Friday, July 02, 2010


JANICE HAHN RECALL? WHAT DO YOU THINK? HERE’S WHAT I THINK
By Diana L. Chapman

My anti -Janice stories are stamped on its pages. Just check out the website: recalljanice.com

Or check another with not much on it except for a photo of our councilwoman with a red circle and a slash: recalljanicehahn.com
How about recallhahn.com? She’s really hung out to dry.

None of these websites lists the names of the people—or--the name of the organization responsible for the website.
For the past couple of years, I’ve written many an article about Councilwoman Janice Hahn for her failure to help the communities she represents or support those who work in the trenches. In particular, she hasn’t demonstrated the ability to respond to the smallest requests, even the slam dunks. She’s an elected official with absolutely no vision. And yes, I do think she’ll leave office without making much of a mark. Why then am I so disturbed by this recall effort when I should be the first to sign up??

Here’s why. For the most part, the recall activities are faceless. None of these websites lists a single name as to who is responsible. I take issue with that. With all the San Pedro community leaders who have been involved in some way or another, only one--Joe Gatlin—has confessed to participating in the recall meetings. He claims partial responsibility for recalljanice.com. He now says he leads the effort and, sometime in July, will drive to City Hall with four others to sign a petition launching the recall paperwork.

The other four choose to remain nameless until they’ve signed the petition. The larger committee of 20 to 30 folks also don’t want to be named, he added, because they fear retribution and “I respect that.”


That’s hard for me, because I don’t respect it. I respect that Gatlin is upfront about it. I respect that Gatlin and Anthony Santich, a port executive and former San Pedro Chamber of Commerce president, are 100 percent behind the recall. Santich, who like many supported Hahn for a long time, has been open with his criticism over the past few years. He has stepped down from the committee, so it won’t be viewed by others as a personal vendetta, which it’s not, he insists.

The councilwoman, he argues, “tries to make the issues personal between us, and I guess it is personal to the extent that I love San Pedro. I’ve watched my community go backward for years while Hahn misleads the public and plays both sides of every issue. I want progress.”

I ditto Santich’s statements completely, 100 percent, with sugar on top. That’s why I’m so frustrated with Hahn’s leadership. She could have done so much more, whether it was development of our waterfront or supporting the popular vision of one resident to use goats to clean up Peck Park. (It didn’t matter that folks came to the park from everywhere dragging their kids just to see the goats!)

Our community should be a jewel – a city treasure. Instead, chunks of our area still look like a bunch of leftover hiccups from the1950s: rundown mini-malls and drab outlet stores still accent our main drags. While a few things have been done, like the $1 million “Welcome Park” that no one can access safely, other features near the entrance of San Pedro still look like a dump.

It’s not pleasant and there seems to be no larger vision of how to clean up and beautify San Pedro.


In the meantime as the recall effort brewed for the past eight months, there’s a lot of finger-pointing going on. Initially, I was told that former restaurateur John Papadakis and former L.A. assistant police chief David Gascon were involved. Papadakis refuses to comment here. He did tell Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn that he’s had nothing to do with the recall but is “sympathetic.”

Gascon has met with several friends over the past several years pursuing the issue of leadership and wanting changes at the City Council level, including potentially recalling Hahn. He hasn’t remained involved in the discussions, however, because he travels for weeks at a time. Over the last five years, he says, several people have broached him to run against Hahn.

“People are pretty frustrated and I hear things, but I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Gascon says. “I’m just not sure who will do what or how it will evolve. People expect leadership. But according to those with whom I’ve spoken, she says one thing and does another even on the smallest of issues. It’s disappointing to hear.

“I understand why people are reticent to say too much in the public. They’re afraid of retribution.”

Gascon adds he has personally offered to assist the councilwoman on community issues, an offer that remains open. He was a City Hall insider, he says, since he was in charge of critical LAPD functions.

Former Councilman Rudy Svorinich tried to separate himself from the recall efforts by writing letters to local newspapers that neither he nor anyone in his office was involved. “Over the course of the past many months,” Svorinich wrote, “ there have been rumors and innuendo circulating in a small circle within our community that I, and perhaps members of my staff, are participating in and/or support a surreptitious recall effort against my successor on the Los Angeles City Council, Janice Hahn.

