EDITORIAL OATH FOR OFFICE.

POLITICIANS hungry for votes to become mayor of all the people of Los Angeles clearly will do just about anything during pledge week at the local union hall.

Although hazing has proved dangerous at times, the ritual never fails to draw a few souls willing to sign their lives and honor away if it gets them elected. This is especially true when it comes to the city's public employee unions, which have lived high on the hog for 30 years by getting politicians elected in the face of a defeated and apathetic public.

At a barbecue last weekend, the union for most city workers made an offer three mayoral candidates couldn't refuse.

City Attorney James Hahn, former Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa and Rep. Xavier Becerra took the pledge demanded by the Julie Butcher's Service Employees International Union.

They pledged to publicly fight against San Fernando Valley secession - regardless of what the secession study shows - while guaranteeing to protect labor interests by never privatizing any city jobs. They also guaranteed to provide jobs for life, pledged to turn over management of the city departments to the workers and agreed to ``the philosophy that city workers know best how to perform their duties effectively and successfully.''

They could have refused to take the pledge, like developer Steve Soboroff and Councilman Joel Wachs. At the very least, they could have said they were committed to work to bring the whole city together - and not just the public employees, special interests and influence peddlers.

But saving the city would cost money and require providing services to the neighborhoods, which means city workers can't continue ripping off every tax dollar, would have to work far more efficiently and agree to work rules that got rid of deadheads.

The San Fernando Valley Local's 1.3 million or so people demand that every candidate and/or elected official exert moral leadership and actively support policies protective of the rights of average citizens and taxpayers of the city of Los Angeles. City officials should work to provide high quality services to the communities of Los Angeles and to balance out the interests of all communities with equal respect and access for all.

If a pledge card is all it takes to secure carte blanche promises from this generation of downtown pols, we have our own ideas on behalf of the Valley for how the ``Valley Candidate Pledge'' might read.

As a candidate and/or elected official, I hereby pledge to:

1. Actively encourage all efforts to enhance the level, quality and accessibility of services provided to the public and to the neighborhoods in which they live and work.

2. Fight any and all attempts to make Valley residents drink recycled potty water and promise to close the Sunshine Canyon Landfill in Granada Hills.

3. Lower the pay and perks of all elected city officials by 50 percent until the $300 million bill for turning City Hall into a Taj Mahal for self-servers is fully paid off.

4. Publicly support fair and open government and abolish back-room deals.

5. Eliminate sweetheart contracts and put the interests of the people of the city ahead of all others, including campaign contributors, public employee unions and influence peddlers.

Signed . . .