MAYOR BACKS STEIN FOR CITY ATTORNEY : RIORDAN RENEGES ON NEUTRALITY PLEDGE.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

Charging that City Attorney James Hahn has been an obstacle to charter reform, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan endorsed challenger and former mayoral adviser Ted Stein on Thursday.

Breaking a pledge to Hahn to remain neutral in the race, Riordan said he believes Stein would do a better job of defending the city against lawsuits and prosecuting misdemeanor crimes.

``Ted is a tough, focused and energetic leader, the ideal leader to save taxpayers millions of dollars and to crack down on crime,'' Riordan said in a news conference in front of the Rampart Division Police Station.

Riordan said he decided to take a stand now, less than a month before the April 8 election, because he does not believe Hahn has actively supported the mayor's initiative to create an elected charter reform commission.

And he charged that Hahn, who has publicly said he supports the initiative, actually fought against it because his office represented the City Council in federal court when the council fought putting the initiative on the ballot.

``He flip-flopped all over the place,'' said Riordan, who was flanked by leaders of the Police Protective League and Command Officers Association, which have endorsed Stein.

``The effort of the City Attorney's Office to keep charter reform off the ballot and then finally the unwillingness of Jimmy Hahn to be a strong spokesman for charter reform convinced me that Ted Stein is the person I want to back,'' Riordan said. He said Stein will actively campaign for Proposition 8.

Hahn did not return calls for comment, but spokesman Matt Middlebrook disputed Riordan's characterization of Hahn's support of charter reform.

``Jim is in favor of an elected charter reform initiative and has been from the start,'' Middlebrook said. ``The mayor is misinformed.''

Middlebrook said the City Charter designates the City Council as the controller of litigation and requires Hahn to represent the council's position in court.

``The City Council made the decision to challenge the mayor's ballot measure,'' Middlebrook said.

The Hahn spokesman downplayed the effect of the mayor's endorsement, saying it provides a ``temporary respite to a dying campaign.''

However, Stein said the endorsement of the popular mayor is a major boost to his campaign to unseat the 12-year incumbent.

``This is the first day of the rest of the campaign,'' Stein said. ``I'm strengthened immeasurably by the support of the mayor.''

Stein, who served as an unpaid senior adviser to the mayor until a year ago and was the mayor's appointee as Airport Commission president, may benefit from the coattails of the mayor, who holds a large lead in polls over mayoral challenger Tom Hayden, observers say.

Warren Campbell, a political science professor at Cal State Northridge, said the mayor's endorsement may provide Stein with a small boost but probably not enough to overcome the popularity of the name Hahn shares with his father, former county Supervisor Kenneth Hahn.

``I think it will help Stein, but I think it will only help moderately,'' Campbell said. ``It appears Riordan is popular enough that he can certainly win the election, and he will give Stein a little more visibility. But Hahn comes from a dynasty. He is the incumbent, and he has got this famous name.''

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