EDITORIAL TURNING L.A. AROUND MAYOR-ELECT SETS HOPEFUL TONE FOR HIS ADMINISTRATION.

HE still has more than two weeks to go before he so much as takes office. He still lacks the mayor's staff, the mayor's power and the mayor's clout. Yet already, Antonio Villaraigosa is acting positively ... mayoral.

Emphasis on the word ``positively.''

In recent years, the term ``mayoral'' has lost much of its luster in Los Angeles, so convinced have we have become that - in design and deed - ours is a ``weak mayor'' form of government. Despite occasional bursts of leadership, for the last two decades, weak mayors have largely been the norm.

But Villaraigosa seems committed to reclaiming the word, and being the kind of leader determined to solving problems and acting quickly.

We can only hope he is successful as mayor since the future of the city hangs in the balance.

Even though Villaraigosa hasn't taken over the city's top job, he's already shown more leadership than Los Angeles has seen in years.

Take the situation at Van Nuys Airport, where neighbors have long complained about the noise coming from outmoded Stage 2 jets. Outgoing Mayor James Hahn has repeatedly pledged to do something about it but never - neither as city attorney nor as mayor - lived up to that commitment.

Villaraigosa, on the other hand, has already got things in motion. Last week, he called on City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo to see whether, on the basis of a recent ruling in Naples, Fla., the city can ban the jets from using the airport without forfeiting Federal Aviation Administration funds.

It's a good idea, but one that needed a new, energetic leader to bring it to fruition.

Last week, Villaraigosa also outlined some of his key policy priorities in a speech before the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Here, too, he showed some hopeful signs of a clear vision. He stressed the need to make L.A. more business-friendly, to distribute airport traffic throughout the region, to expand trade and clean up pollution at the port, to curb runaway productions and to get some good leadership at the Department of Planning.

More important than his wish list, however, was his sense of urgency about making wishes become reality. ``I am impatient,'' Villaraigosa said. ``The people of Los Angeles are impatient. They want to see progress. They don't expect to see change overnight, but they want to see movement.''

Whether he can deliver that movement and more, of course, remains to be seen. Los Angeles City Hall culture is as corrupting of the well-intentioned as it is hostile to reform. But Villaraigosa seems adamant. ``I will be doing all I can,'' he says.

For that, we can take him at his word. The mayor-elect may have little in the way of power or resources at his disposal, but in witnessing his energy and his policy formulations, there can be little doubt that, already, he is doing all he can - and it's a lot more than we've seen in a great while.