REGION'S PULL IN CAPITOL RISES MEMBERS OF CONGRESS IN LINE FOR KEY POSTS.

Byline: Bill Hillburg Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Following an election filled with uncertainty, experts and party leaders are dead certain that Southern California will have considerably more clout in the next Congress.

While Republicans lost a trio of local seats, key GOP lawmakers from the region were returned to office and are expected to have even higher-profile roles in a House still ruled by a narrow Republican majority.

And Democrats are enthusiastic about newcomers Adam Schiff, Hilda Solis and Jane Harman, whom they predicted will be effective lawmakers and advocates for the region.

``We lost some valued colleagues,'' said Rep. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, referring to defeated Reps. James Rogan of Pasadena, Steven Kuykendall of Torrance and Matthew Martinez of Alhambra. ``But our key leaders are still in place and we may hold additional important posts in the new Congress.''

Republicans hold 15 of the region's 27 seats in the current Congress. Democrats will enjoy a 15-12 edge after the new House takes office Jan. 4.

Among Republicans due to move up is McKeon, who is in line to replace the retiring Ron Packard, R-Vista, on the House Appropriations Committee. Members of the panel, which handles all spending bills, are so influential that they are known by their peers as ``the Cardinals of the House.''

McKeon, now a member of the House Armed Services Committee and chairman of the Subcommittee on Post-secondary Education, is also hoping to move into a slot on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. It oversees federal water delivery, irrigation and flood control projects that are of vital interest to Southern California.

Leaders of both parties will begin assigning members to committee posts for the new Congress within the next two weeks.

McKeon would join Republican Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, and Democrats Julian Dixon and Lucille Roybal-Allard of Los Angeles, who are returning to the Appropriations Committee.

Lewis will also continue to chair the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees all Pentagon spending and contracts, and the state's GOP house delegation.

Another key returning GOP leader is Rep. David Dreier, R-Covina. He will continue as chairman of the House Rules Committee, which shapes the content of every bill before Congress.

Rep. C. Christopher Cox, R-Newport Beach, will stay on as chairman of the Republican House Policy Conference, which ranks him fourth in House leadership behind Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.

Rep. William M. Thomas, R-Bakersfield, is a leading candidate for new chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Rep. Steve Horn, R-Lakewood - who emerged with a narrow lead over Democratic challenger Gerrie Schipske, who still has not conceded the race - is being considered for a number of new subcommittee chairmanships.

While bemoaning their losses, House GOP insiders noted that the three Nov. 7 losers lacked all-important seniority. Rogan lost to Schiff after only two terms. Kuykendall was defeated by Harman after only one term.

The loss of Martinez's seat was a forgone conclusion. A former Democrat, he switched to the GOP after his March 7 loss to Solis in the Democratic primary.

``I believe the state's standing has been strengthened in both partisan and nonpartisan ways.'' said Sherry Greenberg, the California Assembly's Washington lobbyist. ``There is no question we have added influence.''

``The new lineup looks strong and includes most of the people who have worked with us successfully in the past,'' said James Seeley, Washington lobbyist for the city of Los Angeles. Seeley said he is looking forward to working with Schiff, the only new face among 13 House members whose districts are within the city limits.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Woodland Hills, was enthusiastic about the prospects of his new colleagues, noting that Schiff and Solis both earned high marks in the state Senate.

``They're going to be terrific additions,'' Sherman said.

Sherman and other Democrats also noted that Harman will reclaim her House seat with built-in seniority. She represented her South Bay district for three terms before stepping down in 1998 to make an unsuccessful run or governor. Party leaders have agreed to give Harman the status of a fourth-term member and will reportedly give her a seat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Tim Ransdell, director of the California Institute for Federal Policy Research, predicted that Californian lawmakers will continue to deal with major statewide needs in a bipartisan way.

Given the minute numbers separating majority Republicans and minority Democrats in Congress and the tightest battle in history for the White House, Ransdell said that bipartisanship will be the watchword for the new Congress.

``We're looking at what amounts to a coalition government in Washington for at least the next two years,'' he said.