Councilwoman Hahn serves as the Chair of the Trade, Commerce and Tourism Committee, which oversees the Port of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles International Airport and the Convention & Visitors Bureau. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Rules & Elections Committee, and as a member of the Education & Neighborhoods Committee, where she works closely with the citywide network of neighborhood councils to ensure that community stakeholders have a say in local issues. Additionally, she serves on the Ad Hoc Committee on Economic Recovery & Reinvestment, and on the Board of Referred Powers.

From 1997-99, Councilwoman Hahn served the 15th District as its elected representative on the Charter Reform Commission. Included in the new Charter are many elements championed by Councilwoman Hahn, including neighborhood councils, Area Planning Commissions, regular mandatory financial audits of all City departments and permanent local representation on the Harbor and Airport Commissions.

In response to concerns about port-related truck traffic on Los Angeles streets and highways, as well as concerns about air quality and port related emissions in the communities she serves, Councilwoman Hahn led recent efforts to open gates at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to trucks on nights and weekends. The program, which has been in place since July of 2004, is already moving 35% of cargo during off-peak hours, significantly reducing road congestion throughout the region.

Councilwoman Hahn has also been instrumental in the success of the city’s network of neighborhood councils, working to empower members on a daily basis. Today, the city’s 80-plus neighborhood councils wield influence and power in decisions that affect their neighborhoods.

The Councilwoman is also a longtime advocate of keeping children out of gangs. She believes that the way to do this is through early prevention. She has worked diligently to get the Gang Alternatives Program, which works to keep children as young as the 4th grade out of gangs, implemented throughout the 15th District, most recently in Watts. She is currently leading the way to fund gang prevention, intervention, job training and after-school programs throughout the City.

Councilwoman Hahn is committed to improving the quality of life for the working men and women of Los Angeles. She has fought dilligently to see that hotel workers and airport workers receive a living wage. She has also been a strong voice of support for grocery workers, court interpreters, dockworkers and clerks and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, nurses, and others, over the years. The Councilwoman strongly believes that there should never be a class of people termed the “working poor.” People who work hard should not be poor in Los Angeles.

Since taking office, the Councilwoman has also worked to improve City services in our neighborhoods and to ensure public safety and quality of life for all that live, work and play in the 15th District.

She has received numerous awards, including the Rosa Parks Award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; the Bold Vision Award from the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce; the Public Service Award from the African American Chamber of Commerce, the Recognition Award from the Harbor Area Gang Alternative Program and enshrinement on the Promenade of Prominence in Watts.

Councilwoman Janice Hahn is the daughter of the late Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and the sister of former Los Angeles Mayor, James Hahn. She is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles and currently lives in San Pedro. The Councilwoman has three children and is the proud grandmother of four.