Janice Hahn funds Gang Members

On April 30th 2008, Chris Blatchford of Fox 11 News, reported on a "Gang Prevention"
Program where hard core gang members were hired on as 'Gang Interventionists' working through groups like Unity One, a Janice Hahn backed organization, receiving payments from LA City gang prevention funds.

According to him, while on her payroll, some of these thugs were involved in homicides, rapes, burglaries and other Part 1 crimes with Janice Hahn helping these thugs get out of jail. LAPD Officers Chuck Garcia and Ryan Moreno told Chris Blatchford how felons hired by Hahn were politically protected with officers arresting these thugs punished for doing so.

Because of how serious a scandal this was for the City of Los Angeles, the gang intervention funds were removed from local control and given to Mayor Villaraigosa. Hahn stood by while funding for Harbor Division programs were eliminated and 40 officers were reassigned from the Harbor Division to other parts of Los Angeles, while the LAPD increased by nearly 1000 officers. Seemingly for her silence, she received the endorsements from both Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and then Chief Bratton. Meanwhile, in the Harbor Division since 2009 shots fired are up 15%, while Shooting Victims are up 70% and burglaries are up 37%. Also up from 2009 are auto thefts and vehicle burglaries. During her time in office her district has added more tattoo parlors than schools, parks, bakeries, libraries, and police officers combined.

On the November 2008 ballot Janice Hahn put a measure on the ballot in Proposition A, that promised to restore funding for the anti-gang programs through a $36 property tax. However, the Harbor Area was not included in the funding formula. This tax hike narrowly failed at the ballot box, where it took 65.74% of the vote, but needed 66.67% (two-thirds) to pass.

In February of 2009, the City of Los Angeles raised parking meter fees 400%. In arguing in support of those fees Janice Hahn was quoted as saying "Every time you put those additional quarters in the meter, think of a Harbor Division Officer and how you are helping him or her remain on the job." She said this while Harbor Division officers were being transferred to other parts of the City of Los Angeles and after trash fees were increased by the City of Los Angeles to also pay for officers. These increased fees are credited with increasing the cost of doing business and causing the loss of jobs based in San Pedro and the City of Los Angeles.

Now she is running for the 36th Congressional District, where public safety and national security will be major issues that the winner of the July run-off election will have much to say about. Given her record of either naiveté or deception as a city councilmember, can we expect anything different when it comes to national security or public safety on the federal level? Or will every liberal bit of her past record at the local level hurt all of us on the federal level?