Councilwoman Janice Hahn’s Blog

Wow, the last few days have been really busy. I was in Washington, D.C. this week meeting with our federal officials to make sure California gets its fair share of federal money. It is simply not right that for every $1 we send to Washington we only get back .79 cents.

There are two areas where I think Washington is really letting us down, infrastructure and homeland security spending. As discussed in the recent DWP rate hikes, our infrastructure is aging and needs to be updated. Washington needs to help us ensure we have a structure of roads, railroad lines and airports that are needed to let our region thrive.

The Port of Los Angeles is a central economic engine for our country. As the primary entrance port for billions of goods for overseas it is particularly vulnerable to a terrorist threat. As a matter of fact, we receive fewer homeland security funds per capita than any other state. I was really shocked to here that per person Wyoming receives more than seven times the homeland security dollars than California does.

After arriving back at my favorite airport in the world, LAX, I quickly rushed down to join the Teamsters in there rally for workers’ rights. I was really honored to be the only public officials to speak to the teamsters at the rally. It was a privilege to march with these hard working men and women to the big “Hollywood to the Docks” event.

I was really impressed at the incredible turnout last night. The energy from the crowd was incredible. On a personal note, I was glad my son Danny (a member of the ILWU) was able to hear my speech honoring the hard working men and woman of the Labor movement.

I was on KCRW’s public affairs program “Which Way L.A.?” this evening. The only way we will ever win the war on gangs if by finally providing our young people with real alternatives to joining gangs. I look forward to hearing everybody’s thoughts!

Audio Link to Program

There was a great article in today’s Daily Breeze I wanted to share with everybody. I am really glad that the City Council, Controller Chick and the Mayor have worked together to put together this plan to address gang violence.

The article concluded with a section on the anti-gang tax I want to put on the ballot in November. An excerpt below:

Anti-gang tax

Councilwoman Janice Hahn said she was happy to see the mayor’s plan to dedicate more money to gang prevention and intervention.

“What’s important is that we’re taking action. We’ve done the studies, we’ve seen the reports, the evidence is in. We need to act,” said Hahn, who has proposed a $30-a-year parcel tax to raise $40million for anti-gang programs.

But Chick expressed some concern about proposing a tax when the tax and fee increases are on the horizon to help balance city and state budgets.

“The public is having hard times, too,” Chick said. “I just do not see how there is a whole running to the trough here and asking for more tax dollars.”

Police Chief William J. Bratton, who supported Chick’s recommendation that all anti-gang programs be placed under mayoral control, applauded the plan.

“If somebody says, `I want to take responsibility; you can hold me accountable,’ … he’s up for election in another year so if it falls apart you basically don’t elect him.

“It’s going to be a big, big plus,” Bratton said.

I am so honored to be a delegate for the woman who will be our country’s first female President! Last Sunday I attended a caucus where Hillary Clinton supporters in CD 36 gathered to select four delegates (one is an alternate) to attend the convention in Denver and vote for Hillary to be our nominee.

The energy and excitement of the election has simply been amazing. This nomination could come down to a fight on the convention floor. This being my first experience as a delegate on the floor, I look forward to representing Hillary and meeting my fellow Democrats from across the country. In this election we must protect a woman’s right to chose, education for every child and healthcare for all. I am proud to serve as a delegate for Hillary Clinton — the candidate with the experience to improve and protect our country.

Here is my op-ed that was in the Daily Breeze this morning.

The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are responsible for more than 40 percent of the goods moved in the nation. They contribute about $52 billion and half a million jobs annually to the Los Angeles region. But, this industry also costs lives every year, with port-related emissions causing 2,400 premature deaths and 1.1 million school absences throughout the state.

The ports are responsible for more air emissions than a half of a million cars, a refinery and a power plant combined. The asthma rate for children who live around the ports is twice as high as other areas.

I believe that both dirty trucks and the plight of the independent truck driver pose a huge risk for our ports and our ability to deliver goods efficiently and safely. For too long, it has felt as though the only people paying attention to this public health crisis were those of us who live in the Harbor Area, even though the statistics clearly show that truck pollution is truly a regional public health problem, not just a local issue. And pollution from trucks, which accounts for 40percent of the pollution in the harbor, has been one of the biggest challenges in terms of cleaning up the ports.

Trapped in a system

The current system is broken. Independent port drivers bear the entire burden for owning and operating their trucks, but they lack any ability to negotiate rates with the trucking firms used by the shippers. As a result, low-wage workers who take home roughly $29,000 per year after expenses, fuel, repairs and insurance, idle behind the wheels of diesel-spewing rigs that, on average, were built in 1994.

Most truckers, according to a recent Los Angeles Times story, can’t afford basic repairs and resort to having bald tires “re-treaded” by hot knives on the black market. Citing safety concerns, these drivers blew the whistle on lax regulation, hoping to change the “sweatshop on wheels” system they are trapped in. We must always remember that there is a human element in goods movement - and that includes the men and women who work on the docks every day, as well as the truckers.

