Councilwoman Janice Hahn is the daughter of the late Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and sister of the former Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn. She has lived in Los Angeles throughout her life. The councilwoman has three children. She is also a grandmother to four grandchildren. Find out more at layes.info.
Learn more about Gloria Rachel Allred, a politician and a lawyer who defends women’s rights.
Political Career
Janice Hahn was elected as a councilwoman of the 15th district of the city of Los Angeles in June 2001, and holds her third and final term in the walls of the city council. The 15th district covers the communities of Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, San Pedro, Watts and Wilmington. Councilwoman Hahn is the chair of the Commerce and Tourism Committee, which oversees the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles International Airport and the Convention and Visitors Bureau. She is also a vice chair of the Education and Neighborhood Committee, where she cooperates closely with the citywide network of district councils. Here she works to ensure that community stakeholders have voting rights in local issues. In addition to that, she serves in the Committee on Arts and Parks and the Special Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development.
Between 1997 and 1999, Councilwoman Hahn served in the 15th district as its elected representative on the Charter Reform Commission. The new Charter incorporates many elements advocated by councilwoman Hahn, including district councils, district planning commissions, regular compulsory financial audits of all city departments, and permanent local representation on the harbor and airport commissions.
In response to concerns about truck traffic connected with ports, on the streets and highways of Los Angeles as well as concerns about air quality and emissions connected with ports, in the communities she serves, Councilwoman Hahn led efforts to open the gates at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to trucks at night and on weekends. The program, which has been operating since July 2004, already moves 35% of cargo during non-peak hours, significantly reducing traffic congestion throughout the region.
Councilwoman Hahn was also instrumental in the success of the city’s network of district councils, working to empower neighboring councils on a daily basis. The network of more than 80 district councils of the city wields influence and power in decisions that affect their neighborhoods.
Assistance to the Local Population
The councilwoman is also a long-time supporter of protecting children from gang activities. She believes that the best way to do this is through early prevention. Therefore, Hahn worked hard to support the Gang Alternatives program, which works to ensure that children aged less than the 4th grade do not identify themselves with various gang groups. She is also among the leaders in the funding of the program to prevent gang activity as well as to provide vocational training and after-school programs throughout the city.
Councilwoman Hahn is committed to improving the quality of life for working men and women in Los Angeles. She fought to ensure that hotel workers along the coast near Los Angeles received a living wage as well as the services they were entitled to. Over many years, she has been also a strong voice of support for grocery store workers, court interpreters, dockworkers and clerks as well as workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, nurses and others. The councilwoman firmly believes that there should never be a class of people who are called “the working poor”. After all, she claimed that people who worked hard did not have to be poor in Los Angeles.
Since taking office as councilwoman, she has also worked to improve city services in various areas of the city and to ensure public safety and quality of life for all who live and work in the 15th district.
She has received numerous awards including the Rosa Parks Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Bold Vision Award from the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, the Public Service Award from the African American Chamber of Commerce and the Recognition Award from the Harbor Area Alternative Gang Program.