On December 5, Janice Hahn was sworn in as the newest member of Los Angeles County’s powerful and influential Board of Supervisors. Although Janice is quick to point out that she is a brand-new County employee, it’s clear that she feels right at home working in Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, the building named after her father, the legendary long-time Supervisor.
“In a lot of ways, it feels like my life has been leading up to this moment. I used to visit my dad here during my days off from school and now I’m sitting at his desk. I certainly have big shoes to fill but I wake up excited to go to work every day.”
For longtime followers of Janice’s career, it’s no surprise that one of her top priorities is fighting for good-paying jobs in LA County. “I’ve spent my life in public service and every step of the way I’ve fought to create and protect good jobs- jobs worth fighting for,” said Supervisor Hahn.
As a member of Los Angeles’s City Council, she was a regular on union picket lines and fought for and won higher wages and better benefits for hotel workers employed near Los Angeles International Airport. As a member of Congress, she sat on the House Committee on Small Business where she worked hard to level the playing field for minority and women-owned small businesses.
In her new position as County Supervisor, Janice Hahn oversees over 100,000 County employees. “Here in the County, we’re a one stop shop. We hire construction workers to repave roads and fill in potholes; we hire Deputies to protect our communities and social workers to protect our children– and that’s just to name a few.”
Because employees at the County of Los Angeles receive fair pay, generous benefits, and the opportunity to make an impact in their community, job openings are highly sought after. Forbes Magazine lists Los Angeles County as #39 on their list of America’s Best Employers and it’s not uncommon to meet employees who have chosen to spend their entire careers- upward of thirty to forty years- at the County.
Now in her new position, Supervisor Hahn is committed to protecting these county jobs and helping expand opportunities for populations of workers who have faced employment barriers. As a new member of the Metro Board of Directors she has already spoken out about the need to employ more women in construction jobs which are traditionally dominated by men and her office will host meetings in coming months with Metro contractors to discuss hiring initiatives. Hahn has also raised concerns in Board meetings about the tendency to contract out work that could go to LA County employees. In February, she co-authored a motion with her colleague Supervisor Solis to create an in-house temporary worker registry to better connect local workers, especially disadvantaged individuals, with County employment and job training. The registry is already accepting applications and connecting people with new career opportunities.
