Following the general trend of officials in California ““
see Gov. Gray Davis and numberless University of California
administrators ““ Mayor Jim Hahn has shown himself to be more
politician than leader in recent weeks.
How else can one explain his naming yesterday “Oscar de la
Hoya Day” in Los Angeles but failing to advocate for any
number of city causes? Sure, the mayor can create a day for the
posterchild of Latino boxing, claiming the multimillionaire
deserves the honor for founding a childrens’ charity, but he
doesn’t care to address any of the problems that plague the
Latino population at large.
He didn’t bother to come to UCLA to address the labor
dispute between food services workers and the Associated Students
of UCLA even though it had been going on for months, and even
though both Davis and defeated mayoral candidate Antonio
Villaraigosa did.
Los Angeles houses a large population of undocumented Latino
workers, yet Hahn raised not a whisper of opposition to
Davis’ veto of a major bill that would make them eligible for
driver’s licenses, and consequently facilitate their
contributions to the economy.
The mayor is also relatively silent about how secession will
affect Los Angeles if it passes at the ballot box in November.
He’s no doubt addressing the issue in the political
background, but he’s certainly not coming off as a public
leader in this situation ““ which is unfortunate since his
city may be on the brink of breaking up.
When the mayor fails to live up to even the shell of leadership
provided by Gov. Davis, or better yet, that of a mayoral candidate
he defeated, Los Angeles is in trouble.
If he wants to get Latino approval in Los Angeles ““ or at
the minimum, be regarded as a prominent figure in the city ““
he will have to emerge as a leader on real issues, not an
opportunist who wants to capitalize on a boxer’s popularity.
People are smarter than that.