Hahn Backs Completion of Belmont

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn said Monday that he supports the completion of the Belmont Learning Center, a massive high school complex west of downtown that has been stalled by concerns about environmental hazards.

Hahn’s approval gives an extra boost of support for the beleaguered project, which Los Angeles school district Supt. Roy Romer has been pushing to finish. The Board of Education is expected to vote on the matter today.

In the past, Hahn has expressed reservations about whether the environmental problems could be resolved. The school is built on a former oil field.

But in a letter to the board on Monday, Hahn wrote that he is satisfied that new measures will provide additional insurance against environmental hazards.

“The problems that have plagued this project must not reoccur,” Hahn wrote. “The community has placed its faith in this school board to see that the Belmont project is completed in a timely manner. They will be watching, as we all will, to ensure that the [district] not only meets but exceeds expectations.”

In the morning, the mayor welcomed a new class of police recruits to the Police Academy. The 49 men and women beginning the program make up the largest training class since August 2000.

“You know, you’re going to get the best training there is, so we want you to stay,” Hahn said as he shook the hands of cadets at the training center.