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Los Angeles County Adopts Green Building Construction Plan

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted a series of changes this week to building design policies for County construction projects. The new standards will require all new County buildings over 10,000 square feet to meet strict sustainability guidelines set by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Among the sustainability rules adopted by the Board are requirements that buildings commissioned by the County include drought-resistant landscaping, water use efficiencies, natural indoor lighting and recycled construction materials whenever appropriate. The County Data Center, currently under construction in the Fourth District on the campus of Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, was designed to meet the new standards and will be the first County facility to apply for LEED certification once construction is complete.

This is an opportunity for Los Angeles County to be a leader in sustainable construction. We already own or operate over 5,000 buildings, from animal shelters to office buildings, to fire stations and we are building dozens of new facilities every year, said Supervisor Don Knabe. Using sustainable design techniques in the construction of these buildings will have an important impact in reducing the use of resources needed to operate our facilities.

The new construction policies adopted this week are not the only changes the County has made in the area of sustainable operations recently. The use of recycled water for landscape irrigation is already occurring at several County parks and golf courses. At Supervisor Knabe’s direction, the Department of Public Works is currently investigating ways to expand uses of recycled water for other purposes across the County.

Long Beach Courthouse to Gain Expanded Services at Free Legal Center

Less than eight months after its grand opening, the free Self-Help Legal Access Center at the Long Beach Courthouse will soon benefit from new and expanded services. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved additional funding for the facility today which will be used to pay for additional staff, including lawyers, paralegals and support staff.

The Center is part of a larger public outreach project undertaken by County leaders to improve access to justice for all members of the community. The Center’s staff can assist the public in completing legal forms, offer legal options and provide information that helps the public understand court rules and procedures.

The Long Beach Center is joined by four other existing Legal Access Centers at other Courthouses throughout the County. Since the first facility opened in the Van Nuys Courthouse in 2000, the centers have combined to serve over 100,000 Los Angeles County residents. All residents of Los Angeles County with business at the Long Beach Superior Courthouse are eligible to access the Self-Help Legal Center, regardless of income.

Rancho Palos Verdes Resident to Chair Countywide Probation Commission

Gabriella Holt of Rancho Palos Verdes has been re-elected to serve a second term as President of the Los Angeles County Probation Commission. Holt has served as Supervisor Don Knabe’s appointee to the Commission since May 2002.

Gabriella is a passionate advocate for the health, education and welfare of all children in Los Angeles County, said Supervisor Knabe. Her advocacy efforts to pursue opportunities for our at-risk and probation youth will enable them to leave the juvenile justice system, return to their families and be redirected back into their communities.

Prior to her to election as President of the Probation Commission, Ms. Holt served two terms as a member of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District Board of Education. Presently, she is the General Manager of Rancho Palos Verdes City Television, Channel 33.

The Probation Commission is authorized to act in an advisory capacity to the Chief Probation Officer and brings expertise from the community and private sector. The Commission also supports multi-agency interaction with families and juveniles in the system and serves as an advocate for an effective Juvenile Justice System.

Free Self-Help Legal Access Center Coming to the Torrance Courthouse

Fourth District residents looking for help with navigating through the Superior Court system will soon have another free resource available. This comes after Supervisor Don Knabe and his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors approved funding to open a free Self-Help Legal Access Center (SHLAC) inside the Torrance Courthouse.

All residents of Los Angeles County with business at the Torrance Superior Courthouse are eligible to access the Center, regardless of income. Although exact hours of operation have not yet been set, the agreement requires the Center to be open during regular court days and hours.

I am very happy that we will be bringing a second Self-Help Legal Access Center into the Fourth District, said Supervisor Knabe. My colleagues and I on the Board of Supervisors are committed to providing excellent service to the residents of Los Angeles County, and these Centers will provide residents, who might not have the ability to pay for an attorney, with free access to basic legal resources and information.

The SHLAC is not a new concept in Los Angeles County. Six other Centers already exist and have proven highly successful in other parts of the County. The Fourth District’s first Center opened last April at the Long Beach Courthouse and has been a big success.

While employees and volunteers of the SHLAC will not be able to provide legal advice or offer direct representation, staff members will be able to provide information on preparing forms, service of process, courtroom procedures and appropriate courtroom demeanor.

County Homeless Needs Your Help

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) will be conducting a Homeless Count throughout the County. LAHSA is actively recruiting volunteers to help with the Count.

