Comparing a Notable L.A. Political Family With Another Han Dynasty

L.A. Mayor James Hahn’s late father, Kenneth Hahn, was an L.A. city councilman and an L.A. County supervisor. The mayor also had one uncle who served on the City Council and a sister (Janice Hahn) who’s currently a member.

Inevitably the question arises: How does L.A.’s Hahn Dynasty measure up to China’s Han Dynasty at this point? A comparison is shown in box at right.

Stupid criminal tricks: It was something he didn’t learn in driving (or crime) school--how to operate a manual transmission. An alleged carjacker in Torrance couldn’t get the vehicle into reverse, police said, and had to have his victim help him shift.

He was still trying to master the transmission as he chugged through Gardena--and that wasn’t the end of his car problems. When police arrived, he tried to escape on foot but became tangled in the seat belt and was dragged several feet before being captured.

Skull phone user: In West Hollywood, my ever-roving correspondent Phil Proctor noticed a

creepy warning for those who dial and drive (see photo). Peter Johnson saw the same illustrations decorating underpasses on the Pasadena Freeway.

Speaking of risking death: On Fourth of July night, I spotted about 10 drivers parked on a shoulder of the San Diego Freeway in West L.A. There was no sign of an accident. Instead, several occupants were pointing at the fireworks in the sky, which they had evidently stopped to observe.

A job that pays a lot of dough: Doug Friedman sent along evidence that the pizza industry in Ventura is booming like nowhere else (see accompanying).

Mystery solved: I mentioned how puzzled I was by the visitor to Catalina who messaged the Chamber of Commerce to compliment the island on its salad dressing. Several readers, including David Terlinden, Deborah Schaeffer and Rosanne Erhardt, expressed shock that I didn’t know that Catalina is a variety of dressing made by Kraft (though not by the island of Catalina). Anyway, I’m a soup man.

Unclear on the concept: Harry Miller saw this label in a market: “Boneless Pork Loin Ribs.”

miscelLAny: Alfonzo Smith of Hawthorne caught the 1972 movie “Butterflies Are Free” and points out that a remark made about UCLA is as timely as ever.

Goldie Hawn’s character says: “I finished high school--just. My mother wanted me to go to college. I wanted to go to UCLA but I couldn’t find a place to park.”

And that wraps up our coverage of the Hans, Hahns and Hawns for today.

Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LA-TIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A., 90012 and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.