Hahn Talks Jobs and Education in Mar Vista

About 25 people gathered at the Venice Grind Coffee shop on Venice Boulevard on Monday morning to hear from 36th Congressional District candidate Janice Hahn and, more important, to let her know what causes they want her to take up should she become their representative in Washington.

Organized by the Moms LA group, which is composed of Elise Crane Derby, Yvonne Condes and Mar Vista Mom blogger and Patch contributor , attendees mingled in the early morning sunshine as they munched on cupcakes donated by YvonneinLA, pastries donated by Whole Foods and sandwiches and salad donated by Earl’s Gourmet Goodies.

Auerswald told Patch that she first met and chatted with a couple of weeks ago and was impressed with what she had to say. “I asked her if she’d be willing to come and meet some of the residents in the neighborhood and she said ‘yes.’ ”

As Auerswald told the assembled group, “I care a lot about this neighborhood, so Moms LA and Mar Vista Mom combined to put on this event and hear from Janice.”

Speaking to the group, Hahn said, “You have what everybody wants: a great neighborhood with involved community members and mothers that care about their neighborhood.”

As a mother of three and grandmother of five, Hahn said, “I really appreciate moms who take the time besides their full time jobs to care about what happens in their community and to make sure that the people they elect also care.”

Hahn reiterated some of her core issues including her commitment to creating jobs and getting the economy back on its feet. “I think the No. 1 issue is jobs,” she said. “But we also ought to invest in education, infrastructure and clean energy.”

Hahn said she believed, “this area could be the next, green, high-tech Silicon Valley."

She spoke of the work she has done as a Los Angeles City Council member in cleaning up the Port of Los Angeles. “I was the loudest and strongest voice to clean up that port and now we have ships that plug into electricity, we have equipment on the docks that move cargo with zero emission vehicles and we have banned dirty diesel trucks from calling on the port.”

Given Mar Vista’s commitment to green technology, these statements went over fairly well with the assembled crowd. However, most attendees wanted to hear more about how Hahn would tackle large issues such as education.

"I don’t think this is the right time to cut funds for education,” she said. One attendee spoke about how she reluctantly pulled her child out of public school because she felt the LAUSD system was going downhill.

“I think LAUSD is too big,” Hahn responded. “It has problems with accountability. We know that the answer is small classrooms and small learning academies. That’s what we know works and it’s a matter of getting those policies [in place] at the board level.”

Hahn also cautioned that if the tax ballot measure Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing for the June election fails, “the schools are going to be in trouble because there will be more cuts.” However when asked whether she had a plan to create smaller class sizes, Hahn said, “not yet.”

She was also cautious about a suggestion by one parent that she support privatizing education. “I’d have to see how that looks and what that means,” she said. “Public education is what this country was founded on and what we were all brought up on,” she said. She also said she was a big supporter of charter schools and spoke of how she helped start a local charter high school in San Pedro.

Hahn pledged to vote yes on Measure L in the March 8 election, in an effort to fund libraries and hopefully get them back to a seven day a week operation. “I think it’s a crime that the libraries are not open on Sundays,” she said. “I hope voters see the benefits [of the libraries]. This is not a new tax, it’s just a redirection of the monies.”

Hahn also fielded a couple of questions on overall issues, including what makes her stand out from other candidates running for the position including Marcy Winograd and California Secretary of State Debra Bowen.

“If the subject is jobs, I don’t know anybody who has a track record as I do of creating good jobs and increasing job security,” she said. She went on to cite two of her achievements on that front: fighting and achieving a living wage for the hotel workers along Century Boulevard near LAX and doing the same for the 5,000 workers at LAX itself.

“I fought to extend the city’s living wage and it was a fight,” she said. “Also, now 5,000 workers at the airport have full family health care benefits and I don’t know anyone else that can talk about creating jobs and making those jobs sustainable for families.”

One attendee challenged Hahn’s progressive Democratic views asking what kind of leader she would be in Washington given that the House of Representatives is controlled by Republicans and whether she would succumb to the "politics of fear," like some Democrats have.

“I’m older and wiser,” Hahn responded. “I feel like I have proven I have the courage of my convictions. We need to focus on jobs and the economy and if that’s not a bipartisan issue I don’t know what is.”

She went on to say that she’d like to remind President Obama why he was elected. “It’s about getting real jobs for people. I hope to bring that courage back to Washington. I think that’s what I’m known for. They say I have balls.”