HAHN PICKS OLD PALS FOR TRANSITION WARDLAW, MCOSKER NAMED.

Byline: Rick Orlov  Staff Writer

Mayor-elect James Hahn on Thursday named his campaign chairman, Bill Wardlaw, to a familiar job of heading up his transition team as he prepares to take office in 23 days.

Wardlaw, a longtime Democratic political activist and an investment banker, had the same job in 1993 after he helped elect Richard Riordan as mayor. Hahn also announced that Tim McOsker, his chief deputy in the City Attorney's Office, will be his chief of staff.

``Bill Wardlaw and Tim McOsker are trusted advisers and I have great confidence in their abilities to manage a smooth transition,'' Hahn said in a statement.

Wardlaw said he expected the transition to be much smoother than Riordan's because of Hahn's 20 years of experience in Los Angeles government - 16 as city attorney and four as controller - along with the number of aides he will be able to bring with him.

``With Riordan, there was an unfamiliarity with city government and we had to start from scratch,'' Wardlaw said. ``With Jim Hahn, he already has excellent people around him who understand city government and he has the political background to have a wide network of people to draw on. He could almost do this himself.''

Hahn is taking some time off to recuperate from the rigors of the campaign and is trusting Wardlaw and members of his campaign staff to prepare for taking over the job of mayor July 1.

Among the tasks are reviewing various decisions and matters pending - for which Hahn already has a basic familiarity - assembling a staff and making commission appointments.

Hahn's Tarzana campaign headquarters has been turned into the transition team's office and will be used as a base until the move into City Hall. Rent and salaries will be paid through private funds, Wardlaw said.

As city attorney, Hahn also has an office in City Hall where he can easily visit with Riordan, who has offered to meet with him daily on various decisions that are needed over the next three weeks. Riordan also has offered to put off any major decisions until Hahn takes over so there is no conflict.

Also making the job easier is that Wardlaw was involved in checking the backgrounds of numerous commissioners - many of whom are still in their posts - for Riordan, including many who were Hahn supporters.

``It does make it easier, but Jim Hahn is going to want to review every appointment to commissions and to his staff to make sure they represent Los Angeles,'' Wardlaw said.

A similar process will be done with department heads - who serve at the pleasure of the mayor under the new City Charter - once Hahn takes office.

``He already has a basic knowledge of the people, but he will want to make sure they are on board with him on policies,'' Wardlaw said. ``The mayor-elect already knows a lot of these people and has informed opinions on their strengths and weaknesses.''