TIPOFF TIMES ARE BLEAKER THAN BLEAK FOR L.A. REPUBLICANS.

Byline: RICK ORLOV

It has not been easy being a Republican in Los Angeles -- or California -- for quite some time.

Even with the election of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger -- a nominal Republican, at best -- the GOP has had hard times for nearly 20 years in the state.

And now it looks even more bleak.

"This is the worst time for Republicans than at any other point than Watergate," said Allen Hoffenblum, a GOP consultant who publishes the Target Book, a compendium of how political races stack up throughout the state.

"We always go through cycles where one party is up and the other is down. But this is as bad as it's ever been. If I was a Republican, I would do all I could to get out the vote for (presidential candidate) John McCain and hope he does well. It is going to be a rough year."

It also could be a rough year for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and others developing plans to ask taxpayers for more money in November.

The mayor has been mulling whether to seek a half-cent sales tax increase to pay for ambitious Metro plans for subways, light rail and buses.

But with Schwarzenegger holding out the option of increasing the sales tax to balance the state budget, some feel it would be asking too much to try to get two-thirds of voters to approve new local taxes.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said more studies need to be done on any plan, and even then, he is not sure it should go on the ballot.

"Economically, I'm not sure it's the right time and there is the chance there will be other tax measures on the ballot," Yaroslavsky said. "Putting one more on diminishes the chances of all of them."

Two other spending proposals -- a bond measure for streets and roads by City Councilman Greig Smith and a $30-a-year parcel tax to fund anti-gang programs proposed by Councilwoman Janice Hahn -- could also be in jeopardy.

"I don't think this is the best year to ask voters for any more money," Smith said.

The Board of Neighborhood Commissioners apparently is not very neighborly, with commissioners leaving faster than Villaraigosa can appoint them.

Tsilah Burman of Tarzana was the latest to step down last week, citing the demands of her work at the Los Angeles Land Trust. Her resignation comes after Diane Middleton stepped down, complaining about the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.

"DONE has gone backward in the last year," she wrote in her resignation letter. "There is no clear work plan. Morale is low. Staff has no idea of departmental goals. More and more NCs are coming to BONC with complaints of DONE dysfunction."

The City Council this week is scheduled to consider the appointment of BongHwan Kim as DONE's new general manager. He has been subject to internal criticism but has promised to deal with the issues facing the department.

Councilman Richard Alarcon, who chairs the committee overseeing DONE, has voiced concerns over the number of meetings canceled by BONC because of its inability to gather a quorum and says he is looking at whether the panel is needed.

"I'm still thinking about it and it's not a small thing to change," Alarcn said. "We would have to change the City Charter, but I'm beginning to wonder if BONC is getting in the way of the neighborhood councils."

This is the point -- a couple of weeks before the June 3 election -- that campaigns start to get ugly and some one-upsmanship is the game.

Take the close race for county supervisor between City Councilman Bernard Parks and state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas.

Ridley-Thomas was holding an Obama for President voter registration rally at his South Los Angeles headquarters recently when Parks -- who was not invited -- showed up to make a speech, reports Betty Pleasant in the Wave Newspapers.

Ridley-Thomas is one of Obama's national co-chairs. Parks has been circulating a picture of himself with Obama. Ridley-Thomas has the backing of the Los Angeles labor movement. Parks is supported by outgoing Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke, Rep. Maxine Waters and the business community.

Meanwhile, over in the 40th Assembly District, all the Democrats are scrambling for attention in a plot as confusing as a soap opera.

Stuart Waldman is accusing Bob Blumenfield of illegal expenditures to an independent committee and has filed complaints with the Fair Political Practices Commission.

Blumenfield denies any wrongdoing as a third candidate, Laurette Healey, releases her own poll showing she is the favorite when voters learn more about her.

About the only one not making noise is Dan McCrory.

There are also two Republicans seeking the nomination: Armenih Chelibian and Ken Sherman. Democrats outnumber Republicans by almost a 2-1 margin in the district.

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com

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