Results tagged “janicehahn”

It's always been known that L.A. City Councilwoman Janice Hahn has had larger aspirations, most recently thought to be a candidate for congress. But yesterday, it was reported that she's exploring the idea of running for Lt. Governor and if she wins, she'd be the first women in that role for California. "I'm going to look at it until the end of the year and see what kind of responses I get and see whether it makes sense for me to serve in this capacity," said Hahn to the Daily Breeze. It's no surprise she would be looking into something soon, she definitely has been sending an increasing amount of press releases and statements to the media this summer. Hahn, sister to former Mayor James Hahn and daughter of former LA County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn, won her third and final reelection this past March. Her term ends in 2013, but if she runs and wins a bid for Lt. Governor, she would leave Los Angeles early.

Instead of approving a $300-every-two-years fee for restaurants that want sidewalk dining, the city council yesterday sent the idea back to study because they believed it was a disincentive to restaurants to offer such a service, according to the Daily News. "At a time like this, when businesses are struggling to survive, I just think it sends a wrong message of 'Here comes the city again, with yet another fee,"' Councilwoman Janice Hahn said. "I know in my district, we have been trying to encourage this, to get a more pedestrian feel. This just seems the wrong time to be imposing another fee on businesses." The proposed fee would cover the costs of inspection to make sure chairs are not blocking access to the sidewalk. A $1,200 one-time fee to set up sidewalk dining is still on the books.

It's about time, no? After weeks of rejecting bogus medical marijuana dispensaries, three LA City Councilmembers brought forth a motion to explore a tax on legal medical marijuana sales in the city. “In this current economic crisis, we need to get creative about how we raise funds. A tax on medical marijuana could enable the city to continue providing services we might otherwise have to cut,” said Councilwoman Janice Hahn. Retired LAPD officer and West Valley Councilman Dennis Zine said "Part of becoming a legitimate business in the City of Los Angeles means supporting local government by paying a fair share of municipal taxes.” Councilman Bill Rosendahl also brought forth the measure. A motion for a resolution in support of H.R. 2835, the Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act, which allows for state law to prevail with regard to medical marijuana use, was also introduced.

This morning's Daily News raises an important question in the era of social networking: "What do you do if you're a local official on a political mission to Washington, D.C., but find there's no media there to cover your activities?" The answer, of course, is to use services like Twitter and YouTube to pass along short pieces of information a la minute to your followers and constituents.

As part of a city-wide, Mayor-back, and City Council-approved plan that went into effect more than a month ago, parking meter rates in San Pedro got a significant hike--in fact, the rates quadrupled, and the applicable time extended into evening hours. This left not only motorists flustered, but merchants as well, who are already facing a decline in revenue thanks to the economy.

If you've ever wanted to adopt your own entourage and get world-class A-list treatment, apparently Los Angeles International Airport is the place to go. So throw on your best pair of sweats, grab your $1000 handbag, and slip on those shades! Of course, you might want to enlist your own security detail, because yesterday "the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday decided against any new regulations to control paparazzi at [LAX]" reports the Daily News.

There are a lot of falls over at and near Point Fermin and the Sunken City, whether it is accidental or suicidal. The battle for safety precautions over natural views of the ocean can be a contentious one with the community. There comes a point where you can't stop people from killing themselves or just being stupid by climbing over the fence to get that "perfect shot," only to tumble down the cliff and now subject of a local TV news' helicopter shot.

In today's city council session, there was a big discussion regarding congestion pricing on the 110 Freeway which would basically let non-hybrid solo car uses use the car pool lane for a price. Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who voted for the measure (and it did pass), had a concern about the lanes because they bottleneck, in her opinion, due to the inability to get in and out of the lanes whenever people want to. She wants to look into their current effectiveness.

As reported earlier today, the LA City Council was set to vote and approve rate hikes for the Department of Water and Power over the next four years. Now that all is said and done, the council approved the increases. Rick Orlov of the Daily News blogged updates throughout the meeting with some great talking points:

Want to buy a two-story, four bedroom, two-and-a-half bath house with a view of a local artistic and historic landmark for a price tag of around $400,000? They've got custom cabinetry, marble counter tops, walk-in closets, and two-car garages to boot. Sounds pretty sweet!

Los Angeles has over 180 official neighborhoods. These are those communities designated with the city sealed blue sign. However, if you tried to figure out your neighborhood and its official boundary, there's a good chance you are going to come upon a) conflicting information b) no information, or c) confusing information. Trust us, we know. We've been digging into official Los Angeles city neighborhoods with our Neighborhood Project and have yet to come upon...

No doubt you have already heard about Reggie the alligator, who for two years lived in Machado Lake in Harbor City. He was captured a few months ago, and hauled to the Los Angeles Zoo. And NOW Reggie the gator is ready to make his grand debut, and strut his stuff in his newly adapted environment at the LA City Zoo.

Graham Crackers?

David Greenberg writes, "A major South Korean shipping company, fed up with delays at the Port of Long Beach, will begin diverting its biggest freighters to Portland, Seattle and Vancouver as shippers continue searching for alternatives to congested facilities in Southern California. Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd. will cut the number of containers it sends to the complex and begin diverting its ships, which carry up to 5,500 20-foot containers (TEUs), later this month.

State Senate candidate George Runner and his wife, Assemblymember Sharon Runner, are poised to be the first husband and wife team to serve in the Legislature at the same time. George Runner was first elected in 1996 to serve in the Assembly and was termed out in 2002. His wife succeeded him and was up for re-election yesterday.