MAYORAL PROFILE: XAVIER BECERRA CONGRESSMAN RISKS LOSING WINNER'S AURA.

Byline: Joseph Giordono Staff Writer

Hailed as a golden boy of local Latino politics, having never lost an election and now in a key position in Congress, Xavier Becerra has many observers scratching their heads over his latest run.

Why would Becerra, the first Latino named to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and a comer in national Democratic circles at age 43, risk all of that for a long-shot mayoral campaign?

``I use three words: Rampart, Belmont, MTA,'' he said. ``People are crying out for basic services. It's time, I believe, to show that we can do things right, but you've got to show that you can do the basic things right along with the big things.''

After a rough start with a fuzzy campaign message, Becerra has sharpened his focus and built a grass-roots campaign around his ``Neighborhoods First'' theme.

``I'm in the hunt, and I'm in the hunt principally because we work very hard to reach voters,'' Becerra said recently. ``It's amazing to believe that a city of 4 million people might elect its next mayor based on a vote that may be no more than 100,000 to get you in a runoff.''

Friends and associates say it is this pragmatic idealism, guided by hard work and a bit of luck, that got Becerra where he is today, representing a congressional district that stretches from Hollywood to Silver Lake to Eagle Rock.

A favorite story from friends and staffers is how, as the son of working-class immigrants in Sacramento, Becerra pulled an application to Stanford University from the trash can in a high school classroom.

He filled it out on a whim and decided that, since all his friends were taking the Scholastic Assessment Test one Saturday, he also would take the SAT.

He was accepted and saw the campus for the first time when he showed up to enroll for classes.

He paid part of his way through Stanford by working on a municipal construction crew. Graduated in 1980, he enrolled in Stanford University Law School and earned his law degree in 1984.

While at Stanford, Becerra met his future wife, Carolina Reyes, now an obstetrician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and an assistant professor at UCLA School of Medicine. The Becerras have three young daughters and live in Eagle Rock.

After law school, Becerra worked in a legal aid foundation and later became a district office manager for state Sen. Art Torres, who pushed Becerra to go from behind-the-scenes staffer to front-line candidate.

Torres and others quickly spotted Becerra as a political leader in his rising generation of highly educated and ambitious Latinos.

After a stint as a deputy state attorney general, Becerra ran for the state Assembly in 1990 and won.

Two years later, when Rep. Ed Roybal, D-Los Angeles, unexpectedly announced his retirement after 30 years in Congress, Becerra jumped into that race. He won again.

Congressional colleagues describe him as an effective and ambitious worker. But they have not forgotten an incident when, as a freshman, Becerra foolishly took on a powerful committee chairman by making a principled speech about benefits for immigrants. Becerra lost the argument and the benefits.

While his national reputation has flourished - a leading political publication said in 2000 that he would be a force in the Democratic party if he could temper his ``leftish'' views - his lack of name recognition outside his congressional district has been a weakness in his campaign for mayor.

``He is a very talented guy, but it struck me as a little bit odd that he is running, particularly for a congressman who is 3,000 miles away and has not raised much money,'' said Bob Stern, a longtime analyst of city politics at the Center for Governmental Studies in Los Angeles, a nonpartisan political think tank.

``But it's a free ride for him to get his name out and get publicity. If he is looking at higher office later on, it doesn't hurt to be in this campaign and get more name recognition and media attention.''

But in a recent interview, Becerra said he is in the race to win. He rejected the notion that his somewhat idealistic campaign doesn't focus on particular issues.

``Put the cynicism on the table, but how do we get rid of it?'' Becerra said. ``I can't bring Congress to L.A., but I can sure bring the City Council to Sunshine Canyon,'' he said, referring to the North San Fernando Valley landfill that he would shut down if elected.

On the issues, he opposes Valley secession, although he would allow it to come to a vote; favors expediting the permitting process to build schools faster; and wants to force transportation issues, such as expansion of Los Angeles International Airport, to be resolved in a regional manner. Neighborhood councils are a good idea, he said, but need teeth.

Becerra wouldn't say whether he would replace embattled Police Chief Bernard Parks, but said changes must be made in the Los Angeles Police Department.

``You've got to reform, whether it's (following) the 10-year-old Christopher Commission recommendations or the less than 1-year-old consent decree,'' Becerra said. ``We need a leader who will move swiftly, move decisively or move aside.''

Community and neighborhood remain Becerra's main campaign themes, and it is this emphasis that helped land him in the middle of the Carlos Vignali presidential clemency flap.

Becerra acknowledges having asked the U.S. Justice Department during for a review of Vignali's sentence, but says he did not ask President Clinton to give an outright pardon.

There are also signs that Becerra's campaign has suffered from disorganization at times.

Organizers of a downtown mayoral debate held last month said Becerra was confirmed to show up but never did and never called. A source within Valley Voters Organized Toward Empowerment, the group that advocated a Valley cityhood study, said Becerra was the last mayoral candidate to turn in a survey form on the issues - more than three weeks and several phone calls after the deadline.

``It was probably the least organized campaign,'' the Valley VOTE source said.

But by all other accounts, the Becerra campaign is picking up steam.

Internal campaign polling shows him moving up in citywide name recognition, a prerequisite for him to win a spot in the June runoff. Becerra and his supporters say they have a volunteer corps of more than 1,000 precinct walkers.

``He is not out there pounding his chest in '60s activist style; he is a little more pragmatic,'' said Councilman Nick Pacheco, who volunteered on Becerra's first campaign in 1990 and has endorsed him for mayor. ``But he is bringing a local and neighborhood focus to the race in a personalized campaign. Once you get into the runoff, it's a whole new world.''

For Becerra, the mantra has become ``hang in there, baby,'' with four weeks left in the race.

``I'm right in the thick of things. We will be there in the end,'' he said.

XAVIER BECERRA

Age: 43 (born Jan. 26, 1958, in Sacramento)

Occupation: Member of Congress

Experience: Deputy state attorney general, 1987-90; state Assembly, 1990-92; House of Representatives, 1993-present

Residence: Eagle Rock

Money raised: $586,555

Family: Married to Dr. Carolina Reyes. Three children.

Education: Stanford University, Stanford University Law School.

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: (color) XAVIER BECERRA

Box: XAVIER BECERRA (See text)