TIPOFF VILLARAIGOSA WANTS CREDIT FOR WHAT HE IS TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.

Byline: RICK ORLOV

It was a low-key trip for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to Washington, D.C., last week, with no major announcements -- just a series of meetings that he said laid the groundwork for the future.

``You aren't going to have a blockbuster from every trip,'' Villaraigosa said after he returned to Los Angeles. ``Sometimes you have to go just to remind them that Los Angeles has needs, too.''

But the mayor also appeared to be somewhat in a pique -- particularly with the press -- about what he sees as a failure to give him credit for what he is trying to do.

During a summit on affordable housing, Villaraigosa had his audience buzzing with his repeated references to ``these guys always second- guessing. They are going to second guess because ... that's the role of the media.

``(But) I didn't get elected to take up space. So let them second guess, let them say we thought too big, let them say we dreamt too big. These guys in the back, they get their opportunity to kind of hit, and I get my opportunity to hit back.''

One of Villaraigosa's dreams-come-true could happen as soon as today when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign Assembly Bill 1381, giving the mayor greater control over the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The event, delayed from last week when the school board refused to allow the governor to sign the bill at Roosevelt High School, has been moved to the Los Angeles Central Library in the children's literature room.

You can be sure it will be filled with children and their parents standing in the background.

What is less certain is whether any members of the LAUSD board will be on hand to witness the historic moment -- after which their roles are to be reduced.

Each of the seven board members was invited to attend, as well as Superintendent Roy Romer and members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

The location was selected partly because of its educational significance but also for a more practical reason: No bullhorns or signs are allowed inside.

Also on the school front, the Board of Education and its special panel to find a superintendent to replace Romer are facing tactics similar to those used by the National Football League.

As the search has narrowed to about a dozen candidates, the panel is finding finalists are using their interviews as leverage to get higher salaries back in their home districts.

NFL teams, for years, have used the threat of moving to Los Angeles as a way to win concessions -- such as stadium improvements or additional revenue -- from their home cities.

``We had the same thing when we ended up hiring Romer,'' board member David Tokofsky said. ``It's just a fact of life.''

Despite the problems facing the district -- and the fact that a new superintendent will be dealing with the mayor after Jan.1 -- it still represents a major opportunity for an educator. Then, too, there's the annual salary of about $250,000.

Former City Councilman Nate Holden denied for years that he resided in Marina Del Rey, outside his South Los Angeles district.

But Betty Pleasant of the Southwest Wave blew his cover last week. Pleasant reported that Holden finally admitted his Marina Del Rey address -- in unincorporated county territory -- when he was elected to his condominium association's board of directors and acknowledged he had bought the condo in 1988.

Yes, that was when he served on the council.

Daily News staff writer Kerry Cavanaugh contributed to this report.

rick.orlov(at)dailynews.com

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