LAWYER SCOLDS COUNCIL AGAIN.

Byline: James Nash Staff Writer

A lawyer who won a landmark case against the Los Angeles City Council for failing to pay attention to people who speak at council meetings said Friday that council members still haven't learned their lesson.

Attorney Roger Jon Diamond reserved his harshest criticism for Councilman Jack Weiss, who was seen on videotape talking into his cell phone during a 2003 hearing into whether a strip club Diamond represents could extend its operating hours.

Diamond said council members have all but ignored a Dec. 30 ruling by the California 2nd District Court of Appeal that blasted them for rarely paying attention to people who testified during a hearing on the Blue Zebra strip club.

``A lot of you were defiant,'' Diamond told council members, who seemed to be listening attentively. ``It seemed that you didn't want to accept the decision of the Court of Appeal at all.''

The appeals court ruling put into writing a long-standing complaint among people who address the council: Elected officials often seem too busy speaking with aides and reporters and typing into their computers to pay attention to the public.

During the three council meetings this week, council members largely persisted in their old habits, but Diamond's broadside on Friday drew rapt attention from most. Weiss paused to chat with aides and shuffled papers, but appeared to be watching Diamond most of the time.

But Weiss shot back later in the meeting.

``There are some things that are worth paying attention to more than others,'' he said. ``You can have your views as to whether strip clubs are one of them.''

Diamond and other representatives of the Blue Zebra club testified during a June 13, 2003, hearing on whether to allow the club to stay open until 4 a.m. on weekends and to hire its own security guards rather than contract with security firms.

Diamond videotaped Weiss talking on his cell phone during much of the hearing and put into writing his suspicions that Weiss was speaking to a campaign contributor during the hearing.

The City Clerk's Office refused to give Diamond the names or phone numbers of the people Weiss spoke with on his city-issued cell phone during the hearing. But the office did release the categories of people Weiss called: a member of the council member's staff, a wrong number, a city commissioner, and another member of Weiss' staff.

On Friday, Councilman Tom LaBonge apologized to Diamond for the council's inattentiveness, but some other council members said they had little to be sorry for.

In an interview after the meeting, Council President Alex Padilla said he would not formally reprimand council members for inattentiveness.

``We're all mature and professional individuals, but we're also human,'' Padilla said. ``We can all use a reminder every now and then. That's all this is.''

During Friday's meeting, council members appeared to be paying attention to several speakers who testified in favor of Weiss' proposal to limit the height of retaining walls in hillside areas.

But at the time the speakers testified, only seven of the 15 council members were in their seats. The others either did not attend the meeting or left early. When the measure came up for a vote, 10 of the council members entered votes - two shy of the margin needed to make it city law.

James Nash, [phone]

james.nash(at)dailynews.com