CANDIDATES GET BACKING CHAMBER SUPPORTS HAHN; CHICK BEHIND VILLARAIGOSA.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

Moving to both consolidate and expand their bases of support, Mayor James Hahn and Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa announced what both said they considered major endorsements leading up to their May 17 runoff election for mayor.

As Hahn announced support from the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Villaraigosa captured the support of City Controller Laura Chick, who was easily re-elected to a second term on Tuesday.

Despite the hype in making the announcements, neither was surprising. Attorney George Kieffer, a close Hahn ally and adviser, is a former chairman of the chamber's board of directors. And Chick previously withdrew her endorsement of Hahn after referring audits of city agencies she conducted to local and federal prosecutors who are conducting criminal investigations.

Other major mayoral candidates in Tuesday's election have given no indication of who or when they will endorse in the runoff.

Former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg, who came in third, and state Sen. Richard Alarcon, a distant fifth, said through aides they are still deciding whether to get involved.

Councilman Bernard Parks said he is developing a list of questions on issues important to him to present to the two remaining candidates.

``I plan to make an endorsement, but I want it to be one that can have an impact and send a message to my supporters,'' Parks said.

Villaraigosa and Hahn said they would be talking with their primary election opponents to try to win their support.

In announcing her support of Villaraigosa, Chick acknowledged her differences over the past several years with Hahn.

Chick said she decided to back Villaraigosa because of his commitment to implement change in city government and support her efforts to improve the city's operations.

``He will bring us together as a team and help Los Angeles reach its full potential of becoming a great city,'' Chick said at a news conference at Villaraigosa's headquarters in Boyle Heights. ``He will be a mayor who welcomes audits as road maps for change, and he will be a powerful partner in helping us fight waste and fraud.''

Hahn said he never expected Chick to reverse herself and endorse his re-election.

``If she had endorsed me, now that would be news,'' Hahn said.

Chick had pulled her endorsement of Hahn, saying she was frustrated at his lack of action in implementing the recommendations of her various audits of city agencies.

After a Chick audit of the Los Angeles World Airports, she referred information to the district attorney, U.S. attorney and city Ethics Commission into allegations of a ``pay-to-play'' operation in which companies believed they needed to make campaign contributions to win city contracts.

``I told the mayor in a one-on-one meeting about the problems, the perception of problems and that he needed to act,'' Chick said. ``All he had to do was pick up the phone and call the head of the Airport Commission or the department head and say, knock it off. All I got was silence.''

Hahn said he recalled the meeting differently.

``I'm a former prosecutor. I asked her what evidence she had and all she told me was, 'Everyone knows this is going on,''' Hahn said. ``I did make some calls. I introduced a proposal to ban contributions from companies doing business with the city. I'm still waiting to see the City Council take action on that.''

Chick said the proposal was just gathering dust and needed the mayor to push harder for its adoption.

``What my concern is that, from this mayor, all we see are sound-bite solutions and studies,'' Chick said. ``Most of my proposals could have been easily implemented.''

Hahn, who served one term as City Controller, said he recognized the importance of the audits and had implemented most of the recommendations advanced by Chick to improve the city's performance.

For his part, Hahn picked up the backing of the Chamber of Commerce, which also had supported him four years ago.

Chris Martin, chair of the chamber's board of directors, cited Hahn's efforts to improve the local economy after a recession and the impact of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

``L.A.'s business climate has improved over the last four years and Jim Hahn deserves much of the credit,'' Martin said.

Chamber President Rusty Hammer said the decision - made by the board of directors after a recommendation from the group's political action committee - was for various efforts undertaken by the mayor.

Among these was the $11 billion Los Angeles International Airport modernization plan, business tax reform, the $100 million affordable housing trust fund and fighting to get more tax dollars from Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

``The chamber is looking for a mayor who is not afraid to make bold decisions and fight for the city,'' Hammer said. ``The mayor understands the critical connection between safer streets and a strong economy.''

In the race for endorsements, Hahn has been far ahead of Villaraigosa, picking up the support of organized labor and eight members of the City Council.

Council members backing Hahn include Ed Reyes, Dennis Zine, Tom LaBonge, Jan Perry, Cindy Miscikowski, Greig Smith, Eric Garcetti and Janice Hahn.

Villaraigosa has the backing of Martin Ludlow and Jack Weiss. Uncommitted members include Wendy Greuel, Tony Cardenas and Alex Padilla.

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) City Controller Laura Chick, left, endorses Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa for major during a news conference in East Los Angeles.

(2) Mayor James Hahn speaks at a news conference announcing support for him by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer