A Hole in Hahn’s Leadership

It must be a nervous time in the mayor’s office: The Los Angeles Times Poll shows that Mayor James K. Hahn is paying heavily for his opposition to the reappointment of Police Chief Bernard C. Parks. Hahn’s support is faltering, while Parks’ is surging. But what should truly give Hahn pause is what else the poll results say about his tenure. His opposition to Parks looms so large because Angelenos see the mayor as having done little else since he took office last July.

Even those who approved of the job Hahn was doing as mayor (46%) didn’t know why. Of those polled who approved of his performance, 37% said they liked him for “no particular reason.” An additional 12% said they liked him because they thought he was “doing his best” or “trying hard.” Scant praise, indeed.

And there’s other bad news for Hahn: Even when he took his tough stand against Parks, those polled didn’t believe he did it for the right reasons. Twenty-seven percent said Hahn opposed Parks because the chief wasn’t doing a good job, but 39% said Hahn went against Parks because it was good for Hahn politically.

The poll results shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s been closely watching this political debacle unfold since last month. We supported Hahn’s right to have a police chief with whom he could work effectively to serve Los Angeles. That was the best and strongest reason for Hahn to say he wanted to replace Parks, who had been appointed by former Mayor Richard Riordan. We suggested that after taking his sudden, strong stance against a well-known police chief with deep political ties to the African American community, Hahn would need to mend fences and make a public case on why he didn’t want Parks to continue as chief (something Hahn should have done before his extraordinary announcement opposing Parks).

So what did the mayor do? One day, he’d say Parks should go because he caused low police morale. Another day, the reason would be a climbing crime rate. The next week, it would be dissatisfaction with police reform. In all this, the public sensed shifting sands and a lack of intestinal fortitude. Hahn handled this most delicate political situation with the acumen and deftness of an elephant in ballet slippers.

So now, Hahn’s poor Police Commission is stuck with the political fallout. The five-member commission has until mid-May to decide whether Parks should be given a second five-year term. The poll results are just one more reason why the commission needs to act decisively and swiftly. It isn’t fair that an appointed, volunteer commission should be asked to do well what the elected mayor has botched. Mostly though, the mismanagement of the Parks reappointment is unfair to the people of Los Angeles, who have the right to expect not only that their mayor lead but that he lead with foresight and skill.