Hahn Takes Job as Legal Advisor

Former Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn, who lost his bid for a second term to Antonio Villaraigosa in May, has taken a job at a politically connected Los Angeles real estate investment firm.

William J. Chadwick, a managing director of Chadwick, Saylor & Co., said Hahn probably would provide legal advice to the firm and help with business development.

“It’s a little bit of a work in progress,” said Chadwick, who praised the former mayor’s skill and understated style. “I view him as a very talented guy.”

Hahn was hired earlier this month, Chadwick said.

Chadwick and the firm have been longtime supporters of Hahn and other local politicians, donating $10,000 to Hahn’s 2001 and 2005 mayoral campaigns, according to city records.

Chadwick said he has never done business with the city and has no plans to start.

Hahn could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon at the firm’s office.

Chadwick, who lives in Malibu, is is president of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission.

For the ousted mayor, the job is his first in the private sector in nearly 25 years. Hahn, a lawyer, worked briefly in a law firm he opened with a partner in the late 1970s but left the practice after he was elected city controller in 1981.

He served one term as controller, four terms as city attorney and one term as mayor before Villaraigosa defeated him in a rematch of their 2001 contest.