Within days, the Governor will be appointing someone to complete the term of now former Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi. Before this, it was a foregone conclusion he was not planning to stick around in 2010, therefore there were several candidates on both sides of the aisle jockying for this seat. Now there is one woman who is considering a run for this seat, and it is one I am proud to throw my support behind, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn.
I am proud to say that I worked for the Councilwoman for a year and half, first as an intern and then as a Field Deputy for her working out of the San Pedro field office. When I vote for local elected officials, I usually hold them to the same standard I saw from her as a Councilwoman. She clearly is a public servant who strives to listen and provide for her constituents and truly sees herself as a servant of the people, not a bunch of plebians who are there to serve her, which is a mentality that infects so many who get into local office.
This is a big jump for the Councilwoman, but I honestly believe she is worthy of the job. I will do a series of posts which will spotlight events I personally witnessed as a staffer that has shaped my view on what a local elected official should be like. If any councilmember or school board member, regardless of party is looking for a model of how they should be in that position, Janice Hahn is the perfect example to take. She would never hesitate to enter and visit the harshest neighborhood in her district, from Watts to Wilmington. No constituent she felt was more deserving than others, she saw them all as equal constituents, whether they lived in the hilltops near Palos Verdes or the Nickerson Gardens Housing Complex in Watts. This is the easiest endorsement there is to make. I encourage all Democrats to support her and next June vote to give Janice Hahn the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor.