Hahn Makes 1st Lobbying Trip to Nation’s Capital

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn leaves today on a four-day lobbying trip to Washington, hoping to win federal backing for a regional solution to the city’s air traffic crunch and to gain support for other items on his agenda.

It is Hahn’s first trip to the nation’s capital since being elected mayor in June, and it comes during the annual federal appropriations season.

Aides said the mayor hopes to use the visit to ensure there is enough money allotted in the budget for the Metro Rail subway’s Red Line extension to North Hollywood, a long-standing source of friction in the Los Angeles-Washington relationship.

In addition, Hahn will meet with a host of President Bush’s Cabinet members to push for assistance on several issues.

He has a meeting scheduled Tuesday with Education Secretary Rod Paige to talk about after-school programs, and another with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez to discuss getting federal money for the city’s meager housing trust fund. Hahn also will meet with Hector Barreto of the Small Business Administration to emphasize the importance of federal grants to the city’s economic development programs.

Deputy Mayor Matt Middlebrook said the trip is the first of many that Hahn plans to make to Washington to lobby on behalf of Los Angeles.

“He recognizes that the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” Middlebrook said. “We have a lot of needs, and the federal government can be very helpful, but they need to know our priorities.”

Hahn’s City Hall predecessor, Richard Riordan, traveled frequently to Washington and capitalized on a strong relationship with former President Bill Clinton, who helped secure money for the buildup of the Los Angeles Police Department and the recovery from the Northridge earthquake, among other things. Clinton also gave Riordan subtle political help on occasion.

On this trip, Hahn is not seeking such specific aid but is hoping to spend most of his visit shoring up support for a regional airport plan.

In the recent city election, Hahn broke with Riordan and pledged to oppose a $12-billion proposal to expand Los Angeles International Airport. Having announced his determination to chart a new course, Hahn now is trying to craft a solution to the area’s air traffic needs that would allow for expanded flights to Southern California without breaking his promise to resist significant growth at LAX.

That is particularly challenging because the airlines have indicated a desire to stay at LAX, which is closer to concentrations of people and businesses than airports in Ontario and Palmdale.

Bracing for industry resistance to any plan that does not center around a major LAX expansion, Hahn is scheduled to meet with both of California’s U.S. senators and at least five members of the region’s congressional delegation. According to mayoral aides, Hahn will ask those members of Congress to push for incentives that will encourage the airline industry to expand service and lower fares at the Ontario and Palmdale airports.

“We want to bring along more of the delegation to be a voice for our goals,” Middlebrook said.

The mayor also will meet with Carol Hallett, president of the Air Transport Assn., the airlines’ influential lobbying group.

Hahn’s itinerary also includes a meeting with AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, whose unions stand to gain from LAX expansion and the jobs it would create.

Not all of Hahn’s visit will be taken up with long meetings.

Although the mayor had to turn down an invitation to last week’s White House state dinner honoring Mexican President Vicente Fox, he plans to attend a White House barbecue Tuesday night as a guest of Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Norwalk).

On Wednesday, Hahn will stop by a reception hosted by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which will be in town on its annual lobbying trip, and then attend a Senate Democratic dinner as a guest of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). Hahn is scheduled to return to Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon.

While he is out of state, City Council President Alex Padilla will serve as acting mayor.