The contest for the Los Angeles County 4th Supervisorial will feature veteran politician Janice Hahn and Supervisor Don Knabe’s chief deputy Steve Napolitano in a non-partisan race.
Napolitano has served as senior deputy to outgoing Fourth District Supervisor Don Knabe, who is termed out of office. Napolitano has held the position since 2005 and cites his knowledge of the inner workings of government and the issues facing the district as the reasons why residents should vote for him. He also previously served as a city council member and mayor in Manhattan Beach.
Napolitano has been endorsed by several civic and business organizations as well as the Argonaut Newspaper, the Beachcomber News. He has also been backed by Knabe and said he wants to brings new ideas to the district.
“I’m running for supervisor for the 4th District to rethink, reinvent, and re-engage L.A. County,” he said. “I’m not about partisan politics or special interests. I’m running to put our people and communities first—to solve our toughest problems, keep us safe, improve our environment, support our nonprofits and always be accessible to those I serve. I have a passion for public service, and I want to remove the boxes and barriers that keep things from getting done. I’m not interested in the status quo; I’m interested in doing what it takes to get real results.”
Napolitano said the most important issues facing the district are ending homelessness, reducing crime, transportation improvements and supporting early childhood education.
“I want to create public/private partnerships to provide housing with supportive services to get people off the streets because it’s the right thing to do,” said Napolitano.
“I’ll initiate a veteran’s hiring initiative to get more sheriffs on the street, but we can’t just lock everyone up either. We need better diversion and probation programs that provide education and employment training to put people on a better path.”
Hahn is the scion of a Los Angeles political family. Her father, Kenneth was first elected a Los Angeles City Council member in 1947 for the Eighth District. He moved form the council to the office of L.A. County supervisor for where he served for 40 years. Her brother, James, is a former L.A. mayor. Janice Hahn served on the L.A. City Council from 2001 to 2011 and as a U.S. representative since 2011. She retired from Congress to run for the supervisor’s seat claiming she was frustrated with the atmosphere in Washington.
“Unfortunately, the partisan bickering and gridlock in Washington, D.C., and Congress has served as a road block to the work that needs to be done,” Hahn said. “Despite the culture in Washington, D.C., of putting politics over people, I’m proud to say that I’ve been able to build coalitions and find solutions to some of the 44th District’s most pressing problems.”
According to Hahn, the three most important issues facing the district are reducing traffic congestion, reducing gang violence and reducing homelessness. Hahn believes homlessness is linked to veterans’ issues.
“Our homeless population in Los Angeles County has now reached 47,000, and 4,000 of those are our veterans,” said Hahn. “This has reached an emergency crisis situation. It is not just on Skid Row anymore. Every community in the county of Los Angeles has seen the plight of our homeless. This has to be a top priority for the Board of Supervisors.”
Hahn has been endorsed by several L.A.-area newspapers, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, several unions and firefighters’ and law enforcement associations.
