DELGADILLO TO BRIEF DNC ON LATINO DEMOCRATS.

Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo will have his partisan coming-out party today as a featured speaker at the Democratic National Committee's 2002 campaign kickoff conference.

Delgadillo will brief party leaders on strategies designed to add to Democrats' strong standing among Latino voters. He was invited by DNC Chairman Terence R. McAuliffe to share the spotlight with other newly minted Democratic elected officials, including New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey.

``I'm going to remind everyone that the agenda for Latinos is not different from that of other ethnic groups, but that their values are Democratic core values,'' Delgadillo said in an interview Friday at the Four Seasons Hotel. ``Building coalitions is the secret to success. Focusing only on ethnic politics does not work, as we learned in Los Angeles.''

Delgadillo today will face a DNC audience that largely wears its partisanship on its sleeve, including some who view his Democratic credentials as less than impeccable. He served former Republican Mayor Richard Riordan as deputy mayor for economic development, and in June he defeated fellow Democrat and former Councilman Mike Feuer, the California Democratic Party's endorsed candidate, in a close race for city attorney.