TIPOFF ALL THREE CLAIM VICTORY IN GOP GOVERNOR'S RACE DEBATE.

Byline: RICK ORLOV

One debate down, two to go for the Republican candidates for governor, and it's time to let the spin begin.

To no one's surprise, the campaigns of former Mayor Richard Riordan, Secretary of State Bill Jones and businessman Bill Simon are all claiming success. Sort of.

The Riordan campaign issued a pro forma ``we're No. 1'' kind of press release, but insiders said their victory came from not making any major mistakes.

Jones quoted the San Francisco Chronicle as declaring him the winner of the hourlong contest, while Simon's campaign only quoted the campaign as saying he won the session.

Democrats, however, said they believe the real winner was Gov. Gray Davis, since none of the three was overwhelming.

``If I was the governor, I would run this debate as a commercial over and over again,'' one consultant chortled.

Where Simon has seen a jump is with his radio and television commercials featuring former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, for whom Simon once worked in the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York.

As a result of the endorsement-type ads by Giuliani, the independent SurveyUSA has shown a tripling in public support for Simon, his campaign says.

But, before they get too carried away, that poll brings him up from 4 percent to 13 percent - and still a point behind Jones in a statistical dead heat for second behind Riordan.

Riordan was the choice of 53 percent of Republicans surveyed and was tied in a face-off with Davis. The same poll showed Davis easily beating either Simon or Jones.

And, to no one's great surprise, Riordan is running his new commercials with a familiar theme - ``Tough enough to turn California around.''

In another development, Riordan is leaving no official untouched in reaching out for support.

In a recent form letter sent out to elected officials around the state, Riordan asks for their backing and cites his efforts to protect local government.

``Sacramento simply doesn't understand the plight of local governments,'' Riordan said, citing his own experience as mayor of Los Angeles.

``I believe we can do for the Golden State what we did in L.A.,'' Riordan wrote.

One of the letters was even delivered to Riordan's successor, Mayor James Hahn, and addressed him as ``a Republican elected official.''

Hahn, of course, is a Democrat, and Riordan backed his opponent, former Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa in last year's race for mayor. On the same token, Hahn has been coy about endorsing Gov. Davis, who also backed Villaraigosa.

The governor is losing one of his top advisers as he heads into the campaign season.

Steven Nissen, who was director of the office of Planning and Research for Davis and at one point served as the governor's staff director, is returning to Los Angeles and private practice.

Nissen, who also once headed the State Bar of California and the public interest law firm Public Counsel, is joining the politically active firm of Manatt, Phelps and Phillips as a partner.

MEDIA WATCH: There are a lot of trembling voices and shaky microphones these days over at news radio station KFWB-AM (980).

The station that once boasted ``All news, all the time,'' and ``Give us 22 minutes and we'll give you the world,'' is beset by rumors of major staffing cuts as a result of its becoming the radio home of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There are reports the Dodgers are so excited about their move that they are looking at ways of pushing it up a year and beginning the KFWB broadcasts this season.

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3 photos

Photo:

(1) RIORDAN

(2) JONES

(3) SIMON