Serving a Diverse Community: Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area

Driving south on La Cienega Boulevard, en route from Hollywood to LAX, I often passed a sign announcing the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. 'One of these days,' I would promise myself, 'I'm going to check this out.' From the car, all I could see was oil rigs nodding their heads among patches of coastal sage scrub. But, joining Joe Young of the Airport-Marina Group for a post-Christmas hike, I was surprised and delighted to find a park with attractions as diverse as the community it serves.

There is a waterfall, a small Japanese garden, a lotus pond, landscaped areas and a fishing lake-stocked with trout or catfish depending on the season, and visited the day I was there by mallard ducks, ruddy ducks, a western grebe, a snowy egret and American coots. There are large areas of native coastal sage scrub habitat, home for gray fox, raccoons, skunks, desert cottontails and opossums. California quail live here as do many other bird species. For humans there are picnic sites, barbecue pits, a playground and a community center. This latter contains photographs and artifacts celebrating Kenneth Hahn, a member of the L.A. City Council from 1947 to 1952, of the L.A. Board of Supervisors from 1952 to 1992, and a vigorous supporter of civil rights in the 1960s. Former mayor James Hahn and City Council member Janice Hahn are his son and daughter.

The Recreation Area, at the north end of Baldwin Hills, was at one time inhabited by the Tongva aboriginal people. The name of the hills comes from E.J. 'Lucky' Baldwin, who bought the land in 1875. In 1924, oil was discovered there. Eight years later, the area east of the present park was the site of an Olympic Village built for the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. The Baldwin Hills Reservoir was built between 1947 and 1951. The dam collapsed in 1963, sending a wall of water down onto residential neighborhoods. The bowl of the reservoir, partly filled in and planted with grass and trees, is still evident.

In 1977, Supervisor Hahn wanted to take the land, used at that time for motocross, for a park. The plan was to expand the size of the park as nearby oil wells dried up. Much equipment is still in place, but 319 acres of once drilled and exploited land has become a symbol of restoration and conservation. The area, managed by the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation, was opened in 1983 as the Baldwin Hills State Recreation Area. In 1988, it was named for Kenneth Hahn.

The Baldwin Hills rise 500 feet above the Los Angeles basin, and the area's five miles of trails lead to several lookout points which offer views of the San Gabriel and Santa Monica Mountains and of Santa Monica Bay. The trail map gives credit to the County Department of Parks and Recreation, the State of California Baldwin Hills Conservancy and the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter Santa Monica Mountains Task Force, also the Friends of the Angeles Chapter Foundation. (Yay team!)

Next time you are motoring to or from LAX via La Cienega or La Brea, take a look at the green open space north of Stocker. Then, do yourself a favor and go for a walk, a run or a hike in this lovely place. Entrance to the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area is 4100 South La Cienega Blvd. There is, at present, a parking fee. Access from the La Brea side, near Don Lorenzo, is also possible.