TIPOFF SALES TAX HIKE FOR POLICE LOOKS UNLIKELY TO GET ON MAY BALLOT.

Byline: RICK ORLOV

Despite the all-out lobbying effort by Mayor James Hahn, Police Chief Bill Bratton and Police Commissioner Rick Caruso, it appears the effort to get a half-percent sales tax before voters in May will not succeed.

Battle lines among council members are hardening, and it is coming down to a simple question of what's in it for them.

``I asked if I could get a guarantee on how many new police officers would be in my district,'' one council member said. ``They told me flat out: No guarantees. I told them: No vote.''

Vote counters in the council say it now appears only eight of the 10 council members needed will vote to place the half-percent sales tax measure on the ballot.

Being drafted into the battle is City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, who has prepared a number of measures to try to build any level of support. Among his proposals are a sunset on the tax if city revenues are higher than expected, as well as a phase-out of the tax if voters in the county ever approve a separate sales-tax increase.

When Bobbie Parks is not happy, the world knows about it.

And Bobbie Parks was not happy last week when she was asked about recent stories criticizing her role in the mayoral campaign of her husband, Councilman Bernard Parks.

Several former campaign staffers have blamed her for continuing changes in the campaign and the perception of severe internal strife.

``I can't believe it,'' Mrs. Parks complained. ``Why would they single me out? What happened to looking at the candidates and their responsibility?''

But her husband saw some humor in it all.

After a news conference in front of the DWP headquarters, Parks turned to his wife and, asked, ``What should I do now, dear?''

Without missing a beat, she dead-panned: ``Go back to work.''

Everyone knows traffic is bad these days. So bad, it's become one of the most popular excuses after ``the check is in the mail.''

Councilwoman Janice Hahn insisted she wasn't offering an alibi when she was late last week to a night meeting of the City Council's Neighborhood and Education Committee in Reseda, as arranged by Councilman Dennis Zine.

``Someone came up to me and said, 'Now you know why we don't like to go downtown,''' Hahn said. ``I told them I was in complete sympathy. I drive in from San Pedro every day and I can imagine the frustration of being on the road for an hour, hour and a half, for a two-minute appearance before the council.''

What impressed Hahn the most, however, was the depth of annoyance at traffic.

``After I apologized for being late, everyone who spoke had their own traffic horror story. It became one big night of, can you top this.''

By all accounts, Dennis Zine should be facing an easy re-election race against only one opponent, who has no extensive financial backing or community base of support.

But Zine is learning to beware the wrath of defeated former candidates.

Judith Hershberg, who lost to Zine four years ago, is campaigning actively for Jeff Bornstein.

Bornstein, a small business owner, said he decided to challenge Zine out of concern over the number of new developments in the district and the failure of the city to deal with traffic problems.

Hershberg recently sent out a fund-raising letter on behalf of Bornstein, saying she would have run again to try to defeat Zine but that the district boundaries were changed to exclude her.

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com

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2 photos

Photo:

(1) PARKS

(2) ZINE