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Library at Palm Elementary School in Hacienda Heights to Receive Major Upgrade

The recently renovated Wonder of Reading Library at Palm Elementary School in Hacienda Heights will soon receive new tables, chairs and books, thanks to a $10,000 grant approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Don Knabe announced this week.

Palm Elementary School, located at 740 East Palm Avenue in Hacienda Heights, provides education to approximately 375 students in grades one through six. The school recently combined two of its rooms into one large room, which will be the site of the new library. All that the library needs now is furniture and books to be operational. The furniture and books will be funded by a $10,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDGB) allocated to the Fourth District. The books, which have been ordered, are scheduled to arrive by June 30.

I am thrilled that a new library at Palm Elementary School will soon become a reality, said Supervisor Knabe. I hope the students at Palm will take full advantage of all that their school’s new library has to offer.

Tracy High School in Cerritos Offers Toy Loan Program to Student Parents

The successful, free Toy Loan Program found throughout the County is now being offered at Tracy High School in Cerritos, Supervisor Don Knabe announced recently.

By participating in the program, students in the Teen Parent Program will receive high school credits and their children can borrow one of over 100 available toys, then return the toy and check out others. Much like a traditional library, the loan program will not only give kids the chance to enjoy a toy, it will teach them responsibility and accountability. Children who participate in the Toy Loan Program will be able to check out toys from Toyrarians at the center.

After a week, children receive a good mark if they return their toy on time and undamaged. After earning 20 good marks, children are rewarded with a brand new toy. Individuals, toy manufacturers and other companies can donate new and refurbished toys for the free program.

Genalyn Kaminsky will head up the Toy Loan Program at Tracy High School. Kaminsky is no stranger to the Toy Loan Program; for the past seven years she has been a Toyrarian at Flournoy Elementary School in Los Angeles.

The program is a collaborative effort of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Department of Public Social Services.

Seniors To Get Help With Telemarketing Fraud, Identity Theft, Real Estate Fraud, Other Financial Fraud

Seniors and their families will get help and learn how to protect themselves against elder financial frauds at a free forum being presented by Supervisor Don Knabe and the Department of Consumer Affairs.

The "SMARTER SENIORS FORUM" will be held on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at San Pedro Service Center, located at 769 West Third Street in San Pedro.

Representatives from several agencies will provide information and help, and will take complaints from seniors who are victims of fraud. Topics will include the following:

– Telemarketing fraud, fake lotteries and prizes, and phony charities

– Identity theft, collections, and credit problems

– Real estate fraud, foreclosures, and reverse mortgages

– Financial abuse by caregivers, family members and conservators

– Living trusts, wills, and conservatorships

– Insurance policies, coverage and schemes

– Special property tax programs for seniors

– Cash advance loans and instant tax refunds

Other participating agencies include the Los Angeles County Department of Community and Senior Services, California Department of Corporations, California Department of Insurance, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles County Treasurer and Tax Collector, Los Angeles County Bar Association.

Educational materials will be distributed by Los Angeles County Area Agency on Aging and the Community Outreach for Independent Living.

Taste of the Heights Festival Returns to Pathfinder Park in Rowland Heights

Supervisor Don Knabe in conjunction with the Hacienda Heights Improvement Association, Rowland Heights Coordinating Council, local community groups, local businesses, sponsors and the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation will host the 4th Annual Taste of The Heights Festival at Pathfinder Park.

The Taste of The Heights, which has been established as a featured annual event in Rowland Heights, is a fun evening under the stars with food, wine tasting, and the smooth sounds of jazz from 94.7 THE WAVE. The Taste of The Heights Festival will showcase fine food from local restaurants to demonstrate the cultural diversity of the Heights. Each restaurant will provide an array of their most exquisite food entrees for patrons to sample. This will be the second year for the Kid Zone where youth 12 and under will have their own food tasting, and entertainment.

The festival will be held on Wednesday, May 23, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m, at Pathfinder Community Regional Park, which is located at 18150 East Pathfinder Road in Rowland Heights. For ticket sales and information contact (626) 333-1369. Children under 6 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.

2007 Arts Education Program

Supervisor Don Knabe joined over three dozen arts education groups who were grant recipients of the 2007 Knabe Arts Education Partnership Program for a reception at the Long Beach Art Museum.

Any 4th District school or non-profit organization that plans to offer a program relating to arts youth education was eligible to apply. The organizations must also currently work in the 4th District. The funding for the Arts Education Partnership Program comes directly from Supervisor Knabe’s discretionary account for funding local projects within the 4th District.

Review and selection of programs that received funding was completed by a panel of experts and professionals from various arts disciplines and backgrounds from the 4th District.

From my youth, the arts have been a personal passion of mine. Children with opportunities in arts education have a lifelong benefit. The arts enrich the lives of so many people and add to a vibrant community, said Supervisor Knabe. I am confident that this year’s grant recipients will continue our mission of providing quality arts programs for our residents.

Plan Will Keep Social Security Services in San Pedro

With the future of the San Pedro Social Security Administration (SSA) Office in jeopardy due to a scheduled closure, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe has offered a solution to use County facilities to keep the office open for business. Facing budget constraints and the scheduled end of an existing lease, the San Pedro SSA office is set to close in October 2008.

Concerned about the negative impact such a closure would have on the community, Supervisor Knabe collaborated with other local elected officials to keep the much-needed services local. Supervisor Knabe offered the free use of office space in the County’s San Pedro Service Center in an effort to maintain the SSA presence in San Pedro.

Approximately 300 people visit the San Pedro Social Security Office on daily basis, many of whom are senior citizens or those with disabilities. The next closest SSA Office is the Long Beach District Office, which is eight miles away.

