Today President Barack Obama proclaimed May 20-26 as National Small Business Week, as presidents before him have done for the past 49 years.  This week we celebrate all those who have followed a dream, taken a risk and “hung their shingle.” The federal government says there are 27 million small businesses across the country.  According [...]

Last week, we were back in Washington, D.C. for the County’s annual trip to the nation’s capital.  As the largest county in the United States, this trip is very important to ensure that the issues facing our constituents are top-of-mind with our congressional delegation and federal officials. This year we were focused on two major [...]

April 12, 2012 The Honorable Wendy Greuel City Controller City of Los Angeles 200 N. Main Street, Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dear Controller Greuel: This letter provides comments on the draft report regarding the Coliseum Commission and its internal financial controls that your staff shared yesterday with John Sandbrook, interim General Manager, and [...]

The fight to end the horrors of child sex trafficking continues in Los Angeles County.  Earlier this year, I directed the County’s Probation department to develop a comprehensive plan to support the victims of this horrible crime.  They are developing some groundbreaking programs that I hope other communities across the nation can model. In the [...]

As part of my role as Supervisor, I attend a lot of events in an effort to get out and see the 2 million people of Los Angeles County’s Fourth District.  One of my favorite events is the annual Amistad Gala benefiting Rancho Los Amigos hospital in Downey. Last weekend, I again had the pleasure [...]

Fourteen years ago, an idea and vision was dreamed of by Jose G. Ramos. In 1998, Ramos, a Vietnam veteran participated in a World T.E.A.M. Sports’ 16 day, 1,250 mile bicycle ride through Vietnam. His journey took him through the war-torn areas of Vietnam that he had fought in over a quarter of a century [...]

At last week’s meeting, the Board granted permission for the Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMS) to enter into agreements with local fire departments to improve patient data collection.  The first pilot program will be with the Long Beach Fire Department, beginning later this year. EMS coordinates services for the County, which includes 30 fire departments [...]

In the spirit of “you can’t make this up,” I learned recently about a federal regulation that guides the operations of the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS).  This is the County department which manages all of the General Relief payments and food stamps. Participants receive updates on their cases and program announcements on a [...]

Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to appoint Philip Browning to lead the County’s Department of Children and Family Services. During his tenure in Los Angeles County, Philip has inspired a great deal of confidence with his leadership at Child Support Services, Public Social Services and as the interim director of [...]