First ‘Term’ Served: Congratulations to Rep. Janice Hahn

Elected two years ago this month, Rep. Janice Hahn has now served the equivalent to a first term in Congress. She was sworn in to represent the former 36th Congressional District on July 19, 2011 after winning a special election. She was subsequently elected to a full term representing the 44th Congressional District in November.

“For Rep. Janice Hahn, dad’s legacy is a selling point,” reports the Los Angeles Times.

San Pedro News Washington Edition invites readers to sign this congratulations card by writing your name and a message in the comments section below.

In the Inauguration Zone

Needless to say, Washington is abuzz over the Inauguration. The evidence is all around, from the fences and risers under construction to Friday’s opening of the official Inaugural store. Your San Pedro News DC editor submitted a field report of the store opening to Curbed DC. “Ghosts Of Inaugurations Past Come Out For Grand Opening Of the Official Inauguration Store” has all the vivid details.

Washingtonians flock to political events the way Angelenos flip for movie premiers.

Harbor Area residents coming to DC for the Inauguration are invited to contact us at SanPedroNews[at]aol[dot]com and we’ll do our best to answer your questions about the city, restaurants, sightseeing, etc.

House Speaker John Boehner with Hahn

Back in the district, Rep. Janice Hahn is holding a Community Swearing-in this Thursday in Carson. It takes place at 3 pm on Jan. 17 in the main hall of the Carson Community Center, 801 E Carson St. For information, contact (310) 831-1799 or HahnRSVP@mail.house.gov.

Have a ‘Super’ New Year

Wishing our readers a Happy New Year. Let’s make it super, shall we?

Exhibit A: View a fun video of Superman over the Pacific.

Exhibit B:

Greetings from SuperObama, striking a presidential pose at the DC train station.

Hahn to Congress on Fiscal Cliff: Don't Drop the Ball

Rep. Janice Hahn spoke on the House floor hours before the fiscal cliff deadline. Her office released this transcript of Hahn's remarks:

Tonight in Times Square, hundreds of thousands of people will be there at midnight to watch that ball drop.  But here in Congress, we’ve also dropped the ball. 

We are in the final days of the 112th Congress.  And no one expected us to be here on the House Floor on New Year’s Eve.  

But here we are, racing towards that fiscal cliff—towards higher taxes on the middle class, on slashed investment for the American people – including nutrition for mothers and infants, education for our children, and our infrastructure. 

What part of the “cliff” sounds like a good plan? I know I’m not the only one who has spent time with families that it will hurt. I know I’m not the only one who has visited the businesses that are worried that our country could have another recession. 

We should not be playing this game of chicken.  There is too much at stake to have politics as usual.  We have an opportunity to prevent the fiscal cliff, but in order to do so we must act as a unified Congress.  So I say to all my friends and colleagues, Democrats and Republicans: Let’s get this thing done.  

Tonight when that ball drops, let’s make sure that we haven’t also dropped the ball.

January Calendar Line Items: Presidential Inauguration, White House Summer Internship Applications

Being Sunday, it’s theoretically the day of rest. If you’re restfully perched at your computer, here are two noteworthy opportunities for your consideration.

2013 Inauguration Tickets

Washington is getting atwitter about the presidential inauguration, which occurs on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 21, 2013.

The Destination DC visitors bureau is excitedly chirping that today, Dec. 2, is the 50-day countdown. 50 days! You have just 50 days to make plans!

To wit:

1. You’ll want to enter Rep. Janice Hahn’s lottery for tickets.
2. Then visit the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies for news, info and history.
3. Click back to Destination DC for one-stop travel planning and event information.

White House Summer 2013 Internships

The White House is now accepting applications for 2013 summer interns. Applicants must be US citizens over age 18 and post-secondary students, recent graduates or veterans.

The internships are full time and unpaid. Application deadline is Jan. 27.

Food-minded Washingtonians Find Two Excuses to Ditch Work Friday

A tale of two queues unfolded Friday as food-minded Washingtonians lined the sidewalks for a pair of events.

Earlybirds gathered at sunrise for a chance to attend the one and only booksigning First Lady Michelle Obama is doing for her newly released “American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America.”

Bobby Campbell is smiling because he was first in line. 

Campbell and the front of the line in context.

The signing is taking place on June 12 at Barnes&Noble in downtown Washington. As reported on Obama Foodorama, attendees were required to buy the book in advance and submit to a Secret Service background check beginning at 9 a.m. on June 8.

