Democratic Rep. Janice Hahn was sworn in by Speaker John Boehner on Tuesday, exactly one week after she was elected by voters to fill the House seat vacated by Jane Harman.
Hahn said in an interview hours before her inauguration that jobs and the economy in the 36th Congressional District will be her top priorities.
“I hope to work on my green jobs plan and transition into a green economy,” she said. “The goal of it is to create 25,000 green jobs in the district.”
Hahn defeated Republican businessman Craig Huey by nine percentage points in a special election to replace Harman, who left the post to become CEO and president of the Woodrow Wilson Center.
The ceremony held mixed emotions for Hahn, whose mother, Ramona Hahn, passed away the day before last Tuesday’s election.
“It was a wonderful victory and profound loss,” Hahn said in her first comments from the House floor. “This is the first accomplishment I haven’t been able to share with her.’’
Hahn was accompanied at the swearing-in by her son, Danny Baucum; daughter and son-in-law, Katy and John Yates; and three grandchildren McKenna, 8, Brooklyn, 6 and Josiah Yates, 5.
Hahn is no stranger to politics. She has represented the 15th district on the Los Angeles City Council since 2001 and was a member of the Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission from 1997 to 1999.
“I actually think experience is a good thing,” Hahn said. “There is a new perception that an experienced politician is a bad thing, but I think experience serves you well.”
The Hahn family name has also been a staple of Los Angeles politics for generations. Her father, Kenneth Hahn, was a 40-year Los Angeles County Supervisor who began his political career on city council. Her uncle, Gordon Hahn, also served as a city councilman and on the California State Assembly. Her brother, James Hahn, has held posts as city controller, city attorney and mayor.
“Our dad taught us that serving others is more than a calling, it’s a cause,” Hahn said.
The 36th Congressional District stretches from Marina Del Rey to San Pedro and includes Torrance, El Segundo and much of the South Bay.
This was Hahn’s second attempt at the same seat. She lost to former Republican Rep. Steven Kuykendall in 1998. She also ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in 2010.
“I think some of my losses over the years have helped me,” Hahn said prior to being sworn in. “I have learned more in my losses than in my victories. Losing in 1998 was good for me because I was able to focus on local government. Local government teaches you about solving people’s problems. That’s my strength.”
In addition to jobs and the economy, Hahn said her focus will be on protecting Social Security and Medicare, taking care of veterans and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hahn said she plans to seek reelection in November 2012, which could mean a primary as early as March.
Hahn paid tribute to her predecessor, Harman, who returned to House floor for the ceremony and received a standing ovation from members of both parties.
“When she stepped down,” Hahn said, “I told her to leave the initials on the door.”
The California News Service is a journalism project of the University of California Washington Center and the UC Berkeley School of Journalism. Max Rosenblum is a former RBUSD student. Contact the California News Service at cns@ucdc.edu and follow it on Twitter at @CANewsService.
