Kenneth Hahn
Encyclopedia
Kenneth "Kenny" Hahn was a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
for forty years, from 1952 to 1992. Hahn was on the Los Angeles City Council
from 1947 to 1952. He was an ardent supporter of civil rights throughout the 1960s, and met Martin Luther King, Jr.
in 1961.
, and Hahn's father died just a few months later. The couple had seven sons—Henry, John, Allan, Louis, George, Gordon and Kenneth.
He went to public schools in Los Angeles, including John Muir Junior High School and Fremont High School, class of 1938. He graduated from Pepperdine College
in 1942. He received a master's degree in education while he was on the City Council, earned after "Six years of study in summer and late afternoon sessions." He also had a secondary-school teaching credential.
Hahn began his working career as a partner in the Hahn Brothers' Service Station
at 6300 South Main Street, at the foot of San Pedro Street in the South Park area. Before World War II he was a messenger for the County Probation Department and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Hahn entered the Navy as an enlisted man in 1942 and earned a commission after studying at naval schools at Northwestern
and Notre Dame universities. He was a ship's pilot
in San Pedro, the youngest pilot in the history of the Port of Los Angeles. He served with the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the South Pacific
as the commanding officer of a supply ship and was discharged in 1946
as a lieutenant
. After the war, in 1947, he taught American government and history at Pepperdine.
He was married to Ramona Hahn. They had two children, James and Janice. They lived at 833-1/2 West 69th Street in the Vermon-Slauson district. He was a "deeply religious man who often quoted Scripture".
He belonged to an influential Los Angeles political dynasty: One brother, Gordon Hahn
, replaced him on the Los Angeles City Council, while another, John, was assistant county clerk. His son, James Hahn
, was Los Angeles city attorney from 1985 to 2001 and mayor from 2001 to 2005. James Hahn is now a judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court
.
His daughter, Janice Hahn
, sat on the Los Angeles City Council, representing San Pedro
and Wilmington
, and is now a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. A nephew, Dale Hahn, was a Superior Court judge (in San Mateo County) until retiring in 2004.
He was no relation to former Los Angeles County Assessor Kenneth P. Hahn.
Hahn died of heart failure on October 12, 1997, at the age of 77 in an Inglewood hospital. A funeral service was held at Faith Dome of Crenshaw Christian Church on Vermont Avenue, and interment followed at Inglewood Park Cemetery
.
.
, the incumbent member for the Los Angeles City Council District 8
in 1947. He was supported by students at Pepperdine College, which at that time was located in the 8th District: They circulated his nominating petitions and did house-to-house campaigning for him. At age 26 he was the youngest person elected to the City Council to that time.
In that era, the 8th District was bounded roughly on the north by Vernon Avenue, on the west by Western Avenue
, on the east by the city limits or Alameda Street and on the south by about Slauson Avenue
.
Hahn left the council on December 1, 1952, when he became a county supervisor.
until the council could hear from Assemblyman Vernon Kilpatrick, who declared in a letter that the proposed lockup represented "outmoded thinking concerning jail programs" and suggested that the money be spent for more "sunshine and fresh air" prison camps. His motion failed on a 6–6 vote.
Smog, 1949. The council adopted Hahn's resolution asking Air Pollution Control Director Gordon P. Larson to appear before it to report on the worsening smog
situation in Los Angeles. "The entire smog program seems to have bogged down," he said. "Yesterday it was almost impossible to breathe in my office, and I am informed that some places had to shut down completely."
Feud, 1950. He and Councilman Harold Harby
engaged in what was called a "feud" over various subjects, including their differences concerning the subject of continuing wartime rent control
in Los Angeles, with Hahn favoring and Harby opposing. Harby also called a suggestion by Hahn for a pay raise for city employees "political prostitution in its lowest form." Harby used the same term, calling Hahn a "political prostitute" in a raucous debate over the fate of a $110-million-dollar public housing
proposal for the city (Hahn in favor and Harby opposed). At one point, Harby "reached over" and shoved Hahn back into his seat.
