Will Janice Hahn Run For The 'Black' Seat After Redistricting?

Will Janice Hahn Run For The "Black" Seat After Redistricting?

By Gene Maddaus Wed., Jul. 27 2011 at 11:04 AM

Janice Hahn

Newly minted Rep. Janice Hahn faces a tough choice if she wants to stay in Congress for more than a year. By the looks of the latest redistricting maps, she will be drawn into a coastal district that also includes Rep. Henry Waxman.

Waxman has been in Congress for 36 years, and is as close as it gets to an immovable object. So that leaves Hahn with one other option: run for the "Gardena-Compton" seat.

The problem with that is it's supposed to be a "black" seat -- and Hahn is not black.

The idea that she would run for the seat -- and cut L.A.'s black representation in Congress from three seats to two -- is already stirring anger among the black political community.

In an email making the rounds today, activist Basil Kimbrew accuses Hahn of having "disrespected and betrayed the black community." Kimbrew claims that Hahn told him she will run for the Gardena-Compton seat, which also includes Hahn's home in San Pedro.

Kimbrew goes on to say that African-Americans who worked to elect Hahn in her special election were "duped" and "tricked" -- and would have been better off supporting Secretary of State Debra Bowen.

Also running for the Gardena-Compton seat are Assemblyman Isadore Hall and Rep. Laura Richardson. Hahn represented Watts on the L.A. City Council and has enjoyed strong support in the black community, in part due to the legacy of her father, Supervisor Kenneth Hahn.

John Shallman, Hahn's political consultant, said Hahn is waiting for the final lines to be drawn before making her decision. For the moment, he said, she's focused on representing her current district.

Tags:

Henry Waxman, Isadore Hall, Janice Hahn, Laura Richardson, redistricting

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Kevin

BASIL KIMBREW CONVICTED OF LARCENY OF PUBLIC FUNDS COMPTON, Calif. (AP) - A former school board member received a two-year suspended jail sentence Thursday for charging more than $2,000 on a district-issued credit card while he was no longer on the board. Basil Kimbrew, 51, pleaded no contest to a charge of misappropriation of public money. Superior Court Judge Janice Croft sentenced Kimbrew to two years in jail, but suspended the sentence in favor of five years of probation, according to the district attorney's office. She also barred Kimbrew from having any contact with political campaigns, candidates or political causes during his probation.

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Only an idiot would be surprised when a politician "dups", "tricks" and "betrays" them... Then again, only an idiot would support that dummy Janice Hahn.

Yes Bomptonians, run to that beast Laura Richardson, why she, she has plenty of integrity...

demsanddon'ts

In a crowded field, Janice Hahn would make the runoff and could survive. There was a similar situation in Tennessee where Steve Cohen suceeded Harold Ford, who sought a US Senate seat and Cohen won a 14-person primary basically splitting the African-American vote allowing Cohen to win.

If I were Hahn, I would run against Waxman in the primary. He hasn't been seriously challenged in his entire career and the district is just as new to him as it is to Hahn.

Jerl Liandri

The district isn't even close to as new to Waxman as to Hahn the way it's currently drawn. Waxman has represented Santa Monica, the valley communities, Beverly Hills and the dense jut of the Miracle Mile in the current visualization for some time, and they don't know Janice Hahn at all. Janice just had to campaign in the Beach Cities, true, but Palos Verdes hasn't voted for either of them. Not to mention, fundraising would dry up in a hurry if Hahn challenged Waxman. I'm actually betting on Asm. Isadore Hall to make a strong run in the Gardena-Compton district. He was a Compton City Councilmember and made a strong run for the Assembly seat, beating several other well known candidates, as I recall.