TIPOFF\Clinton acts like president of California.

Byline: RICK ORLOV

SO, President Clinton did it again. Using the power of the purse, Clinton last week came up with more than $493 million for a B-2 bomber and an addition $400 million for Los Angeles, this time to bankroll the start of the Alameda Corridor project.

Let's see, over the past couple of years, that means Clinton has provided some $3.4 billion for earthquake repairs, $1.2 billion for more C-17s from McDonnell Douglas, $364 million for the county hospitals and on and on and on.

It's almost as if he's sitting in the Oval Office like a modern-day Santa, checking his list to see who's been naughty or nice. And, a skeptic might think he believes California, and its 54 electoral votes, could be especially nice to him this year.

Clinton's poll numbers are higher in California than elsewhere in the nation - no doubt in part because of his largesse and his 23 visits to the state. That makes challenging him here a thorny proposition for Republicans.

"California is like his second home," one top Republican bemoaned recently. "If he was out here any more, he'd be eligible to vote."

If there is one thing that could sink the president, it is the continuing investigations and questions over the Whitewater land deal.

In a move to keep the party faithful behind Clinton, a new effort is under way to send out supporters around the country to explain the ins and outs of the deal.

Two groups who are getting special treatment are the Hollywood Women's Political Committee - which honored First Lady Hillary Clinton three years ago - and the Hollywood Policy Center.

An event has been scheduled for April 1 in Beverly Hills where Lynn Cutler, former Democratic National Committee vice chairwoman, and White House Counsel Mark Fabiani will give their explanations of the case.

For Fabiani, it is a trip to familiar turf. In an earlier life, he served as chief of staff to former Mayor Tom Bradley and often found himself explaining the controversy surrounding Bradley and Far East National Bank, which had paid Bradley to be on its board of directors.

Mayor Richard Riordan has taken to heart urgings that he take a greater role in trying to mend fences with the Los Angeles City Council by holding a series of one-on-one meetings with council members.

One of those sessions was with his most outspoken critic, Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas.

However, the session - which had to be re-scheduled several times for one reason or another - apparently did not go smoothly, say those familiar with the meeting.

First off, Ridley-Thomas was 20 minutes late. And, it ended with Ridley-Thomas confronting the mayor over a remark Riordan had made to the Los Angeles Sentinel that he believed the councilman was "a control freak." Riordan did not respond, other than to remark that Ridley-Thomas had said nasty things about him as well.

A week later, the two were again at odds, with Ridley-Thomas renewing his criticism that Riordan didn't represent the entire city.

Riordan's political campaign is also moving forward and is preparing to announce it has closed a deal to hire Don Sipple to head up the mayor's 1997 re-election effort.

Sipple is the man who was brought in to revive Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole's campaign after New Hampshire and was credited with developing the strategy that clinched the GOP nomination for Dole.

Also, it was Sipple who developed the advertising campaign credited with bringing Gov. Pete Wilson back from the political dead two years ago against former Treasurer Kathleen Brown. Among his best known ads was the one shot at the U.S.-Mexican border with the deep-voiced announcer saying, "They keep coming."

MEDIA WATCH: More rumors are circulating at the Los Angeles Times that its Life & Style section is in trouble. Buzz Magazine, in its April editions, says that recent cuts in the free-lance budget have ignited the rumors that the section will be folded into the Calendar section.

The image of the section has not been helped when even interns request not to be assigned to Life & Style, Buzz reports.