Birds, 1951. Hahn proposed a special police patrol to protect birds nesting on the City Hall grounds. The idea was referred to a committee.
Un-American, 1952. Hahn and Council Members Harold A. Henry
, Earle D. Baker
and J. Win Austin
attended a dinner meeting in South Gate
to honor the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
Hahn was elected to the County Board of Supervisors for the first time in 1952. He was elected to his tenth term in 1988 with 84% of the vote. He was known for his promotion of social causes, helping to establish a paramedic
program, bringing the Los Angeles Dodgers to Los Angeles and putting emergency call boxes along freeways.
In 1961, Hahn was the only public official to greet the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. when he came to Los Angeles "after confronting the police dogs and water hoses of Birmingham".
At the Board of Supervisors, Hahn designed the County Seal, which was modified in 2004 due to the cross on the seal. The American Civil Liberties Union
had threatened a lawsuit if the county had not removed the cross.
as the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration.
He is also remembered in the naming of a large park in Baldwin Hills
, the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
. The 103rd Street/Kenneth Hahn station on the Blue Line
is named in his honor.
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the five-member nonpartisan governing board of Los Angeles County, California. Members of the board of supervisors are elected by district. They were as of December 2, 2008:*District 1: Gloria Molina...
for forty years, from 1952 to 1992. Hahn was on the Los Angeles City Council
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...
from 1947 to 1952. He was an ardent supporter of civil rights throughout the 1960s, and met Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
in 1961.
Biography
Hahn was born August 19, 1920, in the family home at 5931 S. Flower Street, Los Angeles, the son of Hattie W. Hahn of Nottawa, Ontario, and her husband. The couple moved to Los Angeles in 19191919 in the United States
-January: * January 1 – Edsel Ford succeeds his father as head of the Ford Motor Company.*January 6 – Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, dies in his sleep at the age of 60....
, and Hahn's father died just a few months later. The couple had seven sons—Henry, John, Allan, Louis, George, Gordon and Kenneth.
He went to public schools in Los Angeles, including John Muir Junior High School and Fremont High School, class of 1938. He graduated from Pepperdine College
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
in 1942. He received a master's degree in education while he was on the City Council, earned after "Six years of study in summer and late afternoon sessions." He also had a secondary-school teaching credential.
Hahn began his working career as a partner in the Hahn Brothers' Service Station
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
at 6300 South Main Street, at the foot of San Pedro Street in the South Park area. Before World War II he was a messenger for the County Probation Department and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Hahn entered the Navy as an enlisted man in 1942 and earned a commission after studying at naval schools at Northwestern
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and Notre Dame universities. He was a ship's pilot
Maritime pilot
A pilot is a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours or river mouths. With the exception of the Panama Canal, the pilot is only an advisor, as the captain remains in legal, overriding command of the vessel....
in San Pedro, the youngest pilot in the history of the Port of Los Angeles. He served with the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the South Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
as the commanding officer of a supply ship and was discharged in 1946
1946 in the United States
-Events:-January–March:* January 6 – A revised and streamlined revival of Kern and Hammerstein's Show Boat opens on Broadway at the Ziegfeld Theatre.* January 25 – The United Mine Workers rejoins the American Federation of Labor....
as a lieutenant
Lieutenant (naval)
LieutenantThe pronunciation of lieutenant is generally split between or , generally in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Commonwealth countries, and or , generally associated with the United States. See lieutenant. is a commissioned officer rank in many nations' navies...
. After the war, in 1947, he taught American government and history at Pepperdine.
He was married to Ramona Hahn. They had two children, James and Janice. They lived at 833-1/2 West 69th Street in the Vermon-Slauson district. He was a "deeply religious man who often quoted Scripture".
He belonged to an influential Los Angeles political dynasty: One brother, Gordon Hahn
Gordon Hahn
Gordon R. Hahn was a member of the Los Angeles City Council and California State Assembly in the mid-20th Century.While on the council, he cast the decisive vote that brought the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles and was instrumental in the appointment of Gilbert Lindsay, who became the first...
