On November 5, 2024, Danny Hang, MSW ’11, the son of refugees from the Vietnam War who grew up in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California, won his first election to public office. As a new member of the West Hollywood City Council, he is proud to represent the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community as one of the only members of color. The inspiration to mount a political campaign, Hang says, began with his educational experience at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. 

When Hang decided to run for City Council, he reached out to Sam Mistrano, associate professor at USC Social Work, for support and guidance. An expert in policy practice, Mistrano challenges his students to take a broader view of how to effect change, advocate for reform through elected officials, testify at public hearings, and examine what is required to run for public office. Hang credits Mistrano with igniting his passion for social policy.

“Before his class, I didn't know social workers could be involved in policy,” Hang said. “But Sam Mistrano taught me the importance of policy and it became my wheelhouse.” 

Now that he is elected, Hang is excited for the opportunity to apply all he has learned, working alongside his colleagues on the council to create policies that have a direct impact and benefit for the West Hollywood community. 

“We need more social workers in government because we get more things done,” Hang said. “I've always wanted to serve in a larger capacity and use my social work education to make a bigger community impact and help influence legislative policy.” 

Hang was inspired to become a professional social worker after serving in his first post-undergraduate job at the Social Security Administration, assisting individuals in receiving their Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. After completing his MSW, he joined the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association, helping deputy sheriffs, firefighters, probation officers and other county employees receive benefits if they became permanently disabled. Through this position he became a passionate advocate for disability rights, and caught the attention of Lindsey Horvath, former mayor of West Hollywood and now Los Angeles County Supervisor, who appointed him to the West Hollywood Disabilities Advisory Board. 

“It is so fantastic that another social worker is very actively going to make and oversee implementation of policy in Los Angeles,” Mistrano said. “Danny Hang will join Mayor Karen Bass, another USC MSW graduate, as a local ally and policy champion. I am so excited to see how his term in office develops and am eager to find ways my current and future students can actively participate in policy initiatives.” 

Bringing his lived experience to politics

Hang’s childhood perspectives have shaped his policy priorities today. His parents built a middle-class lifestyle for their family out of their humble beginnings as immigrants — his father as a machinist at Boeing for 30 years and his mother as a small business owner of a nail salon. 

“My dad taught me the value of workers and of paying workers a fair and equitable wage with benefits,” Hang said. “I grew up respecting workers and wanting to fight for workers, but also wanting to uplift small businesses because I saw how hard my mom worked to maintain hers.” 

Bringing his family’s combined labor and business values to his work on the City Council is important to Hang. He is also proud that his campaign was endorsed by 21 labor organizations as well as the Los Angeles County Business Federation. 

“I want to protect the workers in our city, safeguard the minimum wage but also support our local businesses,” Hang said. “You can support businesses while also protecting workers.” 

Hang points out although it is a mere 1.9-square-miles with 36,000 residents, the City of West Hollywood allocates almost $8 million annually for social services programs, including HIV prevention treatment, STD treatment, women’s medical care, transgender medical care, addiction and recovery care, disability services, legal services and food equity. Every resident of West Hollywood is entitled to eight free mental health counseling sessions through a local clinic. The city also partners with Project Angel Food, which was instrumental in feeding disabled and older adult residents during the pandemic. As a city comprised of 80% renters, Hang says he plans to work with his colleagues to protect rent control and renter’s rights, while also focusing on the development of  more affordable housing. Likewise, another priority for Hang are his unhoused neighbors, and the need for housing infrastructure that includes supportive services on site to keep them from returning to the streets. 

“I was blessed to be born in in America and enjoy the freedoms that my parents escaped their country to preserve for themselves,” Hang said. “I found my way to West Hollywood, a land where I feel included, and I feel safe. I look forward to giving back by supporting my constituents and our community.”