HAHN VOWS BATTLE TO ALLOW STATISTICAL COUNT FOR 2000.

Byline: Rick Orlov Daily News Staff Writer

Los Angeles City Attorney James Hahn said Monday that he will fight to allow use of statistical sampling for the 2000 Census, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling barring its use in determining congressional districts.

Hahn said he wil urge the Census Bureau to use statistical sampling to avoid the undercount of minorities that occurred in the 1990 census. Federal aid to Los Angeles and other cities hinges on population counts.

``There was nothing in the court's ruling that would prohibit the use of sampling for purposes other than reapportionment. And, that's important to Los Angeles. We estimate we'll lose $120 million because of the last undercount,'' said Hahn, a Democrat. ``We could very well end up with two counts of Americans.''

But Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich praised the Supreme Court for requiring the census to count people individually.

Antonovich, a Republican, called a the ruling ``a major defeat for those attempting to sabotage the political process and a victory for the Constitution.''

He said the Constitution ``calls for an actual head count.''

Hahn acknowledged it will be an uphill battle with the Republican-controlled Congress opposed to the use of statistical sampling.

The sampling method is generally projected to favor Democrats since it involved correcting the undercount of minorities.

The court's ruling also could affect whether California receives another member in the House of Representatives. The state already has the largest delegation, with 52 representatives. After the next census it could gain one or two more seats because of population growth, according to estimates.