CHICK MEMO RIPS MAYOR CHALLENGERS GET HAHN ASSESSMENT.

Byline: Rick Orlov Staff Writer

City Controller Laura Chick offered a scathing assessment of Mayor James Hahn to his four major challengers, saying he ignored and distanced himself from the city's problems, then claimed credit for fixing them with solutions offered by others, according to documents released Friday.

Acknowledging that she's been pressured to disclose her briefings to the mayoral challengers, Chick released the critical 30-page memorandum, along with other documents she used. The memo outlined eight areas her office studied, including some that sparked two grand jury investigations, along with her analysis of the mayor's leadership style.

``From what I've seen, all we get is ducking, dodging and distancing by this mayor,'' Chick said at a news conference. ``We've presented problems and laid out solutions that he could have corrected immediately.

``Instead, all he's done is attack the messengers. Most often, that was me.''

Chick said there was no confidential information in any of the documents, which were compiled by her staff, on their own time, and intended to provide insight into the series of highly critical audits she has conducted. She wrote her own analysis of Hahn's leadership to show how there was a pattern of failure.

The Mayor's Office referred inquiries to his campaign office. A spokesman accused Chick of politicizing her office and playing an active role in the mayoral campaign in her briefings of the challengers - Councilmen Bernard Parks and Antonio Villaraigosa, former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg and state Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys.

``Maybe she should quit her job as controller and just go to work for one of the other campaigns,'' said Hahn consultant Kam Kuwata. ``All she is succeeding in doing is politicizing the controller's job.

``We aren't asking her to step down from her job. We just want her to do her job.''

The newly released documents include reviews of the city's agreement with Staples Center; its asset management program; port leasing procedures; the Community Redevelopment Agency; and a five-year review of the Department of Water and Power.

It also includes audits of Los Angeles World Airports, the DWP Green Power program and the city's public-relations contract with Fleishman- Hillard.

In the wake of those reports, federal and county grand juries launched investigations into accusations of a ``pay-to-play'' operation at City Hall, in which businesses believed they had to make political contributions to win city contracts.

Two weeks ago, a former Fleishman-Hillard executive, John Stodder, was indicted on federal charges of overbilling the city.

In those topic areas, Chick talks about the goals of the audit, her conclusions and the implications of her recommendations.

For example, Chick said she concluded that Fleishman-Hillard had overbilled the city and that the DWP failed to adequately monitor the contract - which she questioned why it was even needed.

``None of the information that was turned over to the District Attorney or the U.S. Attorney's Office was included in this,'' Chick said. ``That information will remain confidential, as far as my office is concerned.

``But this public information we felt was important to help connect the dots on how the city operates.''

When those dots are connected, Chick said it shows a city that has failed to keep up with modern technology or management techniques and demonstrated an unwillingness to make changes.

``Here we are, the nation's second-largest city in the most powerful nation on Earth and we are still using 19th-century management,'' Chick said. ``We have audits and recommendations that could easily be adopted and they are sitting there gathering dust.''

Chick offered the briefings last week in private sessions held at her Silver Lake home. She said the documentation, including newspaper clippings, was prepared outside City Hall by staff members who were working on vacation time.

She withdrew her support for Hahn's re-election last year after her audits turned up damaging material, but said she is not endorsing a rival in the primary election.

Another factor in releasing the documents was the possible impact on her desire to win City Council approval to fund a waste and fraud unit within her office.

Some council members, particularly Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, a Hahn ally, have questioned Chick's aggressive use of audits.

``I want to make sure that if something is meant to be confidential that it stays that way,'' Miscikowski said. ``If this is going to be a real investigative unit, we want it to act appropriately.''

Miscikowski said she was pleased with Chick's decision to release the documents.

The council is scheduled to take up approval of the new unit at its meeting Tuesday. Chick said it is important for her to be able to clear up pending cases.

``I am releasing this out of my belief that we have to be transparent in government,'' Chick said in a meeting with City Hall reporters at which she provided copies of the documents.

``There is nothing in here that is confidential. It is all public record. What we tried to do was connect the dots of what we've seen at City Hall for the people who could be the city's next chief executive.''

In the memo, Chick provided bullet points on eight areas that her office had studied since she was elected in 2001 along with her own analysis of what she termed ``Mayor Hahn Leadership Style.''

She wrote that Hahn's ``Style One'' is:

``1. Ignore a problem and the obvious solution

``2. Once told publicly: Shoot the messenger

``3. Create a task force to study the problem or

``4. Distances himself from the problem

``5. Release a report

``a. Identifying the original problem

``b. Adopting the original solution

``6. Issue a press release claiming victory.''

She also described Hahn's ``Style Two'':

``1. Ignore a problem and the obvious solution

``2. Once told publicly:

``a. Attack the messenger

``b. Continue to ignore the problem and solution

``3. Gauge public opinion and media

``4. Problem doesn't go away

``5. Address the problem quietly or overreact (I'll show you ...)''

Kuwata defended the mayor, saying he took a more thoughtful approach to dealing with issues, such as ethics reforms.

``The mayor could have just ordered something, but he assembled a panel with some of the city's top experts on what we should do to deal with conflicts of interests and contracts,'' Kuwata said. ``When he got their report, instead of waiting for Ms. Chick or the City Council, he issued an executive directive to put new procedures into effect.''

Kuwata also renewed criticism of Chick for failing to act earlier on the Fleishman-Hillard contracts.

``It is the controller's office that signs all the checks,'' Kuwata said. ``If she had been doing her job all along, there wouldn't have been the overcharging by this firm. Ms. Chick claims to be the city's watchdog. I don't know what dog she was watching.''

The memo also includes a three-page rundown of some of those who have been in the spotlight as the result of the various investigations.

These include former Deputy Mayor Troy Edwards, former Commissioners Ted Stein and Leland Wong, and contributors who have been linked to wrongful contributions such as attorney Pierce O'Donnell and developer Mark Abrams.

Parks said the briefing he received did not provide him with any new information but helped him crystallize various points.

``I read all her audits and knew what was going on, but where it helped was to bring different elements together to help fill out the picture,'' Parks said.

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com