Returning to the cradle of his political career, Mayor James K. Hahn went to the Crenshaw district on Monday to reemphasize his crime-fighting record and fight for his job in his last major public address before the May 17 mayoral election.
"Four years ago, I said, 'Let's get to work,' " Hahn said, using his annual State of the City address to lay out the city's progress since he issued that challenge in 2001. "Our work has paid off. We're revolutionizing this city."
Following a high school gospel chorus, elementary school hip-hop dancers and a former councilman, all from the area, the mayor highlighted the city's steep drop in crime the last two years.
And basking in the applause of a largely partisan crowd that occasionally chanted "four more years," he touted the strides he has made lowering business taxes, stimulating housing construction and empowering neighborhoods.
Hahn's fourth State of the City speech was as much pageant-filled rally as policy road map, underscoring the work he has to do in the next four weeks to avoid becoming the first incumbent mayor to lose in 32 years.
But although a majority of Angelenos have consistently told the Times Poll that they want a new direction, Hahn proposed few new initiatives Monday.
And though city residents consistently identify crime as an important issue, education and traffic are also top concerns -- two issues Hahn said little about in his 16-minute address.
The mayor's single-minded focus on crime could hurt him, said Steve Erie, a UC San Diego political scientist who has written extensively about Los Angeles. "Right now, he's a one-note man," he said.
City Council President Alex Padilla, who has not endorsed a candidate in the mayor's race, said he was disappointed that Hahn did not offer more ideas to improve schools.
"Education is a big issue in the mayor's race. I was hoping to hear a little bit more on that," said Padilla, who last week joined Jose Huizar, president of the Los Angeles school board, in proposing a joint city-school district commission aimed at boosting student performance.
Hahn's only mention of education Monday was to pledge to add after-school programs to eight more elementary schools next year, still short of his 2001 campaign promise to fund a program in every elementary school in the city.
The mayor also did not mention traffic or public transit, though he promised to increase funding next year for street resurfacing, with a particular focus on South Los Angeles.