, replaced him on the Los Angeles City Council, while another, John, was assistant county clerk. His son, James Hahn
James Hahn
James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn is an American politician. Hahn was elected the 40th Mayor of Los Angeles in 2001. He served until 2005, at which time he was defeated in his bid for re-election...
, was Los Angeles city attorney from 1985 to 2001 and mayor from 2001 to 2005. James Hahn is now a judge on the Los Angeles County Superior Court
Superior Court of Los Angeles County
The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is the Superior Court located in Los Angeles County. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States....
.
His daughter, Janice Hahn
Janice Hahn
Janice Kay Hahn is the U.S. Representative from California's 36th congressional district and a member of the Democratic Party. She was previously a Los Angeles City Councilwoman representing the 15th district from 2001 to 2011...
, sat on the Los Angeles City Council, representing San Pedro
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
and Wilmington
Wilmington, Los Angeles, California
Wilmington is a district of Los Angeles, with industry as its primary economic activity. It lies adjacent to the Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, and Harbor City. Wilmington is the site of Banning House and Drum Barracks, or Camp Drum, the only major American Civil War landmark in California. The...
, and is now a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. A nephew, Dale Hahn, was a Superior Court judge (in San Mateo County) until retiring in 2004.
He was no relation to former Los Angeles County Assessor Kenneth P. Hahn.
Hahn died of heart failure on October 12, 1997, at the age of 77 in an Inglewood hospital. A funeral service was held at Faith Dome of Crenshaw Christian Church on Vermont Avenue, and interment followed at Inglewood Park Cemetery
Inglewood Park Cemetery
Inglewood Park Cemetery was founded in 1905 in Inglewood, California. A number of notable people, including entertainment and sports personalities, have been interred or entombed here.-List of notable and celebrity interments at Inglewood Park:...
.
Public service
Hahn's first try for public office was as a candidate for the State Assembly in the 66th District in June 1946. Hahn, a Democrat, won the Republican nomination in the primary election but lost the Democratic nomination, and therefore he could not compete. Instead the Republicans were able to nominate another candidate at a conventionPolitical convention
In politics, a political convention is a meeting of a political party, typically to select party candidates.In the United States, a political convention usually refers to a presidential nominating convention, but it can also refer to state, county, or congressional district nominating conventions...
.
Elections
Hahn unseated Charles A. AllenCharles A. Allen
-Coaching career:Allen was the head college football coach for the Alma Scots located in Alma, Michigan. He held that position for the 1900 season. His coaching record at Alma was 7 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie. As of the conclusion of the 2010 season, this ranks him #12 at Alma in total wins and #5...
, the incumbent member for the Los Angeles City Council District 8
Los Angeles City Council District 8
Los Angeles City Council District 8 is one of the 15 districts of the Los Angeles City Council, covering much of South Los Angeles. The current council member is Bernard C. Parks....
in 1947. He was supported by students at Pepperdine College, which at that time was located in the 8th District: They circulated his nominating petitions and did house-to-house campaigning for him. At age 26 he was the youngest person elected to the City Council to that time.
In that era, the 8th District was bounded roughly on the north by Vernon Avenue, on the west by Western Avenue
Western Avenue
Western Avenue, some 10 miles in length, is one of the major roads leading out of London, England. It is part of the A40, leaving the city in a north-westerly direction...
, on the east by the city limits or Alameda Street and on the south by about Slauson Avenue
Slauson Avenue
Slauson Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare for southern Los Angeles County, California, named for the land developer and Los Angeles Board of Education member J. S. Slauson. It passes through Culver City, Ladera Heights, View Park-Windsor Hills, Baldwin Hills, Inglewood, South Los Angeles,...
.
Hahn left the council on December 1, 1952, when he became a county supervisor.
Positions
Jail, 1947. He urged a delay in the building of a new jail in Lincoln HeightsLincoln Heights Jail
Lincoln Heights Jail is a reportedly haunted former jail building in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Since 1979, the building has been the home of the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts. It is also sometimes used as a movie set. The 1984 horror movie Nightmare on Elm...
until the council could hear from Assemblyman Vernon Kilpatrick, who declared in a letter that the proposed lockup represented "outmoded thinking concerning jail programs" and suggested that the money be spent for more "sunshine and fresh air" prison camps. His motion failed on a 6–6 vote.
