TIPOFF DELGADILLO GETS NO AID FROM COUNCIL IN LENGTHENING TERM.

Byline: RICK ORLOV

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo learned the hard way that going against the Los Angeles City Council can have long-term repercussions.

Delgadillo earned the council's wrath when he issued a legal opinion that challenged Measure R, the ballot proposal to allow council members to serve a third, four-year term in office.

After the measure was approved by voters, Delgadillo quietly approached several council members -- as well as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Controller Laura Chick -- about putting a measure on the March 6 ballot that would grant similar extensions to other elected city officials.

Villaraigosa and Chick refused, and the council members who were approached advised Delgadillo that he might be better off looking for a new political job.

Faced with being termed out in two years, Delgadillo is said to be looking at a possible run to succeed Chick as controller. That would place him at odds with Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who has made it clear she is also looking to broaden her base with a run for the post.

Last week belonged to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- from his State of the State address and budget plan to his explanation of how he broke his leg while skiing and the pain he is enduring during his recuperation.

But even more notable has been his policy direction as he continues to pursue a centrist theme, reminding political veterans of a joke that made the rounds during the 1964 presidential election.

In that election, disheartened GOP voters observed: ``They told me if I voted for Barry Goldwater, we would bomb North Vietnam. I did, and we have,''' referring to Goldwater's loss and President Lyndon Johnson's escalation of the war.

These days, disgrunted Democrats might be muttering something similar: ``They told me if I voted for Phil Angelides, we would be getting (insert liberal issue here, from health care to environmental programs). I did, and we have.''

The Los Angeles Police Protective League is floating a long-considered idea for solving some of the LAPD's staffing problems.

Although it's still in the preliminary stages with no cost estimate available, League President Bob Baker thinks the city needs to adopt a ``minimum deployment plan'' similar to Los Angeles Fire Department operations.

Under its plan, the LAFD determines the staffing it needs to protect the entire city and then is given overtime funds -- more than $107 million a year -- to make sure staffing stays at that level.

The LAPD's use of overtime -- already at $76 million a year -- is generally used to pay officers for their appearances in court in connection with arrest cases.

The League argues that a minimum deployment plan would provide the needed officers on the streets until the city is able to hit its recruitment goals.

An immediate problem that comes to mind, however, is whether many officers -- already working 12-hour shifts -- would step forward for even more overtime.

Josh Kamensky, communications director for Councilman Eric Garcetti, will get a chance to prove himself this week.

The quick-witted Kamensky, known for bad puns and a knowledge of the arcane, is scheduled to appear as a contestant on the TV quiz show ``Jeopardy!''

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