Tasks could include actually going out on the streets during this time to count the number of observed homeless, coordinating surveys of homeless persons, coordinating deployment of volunteers, etc.

This is an incredible opportunity to give housing to the homeless. Before approval of this program, we had virtually no way to ensure that homeless men and women leaving our hospitals would receive safe housing or appropriate care, said Supervisor Knabe. I am grateful to the City of Los Angeles for their help with my proposal and I look forward to hearing the results of this pilot program.

Mentors Sought for South Bay Foster Youth

The Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) Torrance Office has partnered with the South Bay Community Partnership Council to coordinate and implement a community-based mentor program for foster youths called the South Bay Mentors Coalition. The program is now actively seeking adult volunteers in the South Bay community (from Inglewood down to Palos Verdes Peninsula) to become mentors as a means to help local foster youth become successful adults. Mentors provide the youth with exposure to a positive range of opportunities and life experiences along with serving as role models – validating and encouraging the youth’s abilities, talents and potential.

The minimum suggested commitment for volunteers is one year, with 8 hours of in-person contact and 1 to 2 hours of collateral contact (e-mail, phone calls, etc.) per month with the youth or on the youth’s behalf. "A little quality time can make a lasting impact," said Jan Springer, a Coalition mentor volunteer.

Torrance Regional Administrator Harvey Kawasaki said the program offers volunteer mentors a great avenue to give back to their community by providing foster youth with a connection to a caring adult.

"As these kids come of age and exit the foster system, this program will be invaluable for them to successfully transition to adult society. Most people who live here don’t realize the South Bay area is home to thousands of children who are living apart from their families because of abuse, neglect or other unfortunate circumstances," he said.

A foster child’s connection to an adult can make a big difference. Eighty-one percent of the youth feel that talking with adults helps reduce teen pregnancy. Fifty-three percent credit mentors with improving their ability to avoid drugs and 59 percent of mentees see their grades and/or attendance improve after they received help from their mentor.

Youth who participate in mentor programs are generally between the ages of 12 and 18. They may be academically lagging or high achievers. They many be in a stable placement or may have experienced a succession of caregivers. Most have little or no support system other than their social workers, foster parents or group home staff. All can benefit from some guidance and feedback from a respected and caring adult.

Mentor orientation meetings will be held on January 20th and on February 6th and 21th in the South Bay area for those who want to learn more about mentoring a foster youth. If you are interested in attending one of these orientations to learn about becoming a mentor, please contact Marsha Morton, DCFS Mentor Liaison, at (310) 972-3129. For more information, log onto:
www.Mentors4FosterYouth.org

Free Golf Lessons To Be Given At La Mirada Golf Course

The L.A. County Junior Golf Program is offering free golf lessons, after school, for the first 36 juniors to sign up for each program. Please fill out the application and either mail it in or fax it to (626) 447-8573. You will be notified by mail or by phone, one week prior, if your application is accepted or not.

Click Here to Download Application

January 22-26, 2007
3:45pm to 5:00 pm

January 29-February 2, 2007 3:45 pm to 5:00 pm

You may only enroll in one program and spots will be filled on a first come basis. The first 15 minutes of each program will be used for check-in and clubs will be provided for those who need to borrow them.

The Los Angeles County Junior Golf Program is sponsored by the Department of Parks and Recreation and is geared to introducing youngsters (18 and under) to County facilities through a series of free golf lessons. Juniors will learn how to use the driving range, putting and chipping greens through professional instruction. They will also learn valuable life skills such as integrity, honor, dedication and commitment.

Space is limited. Please return application to:

L.A. County Junior Golf Program

Attention: Mike McMonegal, Program Director

301 North Baldwin Avenue

Arcadia, CA 91007

Seniors Survey Ends January 31, 2007, Last Chance for Input

Los Angeles County-Seniors’ survey of unmet needs is coming to an end January 31, 2007. Senior citizens aged 60 and over, will have the rest of January to complete the L.A. County Seniors Count! survey and be counted. Advocates such as the Los Angeles County Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council and the Los Angeles County Commission on Aging are urging seniors to start the New Year right by not missing the opportunity to have input in the countywide needs assessment of seniors’ unmet needs.

"About 12,000 have responded, but there are 1.3 million seniors aged 60 and over in Los Angeles City and County-our goal is to receive at least 20, 000," said Commissioner Bernard Weintraub, Chairman of the L.A. County Seniors Count! Needs Assessment project.

