How Sup. Janice Hahn Transformed LA Through Service and Advocacy and Why We Think She Should Be Honored With Our Woman of Leadership Award
In this moment of honoring the contributions of women to our community, we can think of none other than LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn to present with our Woman of Leadership award. She has held four elected positions over the last 26 years: first on the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission, then on the Los Angeles City Council, in the U.S. Congress, and, most recently, as the first Democratic woman elected to represent the 4th District on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
However, what separates her from many elected officials is that she never lost touch with her roots or core values, believing that she was there to serve all the people, especially those without a voice — the homeless, the disabled veterans, the gay and the Black communities. And because of her outspoken opposition to the ICE raids in LA and across this nation, she has earned the honor of being number 56 on the Orange Felon’s enemies list.
Courage and conscience don’t often go hand in hand in politics, which is why Janice Hahn stands out and deserves credit for her accomplishments.
For all of this and probably much more, she deserves the honor and recognition of our entire community.
In 1997, Hahn was elected to the commission that rewrote the Los Angeles City Charter and was a vocal supporter of the neighborhood council system that gave local communities a formal advisory role in city decision-making.
When she was elected to the city council to represent the 15th District, she called and hosted the first emergency meeting with residents, clergy, gang intervention workers, school officials, and the Los Angeles Police Department following a surge of 18 shootings and several homicides within a single month. It was at this critical juncture in Los Angeles history that she brought community members and police into the same room to create a structured space for dialogue and conflict resolution. These meetings, held weekly in her Watts district office beginning in January 2006, became the Watts Gang Task Force. It was in this space that Hahn helped broker early conversations and cease-fire efforts between rival gangs, encouraging community leaders and former gang members to participate in mediation and intervention work.
During her time in Congress, representing the 36th District, Hahn played a key leadership role in bringing the historic battleship USS Iowa (BB-61) to the Los Angeles Harbor, turning the historic battleship into a museum that boosts tourism, preserves naval history, and contributes to the ongoing redevelopment of the Los Angeles waterfront.
Also during her time in Congress, Hahn played a founding and leadership role in establishing the Ports Caucus, focusing on issues affecting the nation’s major ports, especially the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach.
The caucus helped secure federal investment for expansion and modernization, which supports local jobs and the national supply chain and has provided a platform for Congress to address port security, infrastructure resilience, and trade efficiency, ensuring ports can safely and efficiently move goods critical to the U.S. economy.
When she left Congress to run for supervisor for the 4th District, she returned Bruce’s Beach to the living descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce, marking the first time a government in this country returned land stolen from a Black family.
She played a key leadership role in ensuring that the Pride flag is flown over all Los Angeles County buildings, signaling the county’s support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Her career has been defined by tangible, community-centered leadership:
- Transformed the empty public health offices on 8th Street in San Pedro into a homeless shelter in a matter of weeks — bringing entire encampments in downtown San Pedro inside.
- Secured funding from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Project Homekey program to purchase the former Best Western on 1st and Gaffey in San Pedro and strategically developed it as housing for formerly homeless veterans — now known as the Louis Dominguez Veterans Resource Center.
- Created the Whittier LGBTQ Center — the first of its kind in southeast Los Angeles County.
- Was the first woman and first Democrat elected to the Fourth Supervisorial District
- Created LA Found, which has saved lives by changing the way LA County responds to find missing people with dementia, Alzheimer’s, and autism
- Prevented the changing of the name of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to the United Airlines Memorial Coliseum
- And last but not least was named number 56 on President Donald Trump’s list of enemies!
For all of these accomplishments — from grassroots community engagement to historic policy achievements — Janice Hahn embodies leadership, courage and a commitment to serving the people. She is truly deserving of the Woman of Leadership Award and the admiration of our entire community.