Anger at Hahn Brings Unusual Allies Together

Sharing a mutual anger with Los Angeles City Hall, African American leaders in central Los Angeles and white activists in the harbor area Wednesday were confirming plans to join forces at future rallies targeting Mayor James K. Hahn.

At first glance, their concerns could not seem farther apart.

African Americans are angry about Hahn’s failure to support Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard C. Parks for a second term. The activists in San Pedro and Wilmington believe that Hahn has broken campaign promises to counter port projects that threaten their quality of life.

Both feel betrayed by Hahn, who grew up in South-Central and won office in July with strong backing from African Americans and residents in his current hometown of San Pedro.

“During the mayoral campaigns, Hahn was the only candidate who openly promised to support the police chief--but he didn’t,” said the Rev. Leonard Jackson of First AME Church in the West Adams District. “This is not a black-or-white issue.”

“Jim Hahn promised us a lot of things he hasn’t done,” said Noel Park, president of the San Pedro and Peninsula Homeowners Assn. “I’m not a great fan of Chief Parks, but we’ll go past that to support our friends.”

Hahn angrily dismissed talks between the two groups as “opportunism at its worst” and “no more coalition-building than flying to the moon. They aren’t supporting each other’s concerns. It’s just folks exploiting their disagreements with me and promoting their secessionist interests.”

Hahn said “no candidate for office in recent memory has done more for keeping promises than I have. I said I would appoint a majority of locals to the Harbor Commission. Did that. Form a community advisory committee. Did it. Pursue no net increases in air emissions. Did it.”

As for Parks, he said, “At the end of the day, I’ll be held accountable on whether or not this Police Department moved forward on issues such as reforms, not the chief.”

Hahn did not oppose Parks during the campaign but did not endorse his reappointment either.

The first test of the unusual alliance may come next week. African American leaders have invited port activists to join them at a political rally Tuesday at Parker Center.

The activists, many involved in the harbor-area secession movement, have invited African Americans to stand with them March 8 at a rally protesting a terminal expansion project. That rally is expected to be held at Knoll Hill, less than a mile from Hahn’s San Pedro home.

On Tuesday, harbor-area activists traveled to South-Central Los Angeles to meet with African American leaders, including the Rev. Norman Johnson, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

“We are coming together and sharing concerns about the future of our city,” Johnson said. “I only hope we are at the beginning of a very meaningful conversation rather than the end of a process that fragments and isolates us.”

Whether the two constituencies form a true coalition remains to be seen. But the groups’ initial talks were quickly taking on secessionist overtones, which, according to polls, have never been popular in South-Central Los Angeles.

Attorney Richard Close, chairman of Valley VOTE, which advocates cityhood for the San Fernando Valley, has been lobbying African American leaders, including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), with a message: “Let’s talk. We have a lot in common.”

Andrew Mardesich of the Harbor Study Foundation agreed, and added that “African Americans will conclude on their own that secession is an advantage for them.”

“With redistricting after secession,” Mardesich said, “the 15th City Council District will have its first black councilperson ever.”

That seat is now held by Councilwoman Janice Hahn, Mayor Hahn’s sister, who recently backed homeowners calling for a thorough environmental review of the ongoing expansion of China Shipping Co.’s terminal in San Pedro.

A week ago, Mayor Hahn’s new Port Community Advisory Committee voted 18 to 3 in favor of having the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conduct that review. The Harbor Commission, however, dismissed that recommendation. Harbor Commission President Nicholas Tonsich said the period for public comment on the project had ended before last week’s meeting. Beyond that, he said, “The commission is not turning a deaf ear to the community.

“The environmentalists on the committee want the project stopped until the analysis is completed,” he said. “But we see no reason why we can’t proceed on a dual track.”

Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas, who had supported Hahn’s opponent for mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, described the discussions between the groups as “a very, very interesting political phenomenon.

“What was a coalition of convenience, a loose-knit electorate, is essentially finding common ground in being disappointed with the very person who they thought was going to be the glue that held them together.”

Waters put it another way.

“I’ve not seen this kind of coalition-building in all my political life,” said Waters, who has supported Hahn but backs Parks. “Hahn may have done more good for us all by triggering our mutual concerns than we’ve been able to do all these years.”

Hahn disagreed. “There’s no evidence of broken promises or communities being betrayed,” he said. “Just of malcontents promoting their own agendas.”