COUNCIL TAKES BACK OK ON PERSHING SITE.

Byline: Alexa Haussler Staff Writer

Under attack by police and downtown business owners, Los Angeles City Council members voted Friday to rescind their pledge to designate downtown's Pershing Square as a protest zone during the Democratic National Convention.

``I think it's time for the council to admit it made a mistake and to try to undo all of the harm that was done,'' Councilman Joel Wachs said before the 12-1 vote.

The vote culminated bitter debate over whether the council had jeopardized public safety by inviting protesters to the congested business district. Council members voted earlier to do so in exchange for Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg's support for a $4 million contribution to the Democratic National Convention committee.

On Friday, the council narrowly defeated, in a 7-6 vote, a motion to withhold the remaining $2 million of the $4 million pledge.

After that vote, Mayor Richard Riordan - who chipped in $1 million of his own money for the convention's host committee and has been personally raising funds for it - issued a sternly worded statement warning the council to stand by its full $4 million pledge of public funds.

``We are on the verge of hosting an historic presidential convention and yet a few members of the City Council appear bent on embarrassing Los Angeles,'' Riordan said. ``Any action to rescind the contribution would represent a gross breach of commitment by the city.''

Riordan's statement took aim at council members, including Wachs and Goldberg, who support a pullback of the final $2 million.

Goldberg opposed the Pershing Square change.

``Why would any organization want to hold a convention here knowing that there are a few unreliable, waffling City Council members who would renege on its promise?'' she said.

Goldberg, whose niece is a lead organizer of the protests, said she was disappointed with the vote.

``I do not believe that it is the job of the Police Department to decide where protests can take place or not take place, but it can decide how to handle it,'' she said.

A council committee had recommended reversing the earlier approval of the park site as a gathering place, despite assurances by demonstration organizers that they are planning peaceful gatherings.

Pershing Square, which is bordered by Olive and Hill streets to the east and west and 5th and 6th streets to the north and south, is adjacent to the Jewelry District and across the street from the Regal Biltmore Hotel, where many delegates and party officials will be staying. Law enforcement officials had warned that as many as 50,000 protesters and anarchists could paralyze the area.

Next, police and city officials will study other possible demonstration staging sites, including Exposition Park and MacArthur Park.

Organizers of the presidential nominating convention, to be held Aug. 14-17 at Staples Center, initially said it would require no public subsidy, but recently sought city help to fill a budget gap.

Councilman Nate Holden accused other council members of using the protest issue to gain standing in the eyes of voters.

``I don't think we should use whatever our goals are to exploit an issue that affects us all,'' he said. ``A demonstration site getting out of control over there would be devastating to this community.''

Susan Goldberg, who is Councilwoman Goldberg's niece and a member of Direct Action Network, which is coordinating protect activities surrounding the convention, called the council's latest vote a ``missed opportunity.''

``It could have been a real opportunity to work in concert, work together to make the most clear and effective situation for everyone,'' she said. ``They've created a conflict that didn't need to be there.''

But business owners and representatives applauded the council's decision, which followed more than a week of lobbying aimed at convincing city leaders to withdraw the designation of Pershing Square.

Some warned that protesters can still be expected to congregate there.

``Now we have a lot of hard work ahead of us because people are still going to be at Pershing Square,'' said Hilary Norton Orozco, director of legislative affairs for the Central City Association, an organization of downtown businesses.

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Map: Pershing Square

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