Why LA Black Leaders Abandoned Mayor Hahn

[question everything]

Pacific News Service

Why LA Black Leaders Abandoned Mayor Hahn

News Analysis, Betty Pleasant,
Wave Newspapers, May 02, 2005

Rep. Maxine Waters says that she has more than one reason to shift her heretofore solid support of Mayor James Hahn to his challenger in next month’s mayoral runoff election. Chief among them: what she says is Hahn’s failure to speak to her during his entire four-year term as the city’s top elected official.

(snip)

“Parks is not the only black official Hahn fired. He fired Lydia Kennard . She won’t admit it, but we all know he did. He fired Ozie Gonzaque and Dr. Warren Valdry , as well as Parks, and I’m unhappy about all of those.”

(snip)

Waters, who represents a large portion of South Los Angeles, is the ranking member of the House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity and figures prominently in the acquisition and distribution of Community Block Grant funds. She serves on the Committee of the Judiciary and its subcommittees on crime, terrorism, and homeland security, and on immigration, border security and claims.

The congresswoman pointed out that these — housing, community development, crime, immigration — are all areas in which Los Angeles has problems. “It is my job to bring federal resources to bear on my city’s problems, but I shouldn’t have to do it without discussion, input, consultation and coordination with my city’s mayor,” Waters said. “And I haven’t had it. Not one word. I don’t know if he’s ever convened a summit with all the congress members representing various parts of the city so we can work together on L.A.’s problems. If he did, he didn’t include me.”

The congresswoman speculated that the mayor may have been loathe to talk to her about anything during the past four years because of her vigorous opposition to his LAX expansion plan. “Yes, I fought that,” Waters said. “When he was running for office four years ago, he promised he would not expand LAX. He broke that promise and now 6,000 housing units in Manchester Square will be lost because he broke his word.”

More..
http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=433fafefd58c2ebf8ebe756bd728da34

[JI7]

1. i always thought Hahn could keep most of the black voters he had

if only he had been more open and truthful.

it's the sense of betrayel rather than just his replacing the police chief that seems to be the problem.

[bemildred]

2. Hahn has been unimpressive in many ways.

But that's how he looked to begin with, so I don't know why
anyone would be surprised.

[joeybee12]

3. 4 years ago he got their support mainly because of his father...

it was all goodwill--African Americans figured he'd be as open with them as his father was. Not so.

Besides, he's been a lousy mayor all around.

[SoCalDem]

5. Winning on "name recognition" is not usually a good thing..Arnie too

Governance is not something that can be learned through osmosis.. Arnold has been a flop, and so has hahn.. He wanted the job because his daddy had been a successful politician, and he thought he could carry on with the "family business"..

Doesn't work that way most of the time..

[Tempest]

7. Just like Jesse Ventura

Ventura also thought he could just talk tough and set his administration on cruise control.


What does The Body and The Gropinator have in common?

They're both one term muscle-bound lunkheads.

[UCLA Dem]

4. Yea! Can't wait for a new mayor!!

[yo-yo-ma]

6. i was surprised at the support he got the first time around

it was a legacy support - on the good name of his father -

[Pithy Cherub]

8. Hahn's sister is better at building coalitions

and she has the father's aptitude for politics. He made it worse by being inacessible, and arrogant. So long! Antonio V seems headed for the Mayor's office.