BILL TO APPOINT MONITOR FOR LAUSD FAILS DEFEAT SEEN AS VICTORY FOR NEW LEADERSHIP.

Byline: Dominic Berbeo Staff Writer

Los Angeles Unified School District officials found enough support in the Assembly on Thursday to fight off efforts to impose a state-appointed watchdog over the struggling district.

The measure became stalled before the Legislature ended its 1999-2000 session in a furious rush of last-minute activity. The Senate bill would have required the state school superintendent to name a monitor for the LAUSD.

``Lawmakers understood this was an unnecessary complication because we already have accountability,'' said LAUSD board President Genethia Hayes. ``We need people to help us push the truck (of reform), not someone to sit on top with a stopwatch.''

Sen. Richard Polanco, D-Los Angeles, who authored the bill to try to ensure that the district properly spends its $8.9 billion budget, wanted the monitor to have the authority to recommend a breakup of the school district after a three-year audit.

District representatives voiced satisfaction after the bill stalled, saying time is needed for improvements under new Superintendent Roy Romer.

``This (defeat) is an important step forward for the district,'' said LAUSD legislative consultant Fabian Nunez. ``This gives a chance to the new leadership to prove what they can do to create schools for 65,000 new students in the next five years.''

Also on Thursday, a handgun bill was shelved by its author, Assemblyman Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, after learning the governor planned to veto it. The measure would have required those purchasing new handguns to undergo a safety course and background check as well as applying for a license from the state.

``Based on conversations with the Governor's Office,'' Scott said in a prepared statement, ``I reluctantly have become convinced that my best chance for seeing this bill become law is to pursue it next year.''

Gov. Gray Davis had indicated that he did not want to approve any additional gun legislation until a massive gun-control package he approved last year has been given sufficient time to prove its effectiveness.

In other action Thursday:

--Senate Bill 1101, ensuring that union contracts for MTA employees would carry over if they are transferred into a proposed new Valley transit zone, received final approval by the Assembly on Tuesday and on Thursday cleared the Senate floor on concurrence and will be sent to the governor's desk. Supporters of a new transit zone say the measure would kill such efforts to improve mass transit.

--Two bills intended to discourage runaway film production by Hollywood received final legislative approval and were being sent to the governor for consideration. Senate Bill 2061 would identify surplus state properties, such as parkland and warehouses, that could be rented to filmmakers. Assembly Bill 484 would create a $15 million annual fund to reimburse producers for some costs.

--Senate Bill 165, requiring local bond measures adhere to the same accountability rules as state bond measures, received final Senate approval and was sent to the governor. The bill was drafted following complaints that a Los Angeles police facilities bond measure failed to deliver on the promises made to voters.

--Assembly Bill 1785, adding hate crimes and hate-motivated incidents to the current standard school crime report form, received final Senate approval and was forwarded to the governor.

--Senate Bill 1845, prohibiting polygraph tests as a condition of employment for most workers and requiring that any tests be videotaped, was given final approval and sent to the governor.

Davis has until Sept. 30 to veto the bills or sign them into law.