Smog, 1949. The council adopted Hahn's resolution asking Air Pollution Control Director Gordon P. Larson to appear before it to report on the worsening smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
situation in Los Angeles. "The entire smog program seems to have bogged down," he said. "Yesterday it was almost impossible to breathe in my office, and I am informed that some places had to shut down completely."
Feud, 1950. He and Councilman Harold Harby
Harold Harby
Not to be confused with Harold A. Henry, Los Angeles City Council member 1945–66.Harold Harby was elected to the Los Angeles, California, City Council in 1939, but he had to leave office in 1942 when he was convicted of using a city car for a trip out of the state. He was reelected in 1943 and...
engaged in what was called a "feud" over various subjects, including their differences concerning the subject of continuing wartime rent control
Rent control
Rent control refers to laws or ordinances that set price controls on the renting of residential housing. It functions as a price ceiling.Rent control exists in approximately 40 countries around the world...
in Los Angeles, with Hahn favoring and Harby opposing. Harby also called a suggestion by Hahn for a pay raise for city employees "political prostitution in its lowest form." Harby used the same term, calling Hahn a "political prostitute" in a raucous debate over the fate of a $110-million-dollar public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
proposal for the city (Hahn in favor and Harby opposed). At one point, Harby "reached over" and shoved Hahn back into his seat.
Birds, 1951. Hahn proposed a special police patrol to protect birds nesting on the City Hall grounds. The idea was referred to a committee.
Un-American, 1952. Hahn and Council Members Harold A. Henry
Harold A. Henry
Not to be confused with Harold Harby, Los Angeles City Council member 1943–57.Harold A. Henry was a community newspaper publisher who was elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1945 and was its president for four terms from 1947 to 1962....
, Earle D. Baker
Earle D. Baker
Not to be confused with George W. C. Baker, Los Angeles City Council member, 1931–35.Earle D. Baker was a prominent Hollywood food broker who was a member of the Los Angeles City Board of Education from 1949 to 1951 and of the Los Angeles City Council from 1951 until 1959.-Biography:Baker was born...
and J. Win Austin
J. Win Austin
J. Win Austin was a retired businessman who became a Los Angeles, California, City Council member from 1941 to 1953. He was earlier on the Police and Health commissions.-Biography:...
attended a dinner meeting in South Gate
South Gate, California
South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County, it encompasses . South Gate is located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County...
to honor the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
Board of Supervisors
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
program, bringing the Los Angeles Dodgers to Los Angeles and putting emergency call boxes along freeways.
In 1961, Hahn was the only public official to greet the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. when he came to Los Angeles "after confronting the police dogs and water hoses of Birmingham".
At the Board of Supervisors, Hahn designed the County Seal, which was modified in 2004 due to the cross on the seal. The American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
had threatened a lawsuit if the county had not removed the cross.
Legacy
Hahn is memorialized in the name of the main county building in Downtown Los AngelesDowntown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
as the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration.
He is also remembered in the naming of a large park in Baldwin Hills
Baldwin Hills, Los Angeles, California
Baldwin Hills is a community and neighborhood in the South Los Angeles area of Los Angeles, within southwestern Los Angeles County, California...
, the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area or "Hahn Park" is a state park and recreation area in the California Department of Parks and Recreation system...
. The 103rd Street/Kenneth Hahn station on the Blue Line
LACMTA Blue Line
The Blue Line is a light rail line running north-south route between Long Beach and downtown Los Angeles passing through Downtown LA, including South Los Angeles, Watts, Willowbrook, Compton, and Long Beach in the Los Angeles County; it is one of five lines in the Metro Rail System...
is named in his honor.
Further reading
- Rasmussen, Cecilia (October 31, 1991), "Hahn's Career Highlights", Los Angeles Times