EDITORIAL CUTTING DEALS DID MAYOR HAHN TRY TO BUY VOTES FOR POLITICAL APPOINTMENTS?

IN Los Angeles City Hall, political favors have been bought and sold for a long time, but rarely as nakedly as they were last week.

In the final moments of their phony debate about how quickly the city should hire new cops, Mayor James Hahn and members of the City Council dug in their heels. It was a grudge match, with no principles at stake, just pride - and in City Hall, that's worth a lot more.

After waiting until the last possible minute to veto the council's budget, Hahn could see the writing on the wall.

He knew he lacked the votes to sustain his veto, and he dreaded the prospect of being embarrassed by the council on a matter he considers near and dear to his re-election campaign.

For the mayor, it was a desperate time, and so he reportedly turned to desperate measures - buying votes.

The currency wasn't money; it rarely is. In City Hall, power is a far more valuable commodity.

So Hahn allegedly made an offer to City Councilwoman Jan Perry: If she would support his budget, he would reward her with an appointment to the Air Quality Management District board.

Perry ended up giving Hahn her vote. Time will tell whether he gives her the appointment.

The mayor was apparently less successful though, when it came to wooing East Valley Councilwoman Ruth Galanter.

Thanks to term limits, Galanter has less than a month left on the council, and it's no secret she's looking for a new job, preferably on the California High Speed Rail Authority.

Last week, Galanter reports, Hahn offered her the plum position (even though no seat is now available) through the office of state Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson. To get it, all she had to do was back Hahn's budget.

Much to her credit, Galanter says she turned the unsubtle political bribe down. In a day of rampant, unseemly back-room dealing, it's refreshing to see a politician - even if it's one on her way out of office - do the right thing.

But it would be good to know how many others didn't.

Did Hahn really try to barter public commissions for political support? If so, who said yes, and who said no, only because they were holding out for a better prize?

This is a potential scandal screaming for a city Ethics Commission investigation.

The allegations against Hahn, as well as possible allegations against members of the council, are serious and ought to be censurable at the very least.

Political horse-trading might be as old as politics itself. It might happen every day. But it shouldn't.

Angelenos have a right to expect more from their leaders.