EDITORIAL BROKEN PROMISES HAHN STANDS OUT AMONG MAYORAL CANDIDATES FOR NOT FULFILLING HIS WORD.

DURING this last week before the mayoral primary election, the candidates are sure to make a lot of promises about what they will do for the San Fernando Valley - similar to the promises they have made in previous weeks.

There's good reason for this: Nearly half of those expected to vote in the March 8 primary election live in the San Fernando Valley. And many of those voters still are angry about the abusive campaign Mayor James Hahn and the corrupt City Hall power structure ran against Valley cityhood, which still got support from a majority of voters in the Valley.

Hahn and his bully boys did a lot of threatening and deceiving, and they made a lot of promises, most of which were never fulfilled.

Hahn has had his chance. The Valley still doesn't get its fair share of city services, particularly police officers. And the many neighborhoods in the Valley have seen their expectation of local empowerment thwarted and undermined by the Hahn administration. All too often the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment has impeded grass-roots efforts to form neighborhood councils that reflect community interests.

This isn't just a promise broken to the Valley, but to all of Los Angeles' neighborhoods.

Hahn has had four years to give more than lip service to neighborhood councils, and only in the middle of his campaign for re-election has he decided to give them a say in street repairs. He has made it clear that, as long as he's in office, advisory neighborhood councils will mean powerless neighborhood councils. And this doesn't begin to get into the notion that the mayor of Los Angeles ought to have a vision for the city, with big ambitions and big dreams.

The Daily News has endorsed former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg for mayor in great part because his entire political philosophy is rooted in a populist belief in the people, in the ability of ordinary people to make the best decisions for their neighborhoods if given the power, money and support they need. And Hertzberg dreams big!

Last week, Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa made a series of specific commitments to the Valley, including restoring the position of deputy mayor for the Valley to work closely with neighborhood councils and other community groups. The other two major candidates, Councilman Bernard Parks and state Sen. Richard Alarcon, also have records that show they respect the diversity of local communities in Los Angeles.

Valley voters - both those who wanted their own city and those who believed L.A. could be made to work for the good of everyone - have a clear choice come election day on March 8. There's the mayor who wanted to defeat secession more than he wanted to create a great city, and there are four challengers who offer hope of a better Los Angeles.

We say vote for hope - so the City of Angels again is a place where dreams come true.