CITY ELECTIONS STAY LOW-KEY : HAYDEN VIES FOR ATTENTION.

Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer

Four years ago, Richard Riordan would sneak away from his downtown law practice and his business ventures, climb into his red Ford Explorer and drive to different parts of the city to walk precincts.

Or he would be off to one of the more than three dozen forums staged during that wide-open campaign that saw him become the city's 38th mayor.

Today, as he asks voters to elect him Tuesday to a second term, Riordan has the same red Ford Explorer, but he doesn't walk precincts any more.

His re-election campaign has been boiled down to a handful of carefully selected events in the past two weeks where he picks up an endorsement from another elected official or some group.

``I don't have the time now,'' the mayor said in an interview. ``That really was the most fun of the campaign, meeting people one-on-one, talking to them about their concerns.

``There's a huge difference now because I'm mayor of the city and have to run the city while the campaign goes on.''

Riordan is far ahead, according to polls, and his main challenger, state Sen. Tom Hayden, D-Los Angeles, has been hampered in raising money, drawing attention and developing a base of support.

The careful handling of Riordan's public appearances contrast starkly to the Hayden campaign. The challenger has taken to traveling city streets in a bright yellow school bus plastered with campaign signs, stopping almost whimsically at locations where potential voters are gathered.

The one-time anti-war radical, civil rights activist and ex-husband of Jane Fonda, however, has found it hard to stir interest while the mayor is running a low-key campaign.

``The success of my campaign depends on how much attention I get,'' Hayden said recently. ``If the media stops covering me, I'll be soundproofed.''

After an initial splash with his announcement, Hayden has generally found himself with coverage from newspapers but little of the television news time his campaign needed to draw attention and lend credibility to his campaign.

City council seats

If the outcome of the mayor's race seems somewhat predictable, the City Council races, with eight seats on the ballot, are hardly better.

Of the seven incumbent council members facing re-election, Richard Alarcon, Mike Feuer and Jackie Goldberg are unopposed.

Councilwoman Laura Chick is facing the underfunded campaign of businessman Mort Diamond, while Councilwoman Rita Walters is being challenged by police Officer Pete Torres, who has picked up the endorsement of the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

Councilman Rudy Svorinich is facing challenges from two harbor area activists who have joined forces to try to put him in a runoff. And Councilman Mike Hernandez is being challenged by two opponents. One, Rose Marie Lopez, has been endorsed by Supervisor Gloria Molina.

Only in the 11th Council District, where Councilman Marvin Braude is vacating the seat after 32 years, is there much drama.

In that race, former Braude aide Cindy Miscikowski and former Riordan aide Georgia Mercer are considered the front-runners in a tight contest.

Both campaigns believe there will be a runoff in June because neither may get the required 50 percent majority because of the efforts of the candidate Mark Isler, who has been appealing to Republican voters and been able to run an active mail campaign. A fourth candidate in the race is Doug Friedman, an administrator.

In other races to be decided Tuesday, City Attorney James Hahn, running for a fourth term, is facing a strong challenge from Encino attorney Ted Stein, with both relying heavily on negative television commercials.

Hahn, the city attorney since 1985, is generally perceived to hold the lead in the race, but polls have shown that more than 30 percent of the voters are undecided, which means it could go either way.

Uncertainty also surrounds Proposition BB, the $2.4 billion school bond measure that needs a two-thirds vote to be successful.

A similar measure narrowly lost in November, but school officials this time picked up Riordan's endorsement after the district agreed to form an oversight committee to make sure repairs are completed at individual schools.

The campaign has tried to use that to appeal directly to voters about their local schools and the need for improvements.

Board of education

At the Los Angeles Board of Education, three seats are up for election, with incumbent Vicky Castro running unopposed.

Board member Julie Korenstein is facing a challenge from three candidates: Jeff Tung, Billy Bauman and Ethel Barnes.

In the open seat created with the retirement of Mark Slavkin, the field includes Valerie Fields, Kenneth J. Sackman, Debra Greenfield and Diana Dixon-Davis.

Also on Tuesday's ballot, City Controller Rick Tuttle is facing a light challenge from businessman Michael Margolin in his bid for a fourth term.

Three seats for the Community College Board of Trustees are up.

In District 2, incumbent Elizabeth Garfield is facing challenges from Charles Bergson and Andrew Kim.

In the open District 4 seat, candidates included Richard Yanez, Kelly Candaele, Patrick Prinster, Marilyn Grunwald and Ross Moen.

In District 6, incumbent Althea Baker has three challengers. They are Stephen Brecht, Eli Green and Nancy Pearlman.