Hahn Pushes Airport Security Bill

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn led a group of the nation’s mayors Thursday in calling on the House of Representatives to take quick action on an aviation security bill that would, among other things, federalize passenger and baggage screeners at the nation’s airports.

During a two-day trip to the nation’s capital, Hahn urged House Republican leaders to take up and pass a version of the security bill already approved by the Senate. Hahn and other mayors called the legislation critical to ensuring airline safety across the country.

Besides replacing privately employed airport screeners with a federal work force, the measure would increase the number of air marshals on flights and reimburse airports for the extra security put in place after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. House Republican leaders who oppose the creation of a new pool of federal workers have resisted bringing the measure to a vote until now, but said the issue may be brought to the floor next week.

“Today, the mayors are united: Republican mayors, Democratic mayors, nonpartisan mayors, independent mayors,” Hahn said at an afternoon news conference with Minority Leader Richard Gephardt and other House Democrats outside the Capitol. “We are all united in asking Congress to move forward on this important legislation.

“If we are going to restore confidence in the nation’s air security and our air transportation system, this bill has to get out,” said Hahn, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ task force on airport security.

The debate over how best to protect the nation’s airports is just one of several issues causing friction between some local leaders and the federal government. Some of the mayors who gathered for this week’s conference in Washington complained that they are not receiving enough information from federal authorities.

North Little Rock, Ark., Mayor Patrick Hays said officials in his city were thrown into confusion when they heard Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft announce on CNN that 380 cities had been asked to go on high alert.

“I called my chief to find out if we were one, and he didn’t know,” Hays said. “I asked him, if we were asked to go to high alert, what’s high alert? And he didn’t know.

“It’s a new world for all of us, from the federal government all the way down to the local government,” he said. “So I don’t think the communication’s been very good, but I don’t know that we should have expected it to be much better at this point.”

The mayoral gathering this week and Hahn’s prominent place in the event underscored the national role he has assumed since the September attacks. As chairman of the mayors’ airport security task force, Hahn spent much of the past month lobbying federal and state officials to help tighten security at local airports and provide financial assistance to cities coping with a sudden economic squeeze. He also delivered the Democratic response to President Bush’s weekly radio address in late September.

At an emergency and safety summit organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, he spoke privately with Homeland Security Director Thomas Ridge, urging him to bolster the country’s health care network. Later, he sat next to Ridge and Ashcroft on the dais.

In the afternoon, he met with Gephardt, a number of mayors and two dozen congressional leaders for a news conference.

Hahn also met separately with California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both Democrats, and with Republican and Democratic members of California’s congressional delegation.

In an interview Thursday afternoon, Hahn said he was invigorated by his national role, calling it an honor to represent the country’s mayors in meetings with federal officials.

“It’s a totally new role,” Hahn said. “It certainly was not an issue that ever came up on the [recent mayoral] campaign: that you’re going to be in charge of homeland defense of your city during wartime.”

Hahn began the morning Thursday leading a meeting of the 24-member task force on airport security. The task force approved a 10-point plan to improve airports’ security and bolster local economies. Later the nearly 100 mayors assembled for the summit endorsed the statement.

Hahn was able to gain wide support for one of the most debated issues concerning airport security: the hiring of federal workers to monitor airline passengers and baggage and replace private employees hired by the airlines, who many officials say lack training and adequate pay.

However, the Bush administration has sided with House Republicans in opposing that aspect of an aviation security bill.

During an appearance at the mayors’ summit Thursday, Federal Aviation Administrator Jane Garvey reiterated the White House’s position, saying the administration would prefer to have the U.S. government monitor a pool of contract workers.

Hahn disagreed.

“We believe those screeners should be federal employees,” Hahn said.

“That’s what the public wants to see: They want to see that badge of authority so we’re not wondering whether there’s been a background check, what the training’s been of this individual,” he said.

“We’ve had enough delays. We frankly thought this would have been handled by now.”

Hahn joined other mayors in calling for financial assistance from the U.S. and in reiterating communication concerns.

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Times staff writer Robert L. Jackson contributed to this report.