Working with a wide range of stakeholders, L.A. port officials developed a thoughtful and innovative policy that would both drastically reduce health risks and provide a stable workforce to drive the trucks. The Clean Trucks Program adopted by the Harbor Commission last week will greatly improve efficiency at the port while reducing diesel emissions by 80percent in the first five years alone.

The port will soon replace or finance the retrofit of every dirty diesel truck working at the ports. They will ban older trucks from entering our port. But in order to protect the investment, we must implement strong standards that would require - and reward - the trucking industry for assuming full responsibility for the trucks. These companies will employ the truckers, providing them with fair wages and benefits, and also be responsible for maintaining the trucks to keep the air clean.

More green jobs

The Clean Trucks Program is also a great opportunity to create good jobs for people all over Los Angeles so that more people can benefit from our booming international trade industry. There is a training and workforce development component to this plan, and I hope that we can expand this to create green jobs relating to the port trucking and logistics industry.

We need to encourage business investment in clean alternative-technology trucks and all the associated jobs to build and maintain those trucks.

The Clean Trucks Program gets us one step closer to green growth at the port. We know the port will continue to grow, but we must ensure that the growth does not impact our health. This way, we can all breathe easier for years to come.

Violence in Watts

For the first time in several years, we are seeing some new gang violence in Watts.  We have been working so hard in the community to stop the violence, and we have been successful.  Homicides were down in Watts by 50% in 2007.  I attended a number of community meetings last night with the LAPD (which has tripled patrols in the area) to listen to residents and share information.  Here is an LA Times story on the violence.

High Speed Rail at the Port?

The City entered into an agreement yesterday to move forward with the development of a regional high speed rail system.  It would be a quick and clean way for people to commute.

The plans include the possibility of using the high speed rail to move cargo at the Port of Los Angeles.  I think it would be a great to move goods, reduce traffic congestion and help clean up our air.  Here is today’s Daily Breeze story.

Dine L.A.

Always wanted to try a new restaurant but just weren’t sure?  Well, Dine L.A. will give you that opportunity.  From January 27 - February 1 and February 3 - 8, you can chose from a list of participating restaurants.  Restaurants, from two categories, will offer 3 course meals (lunch or dinner) for discounted prices.  Lunches start at just $15.   Here is the link to the Dine L.A. website for a list of restaurants.

Conserving Water

Over the past month, I have introduced three different council motions calling for water conservation and increasing the use of recycled water in the City.  With the real threat of a drought looming, I think we need to prepare.  Here is a link to the press release, including the text of the motions.

I hope that everyone took the time to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. yesterday.  We all owe him so much.

Some articles

Some great stories ran over the past week that I wanted to point out and make sure people read.

First, we were very sad to lose to local San Pedro artist Violet Parkhust.  Violet was a world renowned artist.  Here is a story in the Daily Breeze.

We are finally moving forward with some improvements on the San Pedro waterfront.  We have been waiting for a few years for these improvements, which will hopefully be the first of many.  Daily Breeze story.

We had a good day in Watts last week.  Not only is crime down dramatically in Watts, but we are also getting some new single family housing.  The LA Times did a story on it.

Finally, a really great story that looked into the plight of the independent truckers at the Port of Los Angeles ran yesterday in the Times.  It painted a very clear picture of what these drivers face every day.

Happy New Year!

I rang in the New Year in a very exciting way this year.

First, I rode in the Rose Parade, for the first time.

I was a part of the Port of Los Angeles’ float and I rode on the fire boat with LAFD Chief Barry.

After that, I rushed back to San Pedro for the annual Polar Bear Swim at Cabrillo Beach

For 56 years, people have gathered to do an early morning swim in the Pacific Ocean to kick off the New Year.

It is the 6th year in a row that I have done it.

Here I am with this year’s Polar Bear King & Queen.

Crime Down Citywide!

I joined Police Chief Bratton and the Mayor earlier this week for the annual announcement on crime in Los Angeles. It was great to hear that once again, crime is down.

The press conference was held at the Watts Towers and I was so pleased that they recognized the hard work of the Watts Gang Task Force. I started the Task Force 2 years ago after a rash or shootings over the 2005 holiday season. Since then, we have met every week. We have accomplished a lot, but most significantly, we have improved the relationship between the community and the LAPD. Together, we have reduced crime. In fact, homicides are down almost 50% in Watts this year. Something we are very proud of. Here is a story from the Daily Breeze.

Yesterday, I introduced a City Council motion to fund 2 “Tag Teams” that will be dedicated to San Pedro and Wilmington.  I will be funding these teams, which will work with my office and community groupt to identify “hot spots” in our neighborhoods.  The “Tag Teams” will remove graffiti from these spots daily for the next two years.  Here is my press release on it.

I introduced a motion in 2005, following the tragic Asian tsunami, calling for the Port and the City to work together to make sure we are tsunami ready at the port and surrounding areas.

I am pleased to announce that, although it has taken too long, we will be tsunami ready early next year.  Here is a press release my office put out.