mentally ill in the jails.

``He's been the Teflon sheriff,'' said Cerrell. ``It's tough to really dislike Sheriff Block. He's your grandfather.''

Political support

Block has been endorsed by all five county supervisors, who could appoint his successor if he did not serve out his term.

``If the supervisors subscribe to the scenario that Block will not serve out his term, the supervisors would have an interest in his re-election,'' Lichtenstein said. Block said he intends to serve out his entire term if he is elected.

While some see it as a liability, Block prides himself on being open about his illnesses.

``It's not a treatment that incapacitates you in any way. It's just a case of sticking a couple of needles in your arm, '' Block said of his dialysis sessions. ``I can do paperwork.''

He said his doctors have endorsed his re-election bid.

``They encouraged me to keep going during the lymphoma, and they encourage me to keep going now,'' Block said.

Block would not even say definitively that his fifth would be his last term. However, he said he will pay more attention to finding a successor to whom he could comfortably hand over the reins of power.

``If I am successful in my re-election bid, there are a number of people in this department who I'm going to try and mentor and bring them up to point where, if they choose to, they could be a candidate for sheriff,'' Block said.

In announcing his re-election bid, Block said he is creating a public-private partnership called Operation Secure, which will solicit private money to automate the system for tracking prisoners in county jail. Now a paper-based system keeps track of the inmates.

``We're going to be going through a continuing period of change,'' Block said. ``To be an effective manager of change, it's beneficial if you have a historical perspective.''

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PHOTO Los Angeles County Sheriff Sherman Block, 73, is seeking his fifth four-year term.

Evan Yee/Daily News