Hahn Sworn in As Los Angeles Mayor
LOS ANGELES (AP) - James K. Hahn was sworn in as mayor Monday, marking the return of Democratic leadership to the nation's second-largest city.
``Let's get to work,'' he said from the steps of City Hall.
Hahn, who turns 51 on Tuesday, had served as city attorney since 1985, and as city controller before that. He succeeds millionaire Republican businessman Richard Riordan, who was prevented by term limits from seeking a third four-year term.
Hahn inherits a different place from the riot-scarred city Riordan took over in 1993. The economy is better, with new construction dotting the city of 3.7 million. And a new city charter gives Hahn more power.
Hahn also faces several problems: The San Fernando Valley and its 1.3 million residents threaten to secede from the city. A police corruption scandal festers. The schools are overcrowded. And the hard-fought mayoral campaign has left bitterness.
``It's a very promising time, but, boy, are the problems big,'' said Raphael Sonenshein, a political scientist at California State University at Fullerton.
Hahn, a white man whose father, Kenneth Hahn, was a county supervisor with an ardent following in Los Angeles' black community, was elected in a runoff June 5 against fellow Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa, who was seeking to become the city's first Hispanic mayor since 1872.
Many Hispanics had thought their time had come become the city is now nearly half Hispanic. Catering to the growing population, Hahn repeated his opening remarks in Spanish.
``Clearly, he won the support of the people of Los Angeles and I too place my undivided support behind him and his administration,'' Villaraigosa said in a statement.
Originally published July 02, 2001.
