FEDERAL WAR ON GANGS? HAHN URGES NATIONAL ROLE IN STREET-THUGS CRACKDOWN.

Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn and Police Chief William Bratton outlined plans Wednesday for a federally assisted regional war on street gangs that they hope will be a model for cities nationwide.

Joined by other Southern California city leaders at a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Hahn called gang crime ``the biggest threat to the quality of life in America.''

Added Bratton: ``We need to sound the clarion call. There is an enemy within, an urban form of terrorism that is spreading.''

Hahn said federal support, including expanded efforts by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, was crucial to the effort.

He lobbied all three agencies Tuesday and said he was encouraged by pledges of support. They included the possible additions of 20 to 25 ATF agents to track the illegal gun trade and several DEA Mobile Enforcement Teams.

Stressing that ``gangs don't stop at boundaries,'' Hahn pledged to work with neighboring communities and police agencies on the effort and also announced the creation of a national mayors' task force to develop effective gang antidotes.

City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, who chairs the council's Public Safety Committee, said it made sense to set up a model national strategy in the Los Angeles area, which is home to gangs that, according to the FBI, have spread their activities to more than 150 cities.

``Gangs are very much a national issue,'' she said. ``We recently had a crime in New York City that was linked to the Rampart area's 18th Street Gang.''

In Washington's Virginia suburbs, police are dealing with crimes committed by members of Mara Salvatrucha. The Salvadoran immigrant gang is an offshoot of a notorious group of the same name based in Los Angeles' MacArthur Park neighborhood.

``Los Angeles has not been a part of these efforts in the past,'' said Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill, who is attending the conference with Police Chief Tony Batts.

``If L.A. takes the lead, the anti-gang programs will be a success. We'll also be more likely to get federal support for a regional effort rather than one for just a single city.''

San Bernardino Mayor Judith Valles agreed that gangs are much more than a Los Angeles problem. ``We've always had some gangs, but now we see links to those in L.A.,'' she said. ``The problem was dormant for a while; now it's rearing its ugly head.''

Valles said she planned to share details of San Bernardino's anti-gang efforts, including court injunctions to curtail public gatherings and a crackdown on graffiti, with her fellow mayors.

Covina Mayor David Truax welcomed the cooperative effort, noting that his city has seen an influx of gang members and activity from Los Angeles over the last decade.

``At first, gangs were all new to us, but we have responded with a special police unit and a volunteer graffiti cleanup program,'' said Truax. ``If the problem is there, the first step is to admit it and then take forceful action.''

Hahn's anti-gang proposal was also endorsed by Mayors Kathy Salazar of Montebello and Francisco Pedroza of Lynwood.

``I grew up in Lynwood and I have seen the gang problem for years,'' said Pedroza. ``We have 40 gangs identified in our city and we're spending $300,000 per year just to clean up graffiti.''

Earlier Wednesday, Hahn chaired a task force meeting on aviation and port security. He was joined by O'Neill and Coast Guard Admiral James Loy, head of the federal Transportation Security Administration.

Loy said that, after meeting deadlines for airport passenger and baggage screening, the TSA is now concentrating on the nation's ports and other modes of transportation. He said the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and Los Angles International Airport are being used to test and develop a Transportation Workers Identification Credential.

The IDs, to be used by all workers with access to ports, airports and other sensitive sites, would incorporate a biometric component, such as a thumbprint. Workers would have to go through extensive background checks before IDs are issued to them.

Loy also credited private-sector partners, including The Walt Disney Co., for the success of the TSA's airport screening efforts. He said Disney, which has been dealing with queues for years at Disneyland and its other amusement parks, was consulted on how to best handle lines of customers at airport checkpoints.

While Hahn and the other Los Angeles officials returned to Washington late Wednesday, O'Neill and other cities' leaders planned to mix mayoral concerns with congressional lobbying today and Friday.

Today's conference schedule includes a speech on first-responder funding by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who was confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday. On Friday, the mayors will meet with President George W. Bush at the White House.

In Los Angeles on Wednesday, City Councilman Jack Weiss criticized the Bush administration for a lack of federal anti-terrorist aid for cities.

``The preparedness resources we need cost real money,'' Weiss said in a prepared statement. ``Three-point-five billion dollars in federal funds were promised to local first responders over one year ago by this administration and the Republican Congress, and America is still waiting.''

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(color) Hahn said federal support, including expanded efforts by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, is crucial to the fight against ``urban terrorism.''