Yearly Archives: 2013

Gangs embrace lucrative human trafficking business

Over the past several years, Los Angeles County has seen a significant increase in the number of sexually trafficked youth and is now recognized as one of the major hubs for sex trafficking in the state and nation. It is sickening that children, some as young as 10 years old, are forcibly coerced and manipulated into selling their bodies.

Untold numbers of these children fall victim to predatory adults, many of whom have ties to criminal street gangs. They are sexually exploited and abused in unspeakably brutal ways, all for commercial gain. Criminal street gangs have embraced human trafficking as a lucrative revenue source; as sex trafficking now rivals narcotic sales as the major source of revenue for many gangs.

As a way to combat the sex trafficking of young girls by gang members, I will ask the Board of Supervisors this week to support and co-sponsor legislation that would add pimping, pandering, and human trafficking to the list of crimes that are associated with gang activity.

Senate Bill 473, authored by Senator Marty Block and sponsored by San Diego County, would create tougher penalties for gang members convicted of human trafficking, such as adding a three year prison sentence for anyone convicted of a human trafficking crime that occurs on or within 1,000 feet of a school.

This legislation would be a major step forward in putting an end to the physical and mental abuse of these young girls.

Hacienda Heights Community Breaks Ground on New Orange Grove Park

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe joined local officials in the groundbreaking celebration for the future 5.5-acre Orange Grove Park.   The County entered into a 40-year ground lease and joint use agreement with the owner of the property and the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District to develop the park.  Following active community involvement during the three-year planning and design stages, a construction contract award was made to C.S. Legacy Construction to get the project on its way.

The Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles (CDC) is overseeing the development of the new $4.029 million park funded by the office of Supervisor Knabe.  Orange Grove Park will include a new graded roadway and pedestrian ramp, parking for 15 vehicles, a unique sundial entry plaza with celestial bodies and orbit patterns depicted in colored concrete with a sandblasted finish, restrooms, shaded picnic areas, playgrounds, walking paths, and an exercise course with fitness equipment.

The park landscape will feature a wide range of drought tolerant plant material containing both native and non-native species such as oak and sycamore trees that will shade the site.  Water usage will be controlled and monitored by a satellite-linked irrigation controller and drainage that has been designed to retain water onsite and direct excess runoff to several bioretention areas.  Construction is scheduled for completion in February 2014.

“It is exciting to break ground on a project developed with input from the residents, and designed by a team of professionals whose goal is to ensure that Hacienda Heights residents have new green space where their children can play, and neighbors can gather to enjoy their community,” said Supervisor Knabe.

Orange Grove Park is made possible with the support of the County’s Fourth Supervisorial District, the CDC, the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, community members, and the design team of Katherine Spitz and Associates.

The park is located at 14517 Orange Grove Avenue, in Hacienda Heights.  Once completed, it will be operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.  For more information on park services, please call (310) 965-8602.

County to Break Ground on New Orange Grove Park in Hacienda Heights

WHO:

  • Don Knabe, Chairman Pro-Tem, Supervisor, County of Los Angeles
  • Sean Rogan, Executive Director, CDC
  • Russ Guiney, Director, Department of Parks and Recreation

WHAT: Following active community involvement during the three-year planning and design stages, Los Angeles County officials will join in the groundbreaking celebration for the future 5.5-acre Orange Grove Park.

The Community Development Commission of the County of Los Angeles (CDC) is overseeing the development of the new $4.029 million park funded by the office of Fourth District Supervisor Don Knabe.  Orange Grove Park will include a new graded roadway and pedestrian ramp, parking for 15 vehicles, restrooms, shaded picnic areas, playgrounds, walking paths, and an exercise course with fitness equipment.  The park will feature a unique sundial entry plaza with celestial bodies and orbit patterns depicted in colored concrete with a sandblasted finish, and a wide range of drought tolerant plant material containing both native and non-native species.

Orange Grove Park is made possible with the support of the County’s Fourth Supervisorial District, the CDC, the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, Hacienda La Puente Unified School District, community members, and the design team of Katherine Spitz and Associates.

