Both Sides in City Charter War Hail Selection : Perspectives: Factions fighting over ballot measure that would give mayor more control over LAPD say Williams is symbol of their views.

Willie L. Williams had barely landed in Los Angeles on Wednesday when warring factions in the battle over police reform each tried to cast him as a symbol of their point of view.

The powerful Police Protective League was first to hail Williams’ expected appointment as new Los Angeles police chief as a vindication of arguments against the proposed reforms.

“Williams’ selection as chief shows that the current system works without the influence of the mayor or the City Council,” said Bill Violante, president of the 8,100-member union, which is throwing its considerable resources into the battle to defeat Charter Amendment F on the June 2 ballot.

The measure would change the City Charter to give the mayor and the City Council new powers to hire and fire the chief.

Meanwhile, proponents of the charter change described the appointment of Williams--who is black and comes from outside the Police Department--as an important step in a process that they hope will help mend police-community relations in the aftermath of the police beating of Rodney G. King.

Warren Christopher--who headed the blue-ribbon panel that recommended the reforms--on Wednesday praised Williams’ record as a “reformer” in his capacity as Philadelphia police commissioner.

During a speech before members of the civic group called Town Hall, Christopher said Williams’ appointment is “a vitally important step in achieving the reforms recommended by the independent commission.”

But voters must still turn out to approve the reform ballot measure, he said. “Unless the chief of police joins in an accountable relationship with officials of the city, there will be no permanent reform,” Christopher said. “Unless command officers within the department are held accountable for the conduct of the officers they lead . . . the problem of excessive force will continue unresolved.”

But Williams’ appointment also presents challenges to both sides in the campaign.

On one hand, the appointment spells the end of Daryl F. Gates’ influential but stormy tenure as chief. Gates is now a lame duck and, as such, opponents predict that his influence over the campaign against charter amendment will wane. Up to now, Gates has been the strongest symbol of opposition to the change as he railed against the “politicizing” of the Police Department by giving City Hall more power over the police chief.

At the same time, supporters of the June ballot measure acknowledge that one of their toughest tasks will be to sustain the interest of voters. They may view the appointment of Williams, who is known for mending hostilities between police and minority communities, as the culmination rather than the beginning of the reform process that began after the King beating last year.

“I think we just have to accelerate our efforts to make sure that would-be voters understand that while this may represent a major, positive step, there has to be more,” said John Mack, president of the Los Angeles Urban League. “Without the charter amendment in place, the new chief would be seriously handicapped because he would not have the constitutional mandate for change.”

Political consultant Kerman Maddox agreed.

“I think this gives the campaign a shot in the arm, but if some people get the idea that we’ve got a new chief, Gates is gone, the deal is done--then we’re dead in the water,” Maddox said. “Everything depends on how skillfully the campaign team can take advantage of this event. We’ve won the first round. We’ve got 14 to go.”

Williams’ arrival in Los Angeles on Wednesday coincided with the official kick-off of the Police Protective League’s campaign against the measure. And as that group embraced the new chief’s appointment as ammunition for its cause, it spelled out its plan of attack.

Violante said the union intends to have off-duty officers spreading the word “to every corner of life in the community” that the measure is only a “slick ploy by city officials to politicize the department, which will lead to its corruption.”

“Passage of Charter Amendment F will permit the politicians to do what they do best: tell the public they have done something when, in fact, everything will remain the same,” Violante said.

Specifically, Violante said the City Council turned down repeated requests by union officials for money sorely needed for more “training officers, field supervisors, better equipment and more officers on the streets.”

“It takes money to police this city and the money is not there--that’s what’s wrong with Charter Amendment F,” Violante said.

Christopher, however, said the union’s position is hypocritical because “the league itself is a highly political organization and a consistently large financial contributor to the same politicians it now claims to fear.”

“Indeed, those who have done the most over the years to inject politics into the Police Department are now the most vocal in decrying its dangers,” he said.