HAHN RATCHETS UP LOBBY EFFORTS SUPPORT FOR HIS BUDGET MAY BE DWINDLING.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Staff Writer

Mayor James Hahn intensified his behind-the-scenes lobbying Monday to get six votes in support of his budget and uphold his expected veto of the City Council's plan to defer hiring 320 extra police officers.

Hahn, who has until Wednesday to veto the council budget, met and spoke with several council members and has reportedly offered committee appointments to some of them in an effort to win their favor.

He has focused on the six members who supported a compromise he proposed last week, but at least one, Wendy Greuel, spurned his overture for private talks and is now considered likely to support overriding his veto. Two others remain undecided. Hahn has expanded his lobbying efforts beyond the six but has yet to nail down sufficient commitments.

Councilman Dennis Zine is one of those who remains undecided on the issue after facing heavy lobbying. He met with Hahn for about an hour Monday, and also talked with council President Alex Padilla, who supports the council plan.

``I said it's still fluid as far as I'm concerned,'' Zine said. He said the mayor offered him nothing and there was nothing he wanted from the mayor. He said he has little interest in the board and commission seats that some council members covet because they would take him away from council meetings.

Zine supports adding more police officers to the department but has reservations about the financial implications.

Hahn has reportedly offered an appointment to the Air Quality Management District board to Councilwoman Jan Perry, a spot sought by Councilman Eric Garcetti, who went against Hahn on the budget.

Garcetti said after seeking the position for months he was suddenly called to an interview with the mayor on Friday, only to hear back from him a few hours later that he would not get the position. Garcetti suspects it was either in retaliation for not supporting Hahn on the budget or an inducement to Perry for her support.

``I don't know if there is a connection. It just seems interesting,'' Garcetti said.

``If this is a message he's sending out to his friends, he should remember friendship is something over time, not just for the moment,'' said Garcetti, who has sided with the mayor on many other issues.

Hahn's office declined comment on the AQMD issue and would not give details on the mayor's horse trading, including whom he has met with and what offers he has made.

Greuel was invited to meet with the mayor Monday but refused, saying she didn't want to be subject to any pressure or offers.

Greuel is likely to vote against Hahn's proposed budget, according to a source close to the councilwoman.

Greuel is challenging Padilla for the council presidency in July, and some council observers see both their positions as part of their jockeying for the presidency. Padilla took an early leadership role in favor of the Budget and Finance Committee's plan to defer $69 million from the mayor's proposal, while Greuel was more cautious, at first supporting a compromise plan but now apparently siding with the council majority against the mayor.

Also Monday, the police officers union said it believes that attrition of officers next year will be less than the mayor's projection, meaning the Los Angeles Police Department could grow even if Hahn does not get his full police hiring plan. Hahn's plan calls for the hiring of 720 officers next year - 400 to cover attrition and 320 to expand the force. The council plan approves the hiring of 400 and defers the decision on the additional 320 until late fall or early winter.

But officials of the Los Angeles Police Protective League said their own calculations are that at most only 200 officers are expected to leave the department next year. If true, that would mean the hiring of 400 officers would still enlarge the department.

Deputy Mayor Matt Middlebrook said while the Mayor's Office stands behind the projections, ultimately for budgeting purposes that number doesn't matter right now. The mayor is committed to expanding the department by 320 officers, he said. If attrition is lower than expected, then the 720 figure could be scaled back accordingly later in the year, as long as the net gain of 320 is still obtained.

``We'd be happy with a net gain of 320 officers,'' Middlebrook said.

The PPL - a powerful force in city politics - has been conspicuously quiet during the budget debate. ``The one thing we're not going to get caught in is a debate between the mayor and the council,'' said Bob Baker, a PPL board member. ``We have friends on both sides.''

Harrison Sheppard, [phone]

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com