‘I’m Going to Be Fighting’ : Recuperating Hahn Vows to Return to County Post

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn pointed to the rusted oil derricks dotting the hills along La Cienega Boulevard and mused that some day he will see them dismantled and the land they are on made part of a large urban park, second in size only to the city’s Griffith Park.

Hahn, making the remark as he rode in the front seat of a car Monday, still is not able to move his left arm or walk or stand without assistance. After being cooped up in a hospital for the last three months, however, he was not to be denied a chance to take the first extended look at his 2nd Supervisorial District since he was felled by a stroke on Jan. 11.

The attack left the 66-year-old supervisor partly paralyzed and triggered widespread speculation that he may not return to the office he has held for 35 years.

Until Monday, Hahn and his family had not permitted reporters to meet with him. Photographers were still forbidden; Hahn’s wife Ramona explained, “Let him gain a little weight. We want him to look just like he was, just a little bit fatter.”

But Hahn, who has lost about 10 pounds and looked somewhat gaunt, showed signs Monday that what he may have lost in physical abilities he had not yielded in mental prowess.

During a 90-minute interview, he vowed to return to his job in about two months, even if he has to go in a wheelchair. He displayed occasional flashes of humor and a keen knowledge of the district he has represented since 1952. His characteristic drawl seemed unchanged; there were no signs of the collapse of facial muscles that reportedly afflicted him when he was first hospitalized.

Released from Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital last Saturday, Hahn on Monday morning wanted to inspect a bus loading area that had just opened at his beloved Baldwin Hills State Recreation Area.

As the sleek county-owned Buick headed out on the tour with Hahn in the passenger seat in front and a Times reporter in the back seat, the supervisor was in no hurry. He ordered his driver, Jim Williams, to detour down a residential Windsor Hills-area street so he could point out how nice the neighborhood looks.

“You won’t find one pothole, one chuckhole in my district,” Hahn said proudly, confidently offering his fellow passenger a dollar for each one he could find. “See those alleys. Look at the curbs, the gutters . . . the driveways.

Clean Alleys

“All my alleys are clean,” Hahn said. “Anywhere in my district you want to look,” emphasizing that he’s referring to the unincorporated county areas over which he has control, not those areas within the Los Angeles city limits.

As Williams headed west along Slauson Avenue toward the Baldwin Hills State Recreation Area, Hahn confided that while he was hospitalized he continually surprised his chief deputy, Mas Fukai, with knowledge about the progress of various road projects.

“I’ve got my own network of intelligence,” Hahn said he told a bewildered Fukai. Hahn explained that a number of his nurses at the Inglewood hospital acted as his eyes and regularly reported to him about what was happening in his district.

“County fire station No. 58,” Hahn pointed out as Williams headed west along Slauson toward Fairfax Boulevard. “I built that fire station. . . . We had 5,000 kids here (for the opening).

“See that church there? That’s where (Gov. George) Deukmejian’s mother goes.”

For the first 15 minutes of his ride, Hahn was eyeing the streets, occasionally waving to people while reminiscing about how one public service project after another was built in his district, seemingly pleased with what he saw.

‘Where’s the Patrol’

But when Williams drove into the park, Hahn found fault.

“Where’s the (park) patrol?” he demanded. “How come I come up and don’t see them?”

Then, answering his own question, “They didn’t know I was coming up.”

A little farther on, Hahn demanded of Williams, “Are we going to have a sign that says bus turnout here? Where’s the sign? Why isn’t the sign up by now? I said that two weeks ago we wanted that sign.”

Williams mumbled something like, “They’re working on it,” and Hahn calmed down and pointed out the Olympic Forest--a collection of trees from all the nations that participated in the 1984 Games. He pointed proudly to Danny’s Swing Area and Katy’s Oil Well, two playground attractions named after his grandchildren. He boasted about the fish ponds that are regularly stocked for nearby residents who might not be able to make it to a mountain lake.

The tour of the park over and back in front of his Hyde Park-area home, Hahn for the first time talked about his health.

Wheelchair Necessary

To the question of exactly when he will return to work, he replied, “When the doctors tell me (I can). I’m going to get this outpatient treatment that I start day after tomorrow.

“I’m sure I am going to be using this wheelchair for some time. But you know a lot of people in history used wheelchairs. FDR ran the whole country from a wheelchair,” Hahn said.

“I want to be comfortable to walk. See this hand here,” he said, looking at his motionless left hand, “This disturbs me. This is still paralyzed. And this (left) leg is still paralyzed.”

At that, both his nurse, Mattie Smith, and his wife assured him that his leg is not paralyzed; that he can stand on it and has made some progress.

“It does a good job walking, sir,” Smith said.

Hahn told the reporter farewell with a firm handshake and joked, “My district has been actually better serviced then when I am sitting down there in the Hall of Administration, because my deputies are on their toes. . . .

“But tell everybody ‘hello.’ Tell ‘em I’m going to be back and I’m going to be fighting,” Hahn said.

“Tell them all to watch out.”