Removing Social Security services from San Pedro would be very problematic for many of our elderly and disabled residents in this community who need these services, said Supervisor Knabe. Using the San Pedro Service Center as a Social Security site is a practical way of keeping these vital services in this community.

Summer Beach Shuttle to Offer Expanded Service

The Beach Shuttle which serves Playa Vista, Marina del Rey and the Venice Beach Pier will soon offer expanded service to Fisherman’s Village in Marina del Rey, Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce.

The Beach Shuttle will begin operating Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays plus holidays from May 25 to September 3. This year, the Beach Shuttle will also offer a one-day service on September 30th to and from the Abbot Kinney Festival in Venice following the same summer route. The Beach Shuttle, which is free of charge and open to the public, is funded by a combination of funds from Supervisor Knabe and Playa Vista.

The clean-fuel shuttles will circulate hourly along the route on Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to midnight, and Sundays and holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.. A special Beach Shuttle schedule will operate during the Marina del Rey Summer Concert Series to drop off and pick up passengers at Burton Chace Park; this will allow people attending the concerts to leave their cars at home. On Classical Thursdays, (July 12 and 26; August 9 and 23), the shuttles will operate from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.. On Pop Saturdays, (July 21; August 4 and 18; September 1), shuttle hours of operation will follow the regular Saturday schedule from 10:00 a.m. to midnight.

This free shuttle is a fantastic resource in the area, and I encourage the community to utilize it, said Supervisor Knabe. Now with its expanded service, it is even more accessible to the beach-going public.

The Beach Shuttles leave Playa Vista at 10:15 a.m. and continue with hourly pick-ups and drop-offs at all marked bus stops along the route including Admiralty Way and Fiji Way, Fisherman’s Village, Admiralty Way and Admiralty Park, Admiralty Way and Palawan Way, Via Marina and Panay Way, Washington Boulevard and Pacific Avenue, Washington Boulevard and Via Marina, Admiralty Way and Mindanao Way with the return to Playa Vista. Space is also available for bicycles on the Beach Shuttles so passengers can cruise along the bike path once they exit. Riders can beat the traffic this summer and enjoy the ride.

New Program to Clean Up Short-Stay Hotels in Wilmington/Harbor Area

Supervisor Don Knabe announced a new program today that will soon be addressing criminal activity and public nuisance complaints at short-stay hotels in the Wilmington and Harbor Gateway neighborhoods.

The "Harbor Area Vendor Voucher Pilot" is a partnership initiated by Supervisor Knabe between the County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the City Attorney’s Office, the City Department of Housing and the City Department of Building and Safety to address the mounting public concerns over Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotels in the Wilmington/Harbor area.

These SRO hotels have been generating numerous code and safety complaints in the communities where they are located. The LAPD has been getting frequently called out to these hotels to deal with problems, and the owners were being cited again and again for zoning violations.

Under the program, which officially launches on June 1, the County, who pays the hotel owners $27 per night to house General Relief recipients for up to 14 days, will ensure the property owners comply with meeting code and safety citations imposed by the City. If the owners don’t comply and clean up their properties, they won’t get paid by the County.

Over the past year, this County-City partnership has fine-tuned the workings of the program by testing it on the Bonnie Lee Hotel in Wilmington, which has been a center of criminal activity and non-compliance with building codes. Cleanup of this test site has proven successful and the results of the test will be incorporated into the larger program.

"These hotels have been a hotbed of criminal activity for far too long, and it’s time we held the owners of these hotels accountable for the conditions that are festering on their properties, said Supervisor Knabe. Since the County funds these hotels, it’s only logical that we bring up our ability to cut off their funding if they don’t comply. The partnership with the City has been extremely helpful, and I understand that conditions are improving in these hotels already."

10th Annual Los Angeles River Master Plan Earth Day Event

Jordan High School students, local residents and partnering organizations joined Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe today in Long Beach to plant various native trees and shrubs in celebration of the 10th Annual Los Angeles River Master Plan Earth Day Event.

The Earth Day event also included a ribbon cutting ceremony to dedicate a decorative gate designed by local river artist Michael Amescua. The installation of the decorative gate was sponsored by Supervisor Knabe and the Port of Long Beach.

This year’s Earth Day was part of a larger Public Works comprehensive project called the Wrigley Greenbelt Project. The Wrigley Greenbelt area is a stretch of County owned land between Willow Street and Wardlow Avenue along Deforest Avenue. The goal of this project includes landscape enhancements to help improve the urban air quality and increase health benefits to the neighboring communities.

This project will also add educational elements such as native habitat gardens and interpretive signage to promote public information and awareness about the watershed and the surrounding environment.

In addition, the proposed water quality enhancements include water retention features to collect, filter and percolate storm flows from the adjacent residential areas.

Bellflower Hospital Receives Safely Surrendered Newborn

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is happy to announce that a baby girl has been safely surrendered in the City of Bellflower. The newborn was surrendered at Kaiser Permanente Hospital and is reported to be in good health.

The surrender occurred on Sunday, April 29, however it is normal for the initial report to take several days to be confirmed as meeting the legal criteria of the Safe Surrender Program. As is standard practice, the baby girl is in protective custody and has already been placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

I am always thrilled by news of a surrender, said Supervisor Knabe. This little girl has a healthy life ahead of her and she is truly a testament to the success and importance of the Safe Surrender Program.

This is the second Safe Surrender in Bellflower in 2007. The previous surrender occurred on March 26, also at Kaiser Bellflower. There have been a total of 11 Safe Surrenders throughout Los Angeles County in 2007 and 58 Safe Surrenders since the program began. This most recent surrender equals the most that have ever occurred in a single year. There were 11 surrenders throughout the County in all of 2006.

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.