Kenneth P. Hahn, a former Los Angeles County assessor and one of the county's first openly gay elected officials, has died at his home in Cathedral City. He was 78. Hahn was recovering from a serious stroke last month when his condition began to deteriorate, said Robert Kalonian, spokesman and assistant to the county's current assessor, Jeffrey Prang. He died peacefully Saturday with his husband, Louis Mangual, at his side, Kalonian said. Hahn first worked inside the L.A. County assessor's office as an appraiser, answering public complaints for 10 years before deciding to run against his boss, Assessor John J. Lynch, in 1990.Prang said he met Hahn in 1990 when he was 27 and just starting a career in local government. He remembered Hahn as a "nice guy who wasn't very political." "I remember him telling me he wasn't running with any expectation of winning," Prang said. Eventually Hahn settled into his new job, where he used his calm demeanor and humor to oversee a staff of more than 1,500 employees to assess 2.5 million taxable properties. One of those employees he hired in 1992 was Prang, who worked as a staff assistant. Prang said Hahn brought a sense of normalcy to the office. "He was a very down-to-earth guy and was approachable and humble," said Prang, who credits his career in government to Hahn. "He gave me my foot in the door and stayed around to help me along the way."
Kenneth P. Hahn, a former Los Angeles County assessor and one of the county's first openly gay elected officials, has died at his home in Cathedral City. He was 78. Hahn was recovering from a serious stroke last month when his condition began to deteriorate, said Robert Kalonian, spokesman and assistant to the county's current assessor, Jeffrey Prang. He died peacefully Saturday with his husband, Louis Mangual, at his side, Kalonian said. Hahn first worked inside the L.A. County assessor's office as an appraiser, answering public complaints for 10 years before deciding to run against his boss, Assessor John J. Lynch, in 1990.Prang said he met Hahn in 1990 when he was 27 and just starting a career in local government. He remembered Hahn as a "nice guy who wasn't very political." "I remember him telling me he wasn't running with any expectation of winning," Prang said. Eventually Hahn settled into his new job, where he used his calm demeanor and humor to oversee a staff of more than 1,500 employees to assess 2.5 million taxable properties. One of those employees he hired in 1992 was Prang, who worked as a staff assistant. Prang said Hahn brought a sense of normalcy to the office. "He was a very down-to-earth guy and was approachable and humble," said Prang, who credits his career in government to Hahn. "He gave me my foot in the door and stayed around to help me along the way."
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