Hahn Urges People to Face Fears, Move Forward

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn urged residents Wednesday to do their part to keep the region’s economic engine humming and not let fear of terrorism drive a wedge between neighbors.

“If we lose faith in ourselves and we don’t move forward, we can end up in a terrible economic recession here,” Hahn said during an appearance on KFWB radio’s monthly “Ask the Mayor” call-in show. “We need to deal with our fear and move forward past that fear by reemphasizing our belief in the American way of life.”

The mayor said residents should feel reassured by the city’s safety precautions, including increased police patrols at airports, religious institutions and entertainment studios. He said Los Angeles’ water supply is safe and is being tested several times a day to make sure it stays that way. And he urged people to have an emergency kit with extra food and water in their home.

But even as Hahn asked residents to be vigilant about the possibility of future terrorism, he said people should continue living the way they did before the Sept. 11 attacks on New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

“We can’t lose sight that people want to take away our liberty and freedom,” Hahn said. “Our love of freedom is not our weakness. . . . It’s our strength.”

The mayor urged anyone considering a large purchase, such as a car or major home appliance, not to be dissuaded by recent events.

“If we start to withdraw from life,” he said, Los Angeles “could end up in an economic tailspin.”

And he made a strong plea for tolerance and restraint, asking people to reach out to their Muslim and Arab American neighbors.

“It’s important not to vent our rage at fellow Americans,” Hahn said. “It’s important that we in Los Angeles pull together and not become suspicious of everyone who looks different.”

While Hahn emphasized the importance of returning to life as it was before the attacks, he also acknowledged that some plans have been altered, perhaps derailed.

Most notable is the long-debated master plan for expanding Los Angeles International Airport. That project, estimated to cost as much as $12 billion, may not go forward because of the sharp decrease in air travel caused by the attacks, Hahn said.

The expansion proposal was built around the notion that demand for planes in Southern California was bound to increase substantially in coming years and that most airlines preferred LAX for their flights. Now, several airlines are reeling from the downturn in travel and are laying off thousands of workers.

“It’s not officially dead, but obviously . . . the assumptions upon which it’s based have totally changed,” he said. “What we need to do now is figure out how we make airports safe.”

Hahn, who had reservations about the LAX expansion even before the terrorist attacks, said he still supports developing a regional approach to handling air traffic.

“Even if air traffic is reduced, it still makes sense not to have it all at one place,” he said.