The City and County Area Agencies on Aging receive federal and State funds to provide services to those aged 60 and over in Los Angeles County and the services are, for the most part, of no cost to seniors. Services that are provided with these funds include in-home services, case management, nutrition counseling, congregated meals, home-delivered meals, legal services, employment services, and information and assistance. In order to determine the best way to allocate these resources, the area agency must know which services are of greatest need to the seniors they are serving. The results of the survey will have an impact on the type and degree of services to be offered in the future.

Senior Centers and Aging service providers are being asked to help get the word out to seniors that this is their last chance to participate through January 31, 2007 to have their "voices heard" and their views incorporated into the delivery of services they are eligible to receive. "We cannot plan services in a vacuum; we need to know directly from the seniors, from all segments of the community, what they desire so that we can prepare for the future," said Banks, Director, Community and Senior Services/Area Agency on Aging.

Seniors may complete the survey on-line in English or Spanish at
www.ladcss.org
at home, at the local public library and many senior centers. For surveys and locations of senior centers, call 213-738-2600 and leave a message with your name, address and number of surveys you are requesting.

Surveys are available and may be completed on-site at most local senior centers and public libraries throughout Los Angeles County. Mail the surveys directly to: Cheryl Scolaro, Community and Senior Services, 3175 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90020.

Go on-line at www.ladcss.org
for previous press releases and information concerning this project.

First Friday’s at County History Museum

The Natural History Museum stays open late for its monthly First Fridays series of evening events featuring engaging original discussion, film, live performance and curator-led tours on January 5, February 2, March 2, April 6, May 4, and June 1.

Created to engage the public in an open, dynamic and thought-provoking dialogue, this Winter/Spring First Fridays series is entitled The Diversity of Life. The interactive series presents a cross-section of contemporary perspectives on aspects of biodiversity and how it relates to our cultural world and daily lives.

Upcoming First Fridays will treat biodiversity from six different perspectives, including shifting habitats, environmental hot spots, the economics of ecology, climate change, migration and the complex ocean environment.

Each themed evening features a curator-guided tour through one of NHM’s galleries, a moderator-led forum with today’s top thinkers, scientists, environmentalists and authors followed by live performances by acclaimed musicians and DJs.

Friday, January 5, 2007 (extended Museum hours to 10:00 p.m.) Your Place or Mine?

Explore the places we call habitats , our home, body, the natural landscape, cityscape, or places that may have existed yesterday, evolved to this day, or may occur tomorrow. Dr. John Harris, Chief Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, leads a guided tour and presentation in the African Mammal Hall. Join moderator Hope Tschopik Schneider, host and science writer Margaret Wertheim, and ocean activist Wallace J. Nichols, director of the Pacific Ocean Region at the Blue Ocean Institute, as they discuss how shifting boundaries may stress or destroy places, species, or change the things we produce. This thought provoking dialogue precedes performances by experimental soul group The Life Force Trio and the creative, cosmic-percussion ensemble Hu Vibrational in their west coast debut.

Guided Tour/Presentation (5:30 p.m.): Dr. John Harris

Discussion (6:30 p.m.): Hope Tschopik Schneiderm, Margaret Wertheim, Wallace J. Nichols

Performances (8:00 p.m.): The Life Force Trio; Hu Vibrational

Application Period Opening for County Arts High School

Eighth-, ninth- and 10th-graders with talent in the visual and performing arts are invited to apply for the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts’ fall 2007 semester. Arts High — a tuition-free public school located on the campus of Cal State Los Angeles — combines conservatory-style arts training with a college preparatory academic curriculum.

Ninety-five percent of Arts High graduates go on to higher education, and many are recruited by the world’s finest arts institutes, according to the Los Angeles County Office of Education, which runs the campus that was founded in 1985. Notable Arts High alumni include actress Jenna Elfman (“Dharma & Greg”), recording artist Josh Groban and writer Josefina Lopez (“Real Women Have Curves”).

Students who reside in Los Angeles County may apply to audition in one of the following areas: theater, dance, music (vocal and instrumental) and visual arts.

The deadline to apply for the theater department is Feb. 2, with auditions scheduled for Feb. 25.

The application deadline for the dance, music and visual arts departments is March 2, with auditions/portfolio screenings to be held on April 1.

For information and applications, go to www.lachsa.org or call (323) 343- 2565.

Applications also are available by sending a double-stamped (78-cent) self-addressed legal-size envelope to:

LA County High School for the Arts
Attn: Ben Fonseca
5151 State University Drive
Kennedy Library North 1034
Los Angeles, CA 90032