Office, Honorary Title for Hahn Scrapped

In one of those moves that tends to raise more questions than it answers, a motion to make departing Supervisor Kenneth Hahn a “supervisor emeritus” was quietly withdrawn from consideration by the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

Hahn’s chief deputy, Mas Fukai, said the proposal by board Chairman Deane Dana--which would have provided Hahn with “office space, transportation, security and related assistance as needed” after he leaves office next month--was shelved without public discussion at Hahn’s request “because of some negative feelings about it from some people.”

Among those known to have some negative feelings is Supervisor Gloria Molina, who has privately expressed concerns over providing Hahn with such perks--above and beyond his $125,000-a-year retirement salary--when the county is facing a mounting financial crisis.

“Although Supervisor Hahn has made many contributions over his 40 years on the board, Supervisor Molina felt she could not support the motion,” said Robert Alaniz, Molina’s chief deputy.

Alaniz said Dana’s proposal caught Molina’s office by surprise.

“We’re sort of dumbfounded as to how it came forward,” he said. “We weren’t privy to the discussions that led to it.”

One reason for the surprise is that as a member of the three-man conservative majority that has ruled the board for more than a decade, Dana had been a frequent opponent of the more-liberal Hahn.

Supervisors traditionally choose their colleagues to serve in the largely ceremonial post of board chairman on a rotating basis, but the conservative bloc kept Hahn out, despite his seniority. The trio also stripped Hahn of some cherished appointive posts.

But Dana found himself in trouble in June. Forced into a runoff in his bid to retain his board seat, Dana sought--and received--the endorsement of Hahn, who was stepping down after 10 terms on the board. Dana was reelected earlier this month.

Dana’s press secretary, Dennis Morefield, said his boss made the proposal Tuesday “as a way to honor a man who has given the better part of his life to the county.” The proposal came from Dana because of Dana’s position as chairman of the board, Morefield said.

Crediting Hahn with a long list of achievements, Dana’s proposal called for establishment of the supervisor emeritus position “to provide suitable recognition and thanks for his selfless and invaluable service . . . and to establish an avenue for the county to continue to benefit from Kenny Hahn’s wisdom, experience and creative energies.”

Tailoring the new position specifically for Hahn, Dana said it should be reserved solely for those who have served at least 40 years on the Board of Supervisors.

After asking that the proposal be withdrawn, Hahn issued a brief statement:

“I appreciate the honor that the supervisors sought to give me,” he said. “Everybody still calls me supervisor, including my doctor and dentist. More importantly, in the hearts and minds of the people of the 2nd (Supervisorial) District, I will always be Supervisor Kenneth Hahn.”

Also shelved without discussion Tuesday were two somewhat parallel motions.

One proposed by Dana would have amended the County Code to permit issuance of a badge for the newly created supervisor emeritus position. The other, proposed by Hahn, called for the lifetime appointment of Fukai to the county’s Golf Advisory Committee.

Fukai is an ardent golfer. County sources said that while his appointment to the advisory committee wouldn’t have paid him anything, it would have given him free greens fees for life.

But Fukai said that although he believed he could have provided a valuable service, he felt it was more important to avoid any controversy. “I told them to forget it.”