WHEN:          Wednesday, February 27, 2013, 3:30 p.m.

WHERE:        14517 Orange Grove Avenue, Hacienda Heights, CA  91745

MEDIA
CONTACT:   Elisa Vásquez, CDC, (626) 586-1762

Rancho Palos Verdes Students to Communicate with International Space Station

Third grade students at Soleado Elementary School in Rancho Palos Verdes will experience the learning opportunity of a lifetime when they communicate with astronauts aboard the International Space Station on Monday, February 25 at approximately 11:53am PST.

Soleado Elementary School was selected to participate in the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program, which partners with NASA to increase student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through real world applications of classroom learning.

Students will have contact with Commander Chris Hadfield for approximately 8 minutes as the International Space Station passes over Rancho Palos Verdes, allowing for students to interact and ask questions using a Ham radio set.

The event will be live streamed on Afterschoolplayground.com, and will be available for viewing following the event on Knabe.com. The live stream will begin 30 minutes before the communication begins.

For more information, please contact Lara Hanlon at 310-408-7050.

First Safe Surrender of 2013 Occurs at Van Nuys Hospital

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success for the first  time this year with the report of a safely surrendered newborn baby girl. This most recent safe surrender occurred on February 10, 2013 at a hospital in Van Nuys.

As is standard practice, the newborn is in protective custody and will be placed with families approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

“After the horrifying news in December of a baby being found at a recycling center, I am relieved to hear that this newborn is safe and will be part of a loving family,”  said Supervisor Knabe. “I’m thankful that this mother decided to surrender her baby, rather than put her in a harmful situation. As word spreads about the Program, mothers in desperate situations can make the right choice for their babies and themselves, because of Safe Surrender.”

This is the first Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2013, and the 104th since the program began over eleven years ago. The program was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in 2001. It allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.

Knabe to Call for More Regulation of “Maternity Hotels”

At the Tuesday, January 29th Board of Supervisors meeting, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe will call for more rigorous zoning restrictions to combat the rise in maternity hotels in LA County, particularly in the San Gabriel Valley.

“Across the United States, the recent trend in “birthing tourism” has led to money- making schemes that put the health and safety of mothers and babies in jeopardy,” said Supervisor Knabe.  “We have had an increase in complaints from neighboring residents, concerned about the well-being of those in these homes, as well as concern about the quality-of-life in residential neighborhoods when these facilities are allowed to operate.”

In response to the January 14, 2013 Status Report on Knabe’s Board Motion Regarding Postpartum Recovery Homes, he will ask for the Board’s support to direct County Counsel to draft a proposed ordinance to regulate these boarding houses, while also calling for the CEO to lead multi-agency inspection teams.  He will also request funding to assist the inspectors with additional staff and Mandarin/Cantonese translators to communicate with occupants.

“These maternity hotels have grown beyond the scope of a zoning issue.  The conditions inside some of these houses are putting the lives of the mothers and babies at risk and we must do what we can to protect them and stop this illegal activity,” said Knabe.

Knabe Calls for Healthcare System Outreach Plan

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe  yesterday called for the County, its unions and partners to begin development of a marketing campaign to educate the public about the County’s health system in advance of the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in January 2014.

Since its passing, the County’s Health Services Department has been aggressively preparing for the ACA, including addressing operations and technology required under the new mandate.  The ACA is expected to make healthcare coverage available to up to half of the County’s roughly 1.8 million uninsured people.

“While the County will remain the safety net for hundreds of thousands of residents who will remain without insurance, we are now entering the new world of a competitive marketplace,” said Supervisor Knabe.  “We must begin to tell the story of the County healthcare system to those who will now face choice in selecting their healthcare provider.”

With unanimous approval, the Board directed the CEO, in conjunction with the County’s Health Services and Public Social Services departments, labor unions, USC and UCLA, and other partners to develop a comprehensive strategy to explain the County’s public-private health care system to residents and potential enrollees.

