EDITORIAL STANDING TALL PADILLA DOES THE RIGHT THING BY BLOCKING ILL-CONCEIVED SALES-TAX HIKE.

TAXPAYERS throughout Los Angeles owe thanks to City Council President Alex Padilla for standing up to withering pressure to back a sales-tax hike for more cops and a host of other ``public safety'' issues.

Casting the sixth, and somewhat surprising, ``no'' vote, Padilla risked his position of power on the council, risked his relationship with Mayor James Hahn and risked the ire of the powerful police and fire unions.

Councilmen Dennis Zine and Greig Smith, both reserve police officers themselves, also refused to knuckle under to the bullying and threats that came from the Mayor's Office, police brass and, worst of all, the police union. It was an easier call for Antonio Villaraigosa, Bernard Parks and Jack Weiss as Hahn rivals.

But it isn't over. The powerful forces that have failed for years to come up with the money to make the streets safer will bring the tax hike up for another council vote Friday, the deadline to get it on the May 17 runoff ballot.

Padilla, most of all, will be under tough pressure. He will be offered advantages for his friends and his district. He will be threatened with future repercussions. That's how the corrupt culture of City Hall works.

He must stand strong. He is staking out his opposition to the mayor's squeezing $200 million more out of the L.A. economy, and he's right to do so. It will take all the courage he can muster to keep on standing tall for the people of the city.

The mayor's sister shamelessly called out Padilla by name Wednesday and tried to shame him publicly into voting for this tax: ``It's very wrong to deny the people the choice to vote to make the city safer,'' said Councilwoman Janice Hahn.

The Hahn strategy is to use such big lies to deceive the people. The truth is that city revenues have soared in the past four years, despite a weak economy and state-funding cuts, but all that new money has been thrown away on salaries and benefits for city employees and contracts like the one Fleishman-Hillard used to promote the mayor politically.

That is the shame of Los Angeles.

The mayor and the council have the power today to make economies, cut waste and start hiring hundreds of cops - just as they could have done last year or a decade ago.

What the people want most of all is a clean city government, a good city government that works for them.

The six council members led by Padilla have stood with the people; nine others have stood for the failed tax-and-squander policies of Hahn.

It will be a tough couple of days for these six brave councilmen, but we urge them to stand fast against the pressure - and continue standing for the people.