Democratic Rep. Janice Hahn, who was first elected to the House of Representatives only in 2011, announced Wednesday she will forgo another Congressional bid and run instead for an open seat on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, saying she can do more here than in the nation’s gridlocked capital.
“My father, beloved County Supervisor Kenny Hahn, always stressed to me the importance of being a champion for the people,” she said in a statement, adding that her late father instilled in her “the simple principle of always putting constituents and local neighborhood first.
“With that philosophy in mind, I have decided not to run for re-election to Congress and instead enter the race for Los Angeles County Supervisor District 4.”
Hahn said that “Washington is broken” and “increasingly mired in political gridlock, and there’s virtually zero cooperation between the two parties,” which is “precisely why I know I can do more for the Los Angeles region on the Board of Supervisors.”
The 62-year-old Hahn said she was able to work across the aisle on some issues in Congress, including protecting the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. But the county board—which oversees a wide range of health, social, public safety, recreational and public works programs—offers greater opportunities to bring change. Hahn’s announcement appeared to position her as an early leading contender to replace Supervisor Don Knabe, who is being termed out.
The county’s 4th District includes the South Bay beach cities, Marina del Rey, Artesia, Long Beach, Torrance, San Pedro and Norwalk, among others. Although the board is officially nonpartisan, the district has long been represented by moderate Republicans, including Knabe, who has held the seat since late 1996, The Los Angeles Times reported. But in recent years, the area has grown increasingly multiethnic and Democratic.
Hahn served on the Los Angeles City Council before running for Congress. Her father had a legendary tenure on the Board of Supervisors. And her brother, James, served as Los Angeles mayor, city attorney and city controller. He’s now an L.A. County Superior Court judge.
Others who have signaled interest in running for Knabe’s seat include Republican Mike Gin, a former mayor of Redondo Beach, and Steve Napolitano, a senior deputy to Knabe and a former Manhattan Beach city councilman.
Meanwhile, Sen. Isadore Hall, D-Inglewood, wasted no time in announcing his intention to run for Hahn’s Congressional seat. In turn, former Assemblyman Steven Bradford announced his plans to run for Hall’s state Senate seat. Both Hall and Bradford said they had Hahn’s support in seeking the offices.
