TIPOFF ROGAN SAYS HE WON'T SEEK REPUBLICAN CHAIRMANSHIP.

Byline: RICK ORLOV

Former Rep. James Rogan is pulling himself out of the infighting among California Republicans for control of the GOP's future.

Rogan said last week he will not run for party chairman, as has been widely rumored in the light of his loss last November to Democrat Adam Schiff.

But that will leave an intense battle among conservatives and moderates over who will become the next party chair. Conservatives want to see Vice Chairman Shawn Steele move up while moderates are supporting former Assemblyman Brooks Firestone.

``A number of people called me and asked me to get in the race and I declined,'' Rogan said. ``The two in it are good friends and qualified. There is no reason for me to get in the race.''

But - and it's a big one - Rogan said he would go for the job if both Steele and Firestone withdrew and would back him.

Rogan, who still lives in Washington, D.C., but plans to return to California after this year's school term ends for his children, said he will attend the Feb. 21 convention in Sacramento to kick off his own political action committee and would like to push through some party reforms.

``I've been fortunate to have a lot of friends who have contributed to me and I want to use that money to help people with policies I support,'' Rogan said.

As for party changes, Rogan said he would like to see the GOP follow the Democratic Party model in which the chair serves for four years and a more professional staff operation is developed.

``It doesn't make sense the way it is,'' Rogan said. ``A chair should be there for the term of the president to provide continuity. With a two-year term, someone is just learning the job and then they're out and a whole new team comes in.''

In the insulated world of the Los Angeles Police Department, rumors are a fact of life.

But one has been sweeping through the ranks, as well as City Hall, that is prompting Police Chief Bernard C. Parks to take personal steps to address.

Parks is scheduled to put a message on the LAPD Web site - www.lapdonline.org - in the coming weeks denying that he is suffering from cancer.

``We don't know how it started, where it came from or why someone would do this,'' Cmdr. Sharon Pappas said. ``There's nothing to it, but it keeps coming up. The chief finally decided the only way to deal with it is to address it directly.''

Los Angeles Councilman Nate Holden, never one to run from a good campaign, is inching closer to a decision to enter the June 5 special election for the congressional seat left empty by the death of Rep. Julian Dixon, D-Los Angeles.

Holden has scheduled a news conference for this week to announce his decision. Also expected to be in the running is one of his council colleagues - Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who came out against Holden's re-election to the council two years ago - along with a host of state officials.

In addition to his election to the council and state Senate, Holden also has run unsuccessfully for mayor - twice - and for Congress.

Holden also has a recent addition to his personal wardrobe. He is sporting a gold and diamond-studded Los Angeles Lakers championship ring, with his name etched in it, that he said the team allowed him to purchase for $3,000.

The vacancy in the City Council seat from the election of Jackie Goldberg to the state Assembly has raised the concern of one of the fathers of the new Los Angeles City Charter.

University of Southern California law professor Erwin Chemerinsky, in a letter to the council, said he believes the council should appoint someone to represent her Hollywood-area district rather than wait for the April primary and June runoff.

While not backing any one candidate - the crowded field includes Goldberg's brother, Art; state Sen. Richard Polanco; former District Attorney Gil Garcetti's son, Eric; and Elected Charter Reform Commissioner Bennett Kayser - Chemerinsky said he believes the council should act.

Chemerinsky said his concern is that a vacancy tips the balance of power to the mayor as well as leaving residents in one council district without any direct representation.

The council has been reluctant in recent years to appoint someone to a vacancy because it provides such a huge advantage in subsequent elections.

The last such appointment was Peggy Stevenson in 1975 after the death of her husband, former Councilman Bob Stevenson.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) ROGAN

(2) PARKS