The queue formed when Bobby Campbell assumed the first spot at 5:45 a.m., by his own report. No telling how many worker bees mysteriously had doctors’ appointments first thing Friday morning.

The next opportunity to skip work began at 10 a.m. across town, when Georgetown Cupcake opened for the day. The renowned bakery offered free cupcakes to promote Friday’s episode of DC Cupcakes, The Learning Channel reality show about the energetic sisters who own the cupcakery.

The promise of a free cupcake created a fine excuse to take a very long lunch or get stuck in, ahem, massive traffic.

Washingtonians vote with their feet to endorse the Georgetown Cupcake giveaway.

In fact, the traffic jams occurred on the sidewalk, where a midday line snaked out the door. The weekday after-lunch slot is usually an off-peak time when a customer can practically walk right up to the counter. The lure of free cupcakes changed the equation and left cubicles emptier than normal as the city’s cupcake enthusiasts queued up for a TGIF treat.

The political and pop culture circles actually overlap at this top-of-the-ticket bakery, which hosted First Daughter Sasha Obama’s 10th birthday party last year.

This year, the bakery has expanded beyond the Washington metropolitan area. Following openings in New York and Boston, it will set up shop on Los Angeles’ westside this fall.

Hahn to Open S.P. Campaign Office Thursday

Rep. Janice Hahn is opening a campaign office in downtown San Pedro Thursday. The May 3 event takes place from 6 to 8 pm in conjunction with the monthly First Thursday artwalk and street festival. The office is located at 447 W. Sixth St. View the event details here.

Hahn and Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Long Beach) are competing for the new 44th Congressional District seat. The primary election is June 5.

Richardson’s campaign is headquartered in Carson and online at www.laurarichardson.us.

Candidates Interview for Newspaper Endorsement

Hahn and Richardson interviewed with the editorial board of the San Fernando Valley-based LA Daily News, the flagship newspaper in the chain that includes the Daily Breeze.

Each made her case for endorsement, and, by extension, election to the newly drawn 44th Congressional District.

The candidates’ arguments are summarized in “Rep. Janice Hahn is all about the ports” and “Rep. Laura Richardson: ‘I am this district.’”

The Daily News has not yet made its endorsement for the June 5 election.

UPDATE -- May 4 -- The Daily News endorses Hahn.

Happy Birthday, Janice Hahn

Friday, March 30 is Rep. Janice Hahn’s birthday. Sign our e-card to wish her a happy birthday by writing here in the comments.

As for gifts, when you have the privilege of public service in this glorious building, what more do you need?

Hahn Small Business Workshop Friday

Rep. Janice Hahn is hosting “Surviving and Thriving in the Economic Recovery: Accessing Capital for the Entrepreneur and Small Business Owner” Friday. The free workshop is taking place on Feb. 24 at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center, Toyota Meeting Room, 3330 Civic Center Dr., from 8:30 am to 12 pm.

The workshop will feature presenters from the Small Business Administration (SBA), local business lenders and business service providers.

Local participants include the Port of Los Angeles.  Port contract and purchasing officials will be on hand to share information about current and upcoming port procurement, construction and professional service contract opportunities.

Here is the workshop agenda. RSVPs are required to HahnRSVP@mail.house.gov or (310) 831-1799.

‘Congress on Your Corner’ Notes: SP Video, Live in Wilmington Saturday

Here’s a video of Hahn’s “Congress on Your Corner” event in San Pedro last month.

The congresswoman will visit the corner of Avalon Boulevard and East Opp Street in Wilmington Saturday for another such gathering. Constituents are invited to meet and talk with Hahn on Feb. 25 from 10 to 11:30 am.

Buscaino Community Swearing-in Saturday

Newly minted Harbor Area Councilman Joe Buscaino is holding a community swearing-in ceremony Saturday.

The Feb. 25 proceedings begin with a 10 am prayer service in Watts, followed by a 2 pm community ceremony at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro.

Details and RSVP information are here.

White House Asks: What Makes Your Hometown a Great Place to Visit?

San Pedro civic boosters, take note.

The White House this morning asked Americans to brag about their hometowns. It’s part of President Obama’s new push to boost foreign tourism, unveiled this afternoon in a speech at Disney World. (WH blog post | Speech)

The specific question the White House posed is, “what makes your city or town a great place to visit?”

