INSPECTOR HELD AFTER KCBS AIRS RESTAURANT TAPE.

Byline: David R. Baker Daily News Staff Writer

A Los Angeles County restaurant inspector was arrested Monday on suspicion of bribery after a TV news videotape appeared to show him demanding money from a restaurant owner in return for a good grade, authorities said.

Orlando Arias was taken into custody at his Van Nuys home, said Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

An investigative report aired Sunday night by KCBS (Channel 2) showed Arias apparently telling the owner of a Burbank restaurant that in order to get an A grade for his eatery, the owner would have to pay him $200 in cash.

Also Monday, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich proposed creating a fraud hotline for restaurant owners. The Board of Supervisors will consider his motion today.

``Inspectors need to know that the county has zero tolerance for bribery, and those accepting or soliciting bribes will be fired and prosecuted,'' Antonovich said in a written statement. ``Restaurant owners need to know that they can report improprieties by an inspector without fear of retaliation.''

Arias' attorney, Harold Greenberg, said Monday he was suspicious of KCBS' motive for the story and restated his contention that his client was set up.

``It's more than reporting the news. It's basically pushing an incident so that it will occur,'' Greenberg said. ``Are they really trying to help the community or just trying to get publicity?''

KCBS began its investigation after receiving tips that some restaurateurs were under pressure to pay bribes to receive an A letter grade, which is supposed to indicate clean conditions inside. The station obtained permission from the owner of a Burbank eatery to plant hidden cameras inside the establishment in hopes of catching an inspector in the act.

The tape shown Sunday allegedly shows Arias making his rounds in a white BMW, entering the eatery and telling the restaurant owner, ``You pay 200 here today, you get an A.'' Arias does not say $200, but the tape shows him accepting $200 in $20 bills from the restaurant owner.

The warrant for Arias' arrest, issued Monday, charged him with one count each of accepting a bribe and public records violations, both felonies. Bail was recommended at $35,000, Gibbons said.

If convicted, Arias could face a maximum prison term of five years, Gibbons said.

County health officials declined to discuss Arias, citing confidentiality restrictions. However, they said they suspended an inspector, whom they declined to identify, last week on suspicion of bribery. That inspector remained on unpaid suspension Monday pending the outcome of an investigation by the Health Department and District Attorney's Office, said department spokeswoman Sharon Wanglin.

One restaurant owner whose business was inspected by Arias said Monday that the inspector was professional and fair and had never asked him for a bribe.

``He's really honest, really polite,'' said Jose Garcia, manager of the Bahia Caporales Mexican restaurant in Burbank. ``He's a good inspector.''

Although the sting conducted by KCBS occurred in September, investigative reporter Joel Grover said he held the story until now to find more restaurants that had experienced similar problems. He said that while the station's managers wanted the story to run during the November ratings sweeps period, they could have run it when sweeps began, 11 days ago.