Hahn enters final term as county supervisor

James K. Hahn, Supervisor Janice Hahn and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass at Janice Hahn’s swearing-in ceremony Monday. (Courtesy Photo)

Supervisor Janice Hahn was sworn in Monday for her third and final term as a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which could culminate the 72-year-old Democrat’s nearly three- decade career in office.

Hahn was sworn in by her brother, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James Hahn, during Monday’s ceremony at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration -- named after the supervisor’s late father, Kenneth Hahn.

“I am so honored and grateful to the voters of the Fourth District who put their trust in me and elected me one more time,” Hahn said.

“Together, we’ve worked to give a voice to the voiceless, champion the underdog, and tried to do the right thing -- even if it wasn’t always the popular thing,” she added. “I look forward to continuing that work over these next four years.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass delivered welcoming remarks.

“I’ve known Supervisor Hahn for years, seeing her fight up close in D.C., on the Metro Board of Directors, and in the county chambers, named after her father, whose legacy she continues to expand with pride,” Bass said.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger also congratulated Hahn on taking the oath of office, and in a statement said she was looking forward to working alongside Hahn to build a brighter future for the residents of L.A. County.

In an interview with City News Service last week, Hahn said she felt “good” about her final term.

“It’s an opportunity to do both things -- look back on my long career in public service, not just as a supervisor, and also a chance to look forward for the next four years,” Hahn told CNS.

While four years is a long way off, she added, “I don’t think the worst thing in the world is to think about retiring.”

Hahn was inspired by the work of her father, who served on the L.A. City Council from 1947-52, then as a a county supervisor from 1952-92. First elected to the Los Angeles City Charter Reform Commission in 1997, Janice Hahn was elected to the City Council in 2000, serving until 2011, when she won a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Hahn was elected to the Fourth District seat on the Board of Supervisors in 2016. Her district includes most of the Gateway Cities, Avalon and portions of the South Bay area and San Gabriel Valley.

Looking ahead to the next four years, Hahn addressed the board’s recent vote seeking a report on creating a county homelessness department, which could move certain responsibilities away from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which operates jointly between the county and city of Los Angeles.

“I know they do good work, but I think we’re all feeling a little frustrated and that the status quo is not working,” Hahn told CNS.

She also thanked voters for passing Measure A, a half-cent sales tax increase that will generate funding in perpetuity for more homeless prevention initiatives. Hahn, whose district includes Signal Hill, touted the fact that the municipality became “functional zero” -- meaning almost everyone is inside.

“I’m challenging all my cities, all my 32 cities, to try to do the same thing. I will be there with the Measure A dollars,” Hahn said. “I need my cities to all say yes to solutions, and then I’m going to be there, certainly partner with them and help.”

Additionally, she has plans to turn six vacant buildings at Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk into a village to treat people with mental illness. The county is expected to lease the property from the state in the future, Hahn noted.

She championed the future Metro Southeast Gateway Line -- which will connect Artesia to Union Station and provide service to one of the most impoverished regions in the county, where 44% of residents live below the poverty line.

However, Hahn expressed some anxiety about obtaining the needed federal government support to complete the rail after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

“I’m leaning in, and I’m going to meet with the new administration, and I’m going to meet with people who are close to this administration to continue to make the case of why this line makes sense,” she said.

Hahn told CNS that the Los Angeles region will be ready to put on one of the best Olympic and Paralympic Games the world has ever seen in 2028. Officials have described the 2028 Games as a “no-car” event, with plans to borrow almost 3,000 buses, among other initiatives.

Hahn wants the opening ceremonies and torch lighting to take place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which would recall the 1932 and 1984 Games.

“I’m negotiating with (LA28 Chairman) Casey Wasserman right now. He wants to have the opening ceremonies in SoFi Stadium, but you have to have that torch lit (at the Coliseum),” Hahn told CNS. “It’s the Olympic torch.”

The dream is fueled by family memories, she added. “It spans three generations for the Hahns.”

Among the initiatives she pushed on the Board of Supervisors, Hahn highlighted LA Found, which offers trackable bracelets to families with loved ones diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, dementia or autism.

In 2021, Hahn began what she described as the most meaningful endeavor in her career -- returning the property known as Bruce’s Beach to the living descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce nearly a century after it was taken illegally away from the couple because they were Black.

The county returned the property in 2022, and became the first governmental body in the nation to return land stolen from a Black family during the Jim Crow era, according to her office.

With a possibility of retirement in the coming years, Hahn reflected on her father’s vital role in shaping her career.

“His influence is still so strong in my life, and I know I’ll never accomplish what he did,” Hahn said.

Hahn -- whose brother, James Hahn, was mayor of Los Angeles from 2001- 05 -- recently found an article about Kenneth Hahn. The last paragraph read, “ While we occasionally differed with his political positions, it’s hard to criticize his overarching legacy, putting a human face on government and making it work for the average person,” she recounted.

“If somebody can say that about me at the end of the next four years, that will be enough for me,” Hahn said.