TIPOFF VILLARAIGOSA TRIES TO GET PLUGGED IN DURING PRESENTATION AT CITY HALL.

Byline: RICK ORLOV

It was to be the highlight of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's celebration of his first 100 days in office.

The setting was perfect - the ornate, 27th-floor Tom Bradley Tower room at City Hall. The attendance was perfect - a dozen television cameras, national and local media and even some bloggers, along with staffers and commission nominees.

Yet, as Villaraigosa prepared to offer a Spanish-language version of his remarks, the room went silent. A television cameraman had pulled the plug on the mayor.

Aware that, without a camera, anything he might do would not be caught for posterity, Villaraigosa stalled for time by chatting amiably as city workers tried to fix the problem.

As the minutes ticked by, Villaraigosa got into the act, pointing to wires that could be the problem and even trying to sort out the different cables.

Even that drew a positive spin from his supporters, with one saying, ``See, that's hands-on leadership.''

If there is one major difference between being mayor and being a member of the City Council, it's the access, Villaraigosa noted at one point last week.

``Some days, I still can't believe that I'm mayor,'' Villaraigosa said. ``But then I start making calls to people, and they get on the phone. That's the biggest difference. When you're the mayor, everyone returns your call.''

Gov. Arnold Schwarzengger long has been accustomed to getting various offers in exchange for his support, but local union leader Julie Butcher thought she had an offer he couldn't refuse.

Butcher, general manager of Local 347 of the Service Employees International Union that represents some 10,000 Los Angeles city workers, sent a letter to the governor asking him to sign AB 1536, a measure by Assemblywoman Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles.

The measure would give security officers working for the city the power to make arrests without being held personally liable.

Butcher pointed to law-enforcement support for the proposal, including the Los Angeles Police Protective League. But then she threw in a kicker: ``If you sign this bill, I will change my party registration.''

Apparently it didn't impress the governor. He vetoed the bill. Maybe it was because Butcher didn't say she would vote for Schwarzenegger.

Retired Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Ron Bergmann, long the San Fernando Valley's highest-ranking cop, was saluted recently by fellow officers, elected officials and local power brokers.

And many swear they saw the unexpected: A tear in Bergmann's eye as he was honored at the Universal Sheraton.

Bergmann, a police officer for more than 32 years, won praise from a diverse cast that included everyone from one-time boss Councilman Bernard Parks to his boss Bill Bratton and Valley gang-intervention leader William ``Blinky'' Rodriguez.

In all, more than 300 people praised Bergmann, including council members Wendy Greuel, Dennis Zine and Parks; former Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski; state Sen. Richard Alarcon; former Assemblywoman Paula Boland; Valley leader Bert Boeckmann; and a host of current and former LAPD brass.

Bratton said he would have preferred Bergmann, who became known for his innovative anti-gang programs, had stayed on the job.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he is considering naming Bergmann to a post as city gang czar to oversee all of the city's programs.

Daily News staff writer Beth Barrett contributed to this report.

Rick Orlov, [phone]

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com