LA County has the second largest public health system in the country with a $3.5 billion annual budget.  Every year, the County sees 2.9 million outpatients.   Sixty-four percent of those who come to County facilities are uninsured.

“While the County may have been a system of last resort in many minds, the truth is we have some incredible facilities and staff,” said Supervisor Knabe.  “We need to start telling that story.”

Hope for the nameless

Last week, I received a call from Debi Faris, the woman I credit with creating the Safe Surrender program. She operates the Garden of Angels, a cemetery for abandoned newborns and was recently given the release of the baby girl that was found abandoned at the recycling plant in the City of Industry last month.

“Supervisor, will you bless this child with a name?” she asked.

Hearing those words, I became sick to my stomach. This child, thrown into a dumpster by her mother, was still nameless, awaiting her burial and I was going to name her as she was laid to rest. It was horrifying to think this mother could just throw her daughter away and was even worse to think this baby girl didn’t even have a name.

I decided to honor this precious baby girl with the name “Hope Angel.” She will be buried next week, surrounded by the only sense of family she has: a name.

Later today, a new public service announcement for the Safe Surrender program will launch state-wide.

This PSA is a powerful tool for conveying the message to mothers in desperate situations that they can make the right choice for their babies -and themselves- with the Safe Surrender program. The Safe Surrender program was created to give a mother, no matter what the situation, a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands and to protect a baby from abandonment: No shame, No blame, and No names. So far, in Los Angeles County, we have been able to save the lives of 103 infants. I am confident this PSA will help save the lives of many more.

What happened in December in the City of Industry is a reminder that we have a lot more work to do in spreading the word of the Safe Surrender program. We will continue our efforts for Hope Angel and all the other newborns who have lost their lives.

May Hope Angel rest in peace.

Knabe Announces 2013 Arts Education Partnership Program

Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce his 2013 Arts Education Partnership Program, as part of “Arts Education Week” in Los Angeles County.  In its 12th year, the program supports high quality arts education by providing matching funds to non-profit organizations, community organizations, government agencies and schools across the Fourth Supervisorial District.

The Arts Education Partnership Program is designed to increase and sustain well-rounded education in dance, music, theatre and the visual arts for K-12 students. All of the grant applications that are received will be judged by a panel of experts from the various arts disciplines.

The deadline for organizations to apply for the Arts Education Partnership Program is Thursday, February 28, 2013.  A workshop will take place at the Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 which will provide an opportunity to learn more about the program.  In addition, there will be information on Visual and Performing Arts Standards and best practices in lesson planning.

The 2013 Arts Education Partnership Program Application and program guidelines can be downloaded from Knabe.com. Completed applications must be emailed to the Arts Education Partnership Program at aepp@bos.lacounty.gov no later than 11:00pm on February 28, 2013.

Board of Supervisors Approves Knabe’s Call for Extension of Protest Period for Clean Water Measure

Following the conclusion of the Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure Public Hearing and the testimony of hundreds of concerned stakeholders, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Supervisor Don Knabe to allow for more time for protesting the proposed parcel tax.

“We continued to hear complaints from residents, businesses, school districts, churches and non-profits that this process has not been open and transparent,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Even as the Board was hearing testimonies at the public hearing, my office was receiving emails and phone calls from residents asking where they could get a protest form and how they could protest the measure.”

Supervisor Knabe’s motion, the public hearing and protest process would be extended for an additional 60 days and address several key issues in the process including the feasibility of an online protest option and addressing the concern of double taxation for those that are already capturing and treating storm water.

“Many property owners and businesses are already doing the things the parcel fees is meant to achieve; this is a double tax for them,” said Knabe. “Renters should have a voice as an increase in parcel fees would likely be passed on to them.  Everyone wants clean water – put this to the voters so they can decide if this fee is how they want to try to achieve that.”

Supervisor Knabe’s motion also instructed the Department of Public Works to provide a process for placing the initiative on a general election ballot, define a specific list of clean water projects, determine a possible sunset date for the measure and develop a potential alternative method of funding storm water quality projects.