These rumors have no basis in fact and are completely untrue. I take great umbrage, at the least, to what I believe is my good name being used or circulated in a manner in which I do not approve.”


I was given printouts of e-mails, however, that document discussions between Anthony Santich and Svorinich employee Tom Shortridge.

In a series of messages, Shortridge asks: “Do you have PO Box yet? How about a voice mail? I can set up email accounts that come with the account. Rather than have them forward to your regular email, I can just give you the user name and password info and you can use it directly so emails will come from info@recalljanicehahn.com rather than from your personal email. Tom”

I faxed the emails to Svorinich’s staff and asked for the former councilman to call me. I have not heard anything.

As for Gatlin, he has myriad reasons to be angry with the councilwoman. In particular, she let slip through her fingers the chance to build an African-American heritage facility at an abandoned city fire station. Since culture has been such a large part of San Pedro’s history – and is honored at such facilities as the Italian, Croatian and Dalmatian clubs -- I can’t help ponder why she allowed the collapse of this proposal. The black community, Gatlin said, has influenced the region’s development as far back as 1918.

He added that the groundwork with the city’s Cultural Affairs was near completion and and ready to go.

If the recall is successful, Gatlin said, he will run for office. Santich, who once voiced an interest, said he no longer wants to run.

Other reasons Gatlin said he’s angry include that he believes Los Angeles port officials have hired out-of- state workers when so many are unemployed locally. He says he asked Janice to link local folks with the port for those posted jobs. “She’s abandoned this community,” he said.

I agree with that, too. And have written repeatedly about it. Overall, some residents across the board are frustrated that Janice voted to expand council term limits from two terms to three —and after she won 75 percent of the vote last year, ran for lieutenant governor, a race she lost.

Her love affair with Reggie, the escaped alligator in Machado Lake, was embarrassing considering how many more pressing needs could have been addressed. If she spent as much time leading the waterfront development as she did worrying about Reggie, our waterfront might have been finished.

If Gatlin and his nameless crew actually take out the paperwork, I’ll be impressed.

“"If they're serious, they should stop talking and start doing," said Doug Epperhart, who sits on the Coastal Neighborhood Council.

Even if they do file the paperwork, there’s a rocky road ahead. For a recall to succeed, the petitioners need 15 percent of the total votes cast for the candidate in the past election. Gatlin said that’s about 15,000– and they need it within 120 days of filing. If those involved don’t come out and identify themselves, how can the public know who the heck is running this other than Joe Gatlin?

Janice has the right to at least know that. And so do all of us.
Honestly, I’d sign the petition. But I can’t if the accusers don’t step up. That’s the ethical, fair thing to do.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good article. The "ethical", "Fair thing" isn't what is driving this group. Look at the thugs behind it, just hiding in the shadows like cowards!

Anonymous said...

We all know what is driving Rudy... and Joe... and Santich. Santich's gesture to step down so it doesn't "appear" like a vendetta is way too late. That his typical, manipulative posturing to avoid the obvious. We all know the truth.

Personal attacks like his show his complete lack of integrity, and invalidate what could otherwise be some valid issues.

We know what's motivating these low-lives, and it isn't San Pedro.

Russell Jeans said...

Good job, Diana. The recall process works best when there is sufficient cause for public charges of malfeasance. Rarely, has it been legitimately used. The most legitimate recall case in Los Angeles history was that of Mayor Frank Shaw in the 1930s. His successor, Fletcher Bowron, also ran up against a recall. It was politically motivated without the substantial reasons for a recall attached to Shaw, and so it failed.

Hahn has not changed in character and actions in her third term from her first two terms. Some of the recall issues predate her current term.

Although I have never voted for her, the votes of those in the last election should be honored and the recall petitions should be ignored.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

The organizers remain anonymous or are backpeddling because they "fear retrobution"? That is laughable. And they are asking people give money via PayPal? Sounds criminal.

