LOCKYER FORESEES APPROVAL : SECESSION BILL WILL PASS, SENATOR SAYS.

Byline: Paul Hefner Daily News Sacramento Bureau

Stung by criticism he had helped waylay a bill to give voters control over secession from Los Angeles, Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer predicted Thursday that the legislation ultimately would be approved.

Lockyer, D-Hayward, rejected the notion that hostile amendments inserted into the measure, Assembly Bill 62, contained ``poison pills'' that would make its passage impossible.

``The irony here is that both sides think something has been done that makes the measure die,'' Lockyer said. ``My own belief is that this is an improved measure and that it will ultimately be passed and become law. That's what all these people ought to be focused on.''

Sipping tea from a blue mug in his office, Lockyer defended his role at length Thursday, a day after Democrats in control of a Senate committee forced the amendments into two bills, AB 62 and AB 14, that would end the City Council's veto power over any breakup of Los Angeles.

Lockyer acknowledged that the committee's moves were seen as a victory for secession opponents and a defeat for activists from the San Fernando Valley, who have lobbied to see the veto eliminated.

But he disagreed with critics, including two Senate Democrats representing parts of the Valley, Tom Hayden, Los Angeles, and Herschel Rosenthal, Van Nuys, who had objected to the committee's handling of the issue. Hayden had termed the process ``diabolical stuff.''

``My advice to people is there needs to be less name calling and more focus on the policy,'' Lockyer said. ``This is an important matter. It needs to be worked out in a way that respects the various points of view and provides for a fair policy.''

Sen. Richard Polanco, D-Los Angeles, led the drive for the amendments. Lockyer had Polanco named to the committee earlier this week, a move that angered supporters of AB 62.

But Lockyer said he doesn't believe supporters of leaving the council veto in place will prevail.

``I think at some point the Polanco point of view will be disappointed,'' he said.

Hayden wasn't so sure.

``We have 21 votes on the floor for the bill, that's why it's being bottled up in this unusual way in the committee,'' he said.

Hayden said he believes the bill may be seen as too great a threat to Mayor Richard Riordan and the city's entrenched business interests.

``That's the great mystery, isn't it? Why would this bill, be singled out of the hundreds of bills before us for such unusual treatment? I don't have an answer,'' he said.

He did, however, have a few ideas.

``It's simply the free play of the political process, with the Los Angeles establishment threatened to the the core and convinced that if the veto is lifted and the Valley was allowed to put its case to a citywide vote, they believe the Valley would win,'' Hayden said. ``That would be the end of their money, that would be the end of their game, that would be the end of downtown power.''

He said that public reaction to moves to sidetrack the legislation would be key in whether the bill moves forward. It also said that the effort would take work by Assemblyman Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, co-author of AB 62 with Assemblyman Tom McClintock, R-Granada Hills.

``I think it comes down to whether Mr. Hertzberg is willing to make a vociferous fight for his bill,'' Hayden said.

Hertzberg and McClintock said they were preparing to do just that.

``I'm not giving up on any opportunity to get this done,'' Hertzberg said. The amendments call for lifting the veto statewide and for the formation of a commission to study secession issues or any proposal for detaching territory from a city.

Hertzberg said he studied text of the amendment calling for a study and found it - upon first reading - less problematic than he feared.

``It's not the poison pill it could have been,'' he said.

Still, he said he hadn't given up on trying to excise the amendments later.

McClintock said he too was still reviewing the amendments, which were adopted by the committee before they were put on paper.

``We're still looking at this,'' he said. ``With things like this, what you see is not necessarily what you get.''