POLITICS—Hahn Gets Back Into Swing With Economic Task Force

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L.A. Mayor James Hahn, who was caught in Washington for several days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and could not oversee the initial local response, has been moving quickly to make up for lost time.

As soon as Hahn received word last week that L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich was planning a countywide economic summit to address the fallout from the Sept. 11 attacks, Hahn contacted Antonovich and got the supervisor to agree to have him co-chair the conference. The summit, to which the mayors of all 88 L.A. County cities have been invited, is slated to take place in the next four to six weeks; the Staples Center has been mentioned as a likely site.

Then, late last week, Hahn formed a blue-ribbon Economic Impact Task Force to deal with the economic fallout from the attacks and the general slowing of the economy. The committee is chaired by George Kieffer, a partner with the law firm of Manatt, Phelps and Phillips and an informal economic adviser to the mayor. Also named to the task force were current L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce chairman Michael Woo, local attorney and sports entrepreneur Alan Rothenberg and Madeline Janis-Aparicio, executive director of the Living Wage Coalition.

Hahn spokeswoman Julie Wong said the task force would assess the impact of the economic slowdown and come up with recommendations cities can implement to deal with the consequences.

Wong said the search for Hahn’s chief economic deputy has been narrowed to a final list of “fewer than 10” candidates and that a decision is likely in the next few weeks.

Hahn, who today marks his 100th day in office, has moved slowly to assemble his economic team. Early on, he appointed former staff member and local economic development consultant Jonathan Kevles to head the Business Team, but had been relying on former director Jeff Walden to help tide things over while he searched for a new deputy mayor for economic development.

Walden left around Labor Day to take a post with Johnson Development Co., the business headed by Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Since then, Kevles has been pulling double duty.


Aquarium Funding

It’s no secret that the Long Beach Aquarium is struggling. After a robust opening year, attendance has sagged, forcing city officials to seek additional public funding.

Now comes word of 11th-hour maneuvering to direct more state funds to the Aquarium. Democratic State Assemblyman Alan Lowenthal added one word into the bill authorizing a $2.6 billion parks bond measure to be placed on the March ballot. The word “oceanographic” was inserted less than five hours before the end of the legislative session into a phrase that previously read “paleontologic and geologic sites and specimens.” The new language would allow the Aquarium to apply for grants from the $267 million in funds earmarked for “historical and cultural resources.”

“I’ve got two maritime museums and another aquarium (the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro) in my district, so this is not just for the Long Beach facility,” Lowenthal said.

Lowenthal added that just because the word oceanographic is now in the bill doesn’t mean the Long Beach Aquarium is assured more money. First, Gov. Gray Davis must sign the measure authorizing it for the March ballot, which he is widely expected to do. Then, voters must pass the $2.6 bond measure, no easy feat in a slumping economy and deepening state fiscal crisis.

Staff Reporter Howard Fine can be contacted by phone at (323) 549-5225, ext. 227 or by e-mail at hfine@labusiness journal.com.

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