Man up and step up or shut the hell up already!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Nice job in cutting through the BS, Diana. Clearly something doesn't smell right. Very nicely done.

Anonymous said...

This is why SP is a mess... Thanks Santich, Rudy, Papadakis, Gatlin, for your non-stop negativity and waste of time. Try something productive AND TRUTHFUL for a change! G-D!

Anonymous said...

Janice Hahn and her supporters/lobbyist/corrupt business partners will want to change the conversation and try to make it personal because she can not change the facts. Janice Hahn was given the honor of representing us and has failed dishonorably. We can accept that all politicians mislead voters and twist the truth, or we can say this has to be changed. It is time for change. The RCEALL is the right way to go get the district moving in the right direction.

Anonymous said...

Here is the letter I sent to the Daily Breeze that they refused to print: Why?

Joshua,

I just read a letter in San Pedro Today from former councilman Rudy Svornich who claimed neither he or nor any member of his staff “are participating in and/or support a surreptitious recall effort against my successor on the Los Angeles City Council, Janice Hahn." He continued to say "These rumors have no basis in fact and are completely untrue...I take great umbrage with my good name being used...” While I have only meet him once briefly, I can say with proof that Mr. Svornich is either a blatant liar or the most inept manager of a small staff who ever owned a business. You decided.



I am a retired medical technician who was never politically active until Janice Hahn delayed, misinformed and lied to me for several years while I worked to establish a permanent Dog Park in San Pedro. I soon found my experience with Janice Hahn and her staff was not unique. I began to educate myself on other community issues. You may recognize my name from the letters I have written to San Pedro Today in the past on various topics challenging the fallacious statements and actions of Janice Hahn. After so many years of frustration and dishonesty from the councilwoman, and after listening to the many stories of people that had been wronged by Janice Hahn, I decided to begin a recall movement.




Being an average, tax paying, unconnected citizen I had limited knowledge about City of LA processes and lacked political influence. I did not know how to go about attempting a recall or establishing a recall website. I was referred to Rudy Svornich's office and informed that someone on his staff could help me establish and manage a recall website. I spoke by phone with Tom Shortridge (tom@svornich.com) in September of 2009, after taking my credit card information he told me he would reserve the domain name www.recalljanicehahn.com. From September 2009 until March 2010 Mr. Shortridge was the only person who had the password and could access the website. You can ask yourself if you think Rudy Svornich knew? All activity on this site was maintained, managed and uploaded by this Svornich staff member. About two ago I asked Mr. Shortridge to remove the content on my website as I am now working to provide information to a better funded website www.recalljanice.com.




Lying to the public with no regard for the truth and helping yourself at the expense of the community are the reasons I (an everyday, average citizen who simply loves San Pedro) decided to take on Janice Hahn. For those same reasons I feel compelled to set the record straight about Mr. Svornich's letter and what Mr. Svornich's audaciously refers to as his “good name.”



This type of behind-the-scene political trading must stop. It is the reason we accomplish so little as a community, while a few further their own self interest and bank accounts at the community's expense. I have no doubt the Mr. Svornich knew about the website and was happy to help facilitate its message. I have my credit card charges, phone records and emails if you need to verify any information. Please publish my letter so the people can know the truth



Jane Barton

San Pedro

Anonymous said...

Hey Hahn posters or more likely poster that makes multi comments like on all the other blog sites. What about defending the councilwoman and her positions on Arizona, Gang Scandal, Parking Fees Increase, Ponte Vista, and her lies and Prop A, Running for another office, the Waterfront, Gambol Industries, etc, etc? You can't. Janice Hahn is for Janice Hahn. This is why there is a recall movement, this is why many will support it, this is why she is in trouble. The longer Hahn try to convince herself it is only a few, the sooner she will be out of office.
Great article Diana, I hope more will step forward and lead this recall. We need change.

Anonymous said...

Curious who referred Jane Barton to Rudy Svornich's office to pursue a recall idea? It's nice she's speaking her truth.

Anonymous said...

It seems Jane Barton and Joe Gatlin have been used as puppets and prodded along by cowards who lack the integrity or courage to do their own dirty work.

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