Hahn congressional bid focuses on jobs
By Chris Frost
Bulletin Staff Writer
COMPTON—The 2012 election season is underway, and Rep. Janice Hahn is putting forward a platform that focuses on jobs, a healthy economy and a Congress that works together for the people.
Hahn is running against District 37 Rep. Laura Richardson in the California Primary Election on June 5 in the newly created District 44, which includes San Pedro, Wilmington, Compton, Carson, Watts, Lynnwood, South Gate, and parts of Long Beach and Walnut Park.
“They decimated the former District 36,” she said. “The only two cities left are San Pedro and Wilmington.”
The new district brings new challenges, she said, and her early campaign focuses on re-introducing herself to voters.
“It is like a homecoming for me,” Hahn said. “My dad (Kenneth Hahn) represented most of this area, and I served Watts on the Los Angeles City Council.”
The feedback in the new district so far lists jobs as the first priority.
“Compton has a higher unemployment rate than the rest of the state,” she said. “People are losing their jobs and their homes. The economy needs to pick up.”
One way to do that, she said, is by spending the money used for the war in the Middle East at home.
“We are out of Iraq and I think that is a good thing,” Hahn said. “We also need to withdraw from Afghanistan. That money should create jobs and improve the economy.”
She continues to push Republicans to bring President Obama’s jobs plan to a vote.
“It is an aggressive plan that puts people back to work,” Hahn said. “There is money for small business owners and tax incentives to encourage hiring. There is an incentive for hiring people who have been out of work for longer than six months, and for veterans coming home. We need to transition their military skills into civilian skills.”
Rebuilding the infrastructure with a fast forward initiative is a priority.
“If the federal government loans us the money for measure “R” (the traffic relief and rail expansion ordinance) we can put people to work and pay it back with tax revenue over the next 30 years,” Hahn said. “It makes much more sense to front load it over 10 years rather than stretching to 30. ”
Connecting the cities in District 44 to the Port of Los Angeles, she said, improves the local economy.
“There are a lot of good jobs associated with the international trade industry,” Hahn said. “There is a benefit from training these people on how to export their products, especially small business owners, women and minorities.”
Hahn also created the first bipartisan port caucus with the hopes of creating effective legislation with fellow Republicans.
Clean energy is another untapped opportunity in the Alameda Corridor, she said, and green fuels can significantly improve an area that struggles with pollution.
“Incubator businesses can create a green jobs explosion,” Hahn said.
Education of all kinds, she said, is the key to eliminating poverty in America.
“We have lost our vocational programs in our high schools,” Hahn said. “I knew a guy who did not like school, but he took upholstery classes and loved it. We need to get back to those programs, while making sure students are also college ready.”
One area in need of improvement in Congress, she said, is consensus building.
“I am always trying to work across the aisle, but the people who have been there for a while do not,” Hahn said.
“In Washington, partisan politics are king. I get an A-plus in this area. After 10 years on the L.A. City Council, I learned that you do not leave the table until an issue is worked out.”
She is working with Rep. Peter King, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, on legislation, and he appreciates her efforts.
“People give us a low approval rating because we do not work together, and nothing gets done,” Hahn said.
One example of the unwillingness to compromise was the payroll tax cut, where Tea Party members nixed a deal that Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. John Boehner both approved of.
“Boehner wants to do a lot more compromise legislation, but Tea Party members will not let him,” Hahn said. “They took a lot of heat, and I believe they will come back to the table to create a year-long extension of the payroll tax cut.”
The California Supreme Court ruling that dissolves redevelopment agencies locally is something she does not agree with, and she stands in support of local municipalities.
“This ruling is a devastating setback to local communities trying to tackle blight and create a revenue stream,” Hahn said. “I am more than willing to help, and I have talked to the legislative people in Washington, D.C. to look for ways to help these communities.”
She supports President Obama’s call to bring jobs back to the United States that are farmed out to other countries.
“If we want to bring work home we have to close the tax loopholes sending jobs out of the county,” Hahn said. “I do not want to devastate another country depending on these positions, but we should be able to share these jobs to keep Americans working.”
Early polling shows Hahn enjoying a 21 percentage point advantage over Richardson, with 47 percent of the electorate.
Visit janicehahn.com for more information.