Here’s how to reply:

• Via the White House web form
• On Twitter using #visitUS
• Here at San Pedro News. Reply in the comments and email a photo for possible posting. (Submit to our email address at right).

Hahn to Hold ‘Congress on Your Corner’ Saturday

Rep. Janice Hahn will hold open-air office hours Saturday in coastal San Pedro.

The “Congress on Your Corner” session will take place on Jan. 21 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Ace Hardware at 25th Street and Western Avenue (2515 S. Western Ave.)

Constituents are encouraged to voice their concerns to the congresswoman and advise on matters of federal policy.

For more information, call (310) 831-1799 or email michael.aguilera@mail.house.gov.

Holidays, Unwrapped

After another showdown, Congress passed the payroll tax bill on Dec. 22 and adjourned until mid-January. Legislators returned to their districts and the president jetted to Hawaii.

Flipping through the holiday news files, we bring you these snapshots of DC:

Capitol Christmas Tree © Office of the Architect of the Capitol

Here is a photo gallery of DC all dressed up for the holidays.

President Obama goes shopping with the masses -- With his family already in Hawaii, the president and First Dog Bo went shopping at Best Buy, PetSmart and a suburban pizzeria. Photo gallery.  Story with raw, play-by-play video footage.

Hahn District Office Opening Thursday

Hahn is opening a district office at 140 W. Sixth St. in downtown San Pedro on Jan. 5. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place during the First Thursday event. View the announcement or call  (310) 831-1799 for more information and to RSVP.

For regular updates, subscribe to Hahn’s newsletter and follow the congresswoman on Facebook and Twitter.

Happy Holidays

We’ll return to political news next week. Right now, the most important government agency is NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, and its critical Santa-tracking mission. 

From the Washington Post:

According to the NORAD Tracks Santa Web site, radar gives NORAD the first indication that Santa has taken off from the North Pole. NORAD uses, in addition to Santa cams and a fighter jet escort, geosynchronous satellites equipped with infrared sensors that can zero in on — “Amazingly, Rudolph’s bright red nose gives off an infrared signature, which allows our satellites to detect Rudolph and Santa,” the site says.

Have yourself a merry little holiday!

Hahn Happenings

Upon return from the Thanksgiving recess, the House resumed debate over the payroll tax cut. In floor remarks on Nov. 30, Hahn said, “Americans need jobs and businesses need customers. A payroll tax cut helps accomplish both.”

House Republicans released a payroll tax cut proposal Friday and it is expected to be voted on this week.

From the Washington Post: “At a Capitol news conference, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned that congressional Democrats would reject the latest GOP offering as an effort to ‘hold hostage’ the payroll benefit for middle-class workers.”

Because the legislative package includes provisions related to a controversial oil pipeline project, Senate Democrats have pledged to vote down the Republican proposal.

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Joined by nine Congressional colleagues, Hahn continued to push for additional customs agents at LAX. In a letter to the administrator of the Customs and Border Protection agency, the lawmakers emphasized, “LAX simply does not have an adequate number of inspectors to accommodate current and future passenger traffic.” Daily Breeze. Hahn press release.

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With support from Hahn, the Grand Vision Foundation in downtown San Pedro received a $10,00 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Daily Breeze. Hahn press release.

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Los Angeles Times sports columnist Chris Erskine speculated tongue-in-cheek about public ownership of the LA Dodgers, mentioning a bill Hahn co-authored to permit such arrangements.

San Pedro District Office Opening

Hahn is opening a district office at 140 W. Sixth St. in downtown San Pedro on Jan. 5. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place during the First Thursday event. View the announcement for details and to RSVP.

Talk to the White House

On Dec. 2, the White House is hosting a public conference call. This is not to say President Obama is coming on the line to chat, but it is a chance to dialog with the administration.

From the White House:

On Friday, December 2nd at 1:00 p.m. ET, please join us for a conference call with Mark Zuckerman, Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, to discuss this week’s We Can’t Wait Executive Actions. These announcements build on our ongoing effort to take action and help middle class families. These steps aren’t a substitute for the bold action we need to create jobs and grow the economy, but they’ll make a difference.

WHAT: We Can’t Wait Update Call
WHEN: Friday, December 2nd
Start Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Dial In:  (877) 941-6029
Passcode Title: White House Update Call

If it goes like a previous call did, the officials will speak semi-formally but casually and then there is time for callers’ questions.

The call is hosted by the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Here is the sign-up form for White House newsletters, including notices of other such conference calls.