Stroke Effects Persist : Questions Surface About Hahn’s Slow Recovery

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn waved thumbs up and bathed in an affectionate shower of public attention last August as he made his long-awaited return to the Board of Supervisors chambers after a disabling stroke.

The illness had taken its toll, but his aides assured the public that the partially paralyzed and wheelchair-bound Hahn would start slowly and build himself back up.

However, four months and two emergency hospitalizations later, the record shows that the 67-year-old supervisor is struggling under the physical demands of his office as he prepares to seek an unprecedented 10th four-year term on the board.

Hahn denies that his health is inhibiting his effectiveness, saying, “There’s improvement every day.”

But he still is in a wheelchair, substantial paralysis remains on his left side and he is restricted to an extremely limited work schedule--about two hours a day at the office and two more at home.

Since his return, board records show, Hahn has missed 12, or about half, of the board’s meetings.

When he does attend meetings, Hahn often leaves well before the the board finishes its business. Because he slips out early, Hahn also has missed most of the supervisors’ recent end-of-meeting, closed-door sessions, where important and sensitive legal, personnel and labor positions are thrashed out.

“I have great concerns about the impact Kenny is having on the Board of Supervisors,” Supervisor Deane Dana said. “We never know on any particular day whether Kenny is going to be there or not or for how long. Coming into a board meeting for an hour or so every day is not what it’s all about.”

Neurology experts interviewed by The Times said that, given Hahn’s age and the fact that the one-year anniversary of Hahn’s stroke last January is approaching, the chances are diminishing that Hahn will recover significantly more. While stressing that they were not familiar with the details of Hahn’s medical condition, they discussed his case in terms of general stroke research, the record of the supervisor’s attendance and news coverage of Hahn.

“In the majority of cases, the significant improvement is going to come in the first six months or year,” said Dr. John Frazee, a stroke researcher and assistant professor of neurosurgery at UCLA. “Here we are 10 months down the line. He is still having difficulty staying the length of meetings. . . . You never count a patient down and out, but it gets harder to (see significant improvement) the farther away you get (from a stroke).”

Another local stroke expert, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of Hahn’s case, agreed. “It is not likely that any significant improvement will ensue beyond what you see now . . . he is likely to have plateaued out,” the researcher said.

Hahn and his aides insist that the supervisor continues to gain strength. But, calling it a private matter, Hahn declined to permit his doctors to respond to a reporter’s questions.

District Concern

Hahn’s health--and whether he will be able to complete another full four-year term--is of increasing concern to some community leaders in his heavily minority and Democratic South-Central Los Angeles district. If Hahn were unable to finish another term, it would be up to Republican Gov. George Deukmejian, presumably in consultation with the conservative Republicans who make up a majority on the Board of Supervisors, to select a successor.

“I’ve had a number of conversations (with community leaders) along the lines (of), ‘What if he does not make it through the (another) term?’ ” said Mark Ridley Thomas, executive director of the Crenshaw District-based Los Angeles chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “There is deep concern about that problem. Very deep.”

Community leaders must have “some conversation with (Hahn) at some point” about his health, Thomas said.

Thomas Kilgore, a prominent retired South-Central church pastor and president of a community coalition called the Black Agenda, said, “If he has the physical stamina to make it through an election and serve, he should. But he must not do it just because he wants to run. He must listen to the medical advice.”

Unions Also Concerned

Officials with some county employee unions now negotiating new contracts also are concerned because Hahn has been considered one of their champions. The fear is that he may not be the same strong voice of support in the aftermath of his stroke. “I think there is a feeling that his illness has taken a toll,” said one union official, who declined to be identified.

Seated in his office suite on the top floor of the downtown Hall of Administration, Hahn on Wednesday answered a Times reporter’s questions for about 30 minutes. Gesturing with his right hand and sipping a glass of water, Hahn’s responses were slow, sometimes slurred and rambling. But the veteran of 40 years of local politics was alert to the political sensitivity of a series of questions about his activity level, current medical condition and his doctors’ prognosis for continued recovery.

Issues Called Unfair

Hahn refused to discuss the medical advice he is receiving and he accused the reporter of raising unfair issues and attempting “in effect to be a censor. . . . You, in effect, want to decide for my district who should be their candidates. . . .

“Let me tell you. Anybody that lives in the district that is a registered voter at the time of election can qualify to be supervisor. Whether a man or a woman. Young or old. In a wheelchair or not in a wheelchair . . . and it’s up to the citizens to say who will be their representative.”

Hahn said his decision to seek reelection next June--a contest most political observers agree he should be able to win easily on the weight of his formidable record--rests on his belief that he will continue to recover.

But he acknowledged that his doctors have not indicated that he will make significant additional improvements.

“Only God will know that,” he said.

Admittedly Tires Easily

He also admitted that he tires easily and that his gains in the crucial first months since his stroke have been disappointing.

But the time he spends at the office and his physical stamina should not be an issue, he said.

“A job of a supervisor is more than just sitting here or sitting in the board room. When you wake up, you’re thinking of things. When you go to bed at night, you’re thinking of things, talking to people that are bringing you problems. . . .

“See, to be a supervisor you do not have to use your hands. You use your brains. And your mouth. And have a heart.”

During the interview, Hahn indicated for the first time that he would turn down the politically coveted chairmanship of the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission, which he had been scheduled to assume from Mayor Tom Bradley next month.

Asked about the chairmanship, Hahn paused and did not respond.

After a moment, his chief deputy, Mas Fukai, softly said: “No. We won’t let him.”

Effectiveness Argued

How much Hahn’s illness may be limiting his effectiveness and attentiveness is a matter of some debate.

Some board observers say that the folksy, meandering narratives Hahn has always injected into debates have grown longer and more tenuously tethered to matters at hand.

But few political adversaries publicly criticize Hahn. Many of his close political associates say he remains as mentally alert as ever.

“He’s very sharp. His memory is good. He’s knowledgeable when I see him in the board room,” said Supervisor Ed Edelman, a fellow liberal and longtime Hahn ally.

William Robertson, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, said: “I think he’s improving if anything. . . . It’s tough for me to be truly objective (because) he has been a great friend who has kept his commitments. . . .

“Even 50% attendance (by Hahn) is probably better than a lot of other folks who have 100% attendance.”

Accomplishments Noted

Hahn and his aides deny that his illness has significantly inhibited the board’s work or his own effectiveness. They point to his recent dedications of a fire station and a shopping center in his district, an ordinance outlawing the brandishing of toy guns and his continued campaign against auto insurance redlining as accomplishments this year.

One thing that is clear is that Hahn is relying more heavily than ever on his aides to speak for him and represent him.

And they--more than Hahn himself--still promote the view that the supervisor is coming back strong, as in this exchange during Wednesday’s interview:

Fukai: “I tell you what, Kenny. Soon you’ll be walking into that board room.”

Hahn: “No. . . . I don’t. . . .”

Fukai: “Aw, you will.”

Hahn: “I don’t want to be. . . .”

Fukai: “I know. You don’t want to say it. But that’s the kind of strength you’re gaining.”

Hahn: “No. That won’t be for a while.”

Reporter: “Have your doctors indicated that (you will walk soon)?”

Hahn: “No. But. . . .

Fukai: “He will.”

Times staff writer Victor Merina contributed to this article.