Earlier today, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve a balanced $27 billion operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Our years of fiscal prudence have paid off, allowing us to address critical issues such as the criminal justice system, our jail facilities and the child welfare system. While the County remains in good financial standing, we need to refocus our efforts on creating jobs locally, especially for those hit hardest by the recession. That is why I asked the Interim Chief Executive Officer to identify additional funding in the budget to support our youth jobs program. We are expecting to employ more than 12,000 youth this year, but I believe we should look for ways to expand our efforts and offer young people meaningful work experiences and skill-building opportunities. It’s been said that “small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.” By increasing the available funding for this program, we’ll be able to give even more young adults that same opportunity.

Speaking of jobs, the Board of Supervisors will begin discussions tomorrow over raising the minimum wage in unincorporated Los Angeles County to $15 an hour. While I support the idea of creating a minimum wage policy for County employees, I do have concerns about moving forward with a Countywide Minimum Wage Ordinance for a number of reasons. My first concern is the business reaction to the increased built-in costs. It’s still undetermined how businesses will absorb these new wages. They could freeze hiring, reduce hours, raise prices or even replace workers. Another issue I have is the impact on unemployment. Our studies have shown that a minimum wage increase would not make a positive impact on unemployment, create jobs nor move people out of poverty. My third issue is with indexing the wage increase to inflation or any kind of automatic process. When the great recession struck, we weathered it by working with our unions and agreeing to freeze wages, thereby avoiding layoffs and furloughs. Unlike other jurisdictions, our flexibility enabled us to avoid economic collapse and preserve our safety net services. If we tie business’ hands with mandated increases, we limit their options in an economic downturn.

Let me be clear: You cannot raise a family on a minimum wage in Los Angeles County. But we must be prudent in how we get there and ensure that we are actually helping those we are trying to support. Placing this entire burden on the backs of business is not the solution and passing the additional costs on to the consumer is not good public policy either. Let’s be thoughtful and do this right. I do not want to be in a position of making promises we can’t afford to keep.

George Redfox, photography teacher at Downey’s Warren High School, is accustomed to preserving moments in time with the click of a camera. But his love of local history led him to take a deeper exploration into the city’s physical structures, and create the Downey Conservancy in 2010.

“It’s exciting to walk in old houses and buildings, and think about what happened in those rooms,” said Redfox. “We recognized a few years ago that many people do not know the history behind Downey’s early structures, so we wanted to start capturing that story and educating residents.”

The community-based nonprofit organization is dedicated to promoting and supporting the preservation of the culturally and historically significant resources of the City of Downey with a special focus on its “built” structures.

Downey’s birth dates back to the late 1800’s with early Spanish settlers, and later grew into a farming community. After World War II, it took shape as a suburban neighborhood with middle-class families, many of whom worked at Rockwell International to support the aircraft and space industries.

Redfox notes Downey is quite famous for its historical fast-food presence.

In 1953, the third McDonald’s restaurant was built in Downey, and today is the oldest original McDonald’s in the country. The Johnie’s Broiler drive-in restaurant and coffee shop, which has been featured in movies and sitcoms, was built in 1958. And in 1962, the very first Taco Bell started serving the popular fast-food Mexican fare. The original Taco Bell structure was later used by a different taco company, but closed in December 2014.

Outside the restaurant scene, the Conservancy is also in the final stages of securing the city’s Molly Pitcher Estates a spot on the California Register of Historic Places. An estimated 42 Ranch-style homes, built in the 1950s, ushered in the predominance of front-facing garages with the rise of the automobile.

The Conservancy wants to ensure these early homes, designed by legendary designer Otto Hansen, are recognized for their architectural contribution, and protected for future generations.

“If all passes, the property values in that area will likely see a 20 to 40 percent increase,” said Redfox. “And we’ll make sure the original look of these homes remain intact for years to come.”

While the Conservancy is still young, Redfox notes the community is increasingly becoming aware of its presence and joining the group’s Facebook community, and also the Conservancy itself. Membership is free, but donations are encouraged.

“It’s refreshing to see our community care so deeply about preservation,” said LA County Supervisor Don Knabe. “While Los Angeles and its many surrounding cities are young compared to many parts of the country, we have some remarkable landmarks and structures. I’m thankful we have citizens documenting these pieces of history and ensuring many generations can enjoy the structures in the years ahead.”

To learn more about the Downey Conservancy, visit thedowneyconservancy.org.

Last week in the midst of California’s worst drought in recorded history, Governor Jerry Brown took executive action to enact the first-ever statewide mandatory water reductions. He directed the State Water Resources Control Board to impose restrictions to achieve a statewide 25 percent reduction in urban water usage through next February. Although locally we’ve made progress in reducing our water usage, County residents should prepare to implement additional water conservation measures.

Regionally, the County continues to play a leading role in implementing water saving efforts such as low impact development and green streets, drought-tolerant landscaping, water wasting ordinances, as well as supporting key legislation and policy. We’ve made big strides to conserve water, but there is still more work to be done. Despite rain in the forecast for tomorrow, there is little drought relief from mother nature in sight.

That is why at tomorrow’s Board of Supervisors meeting, I’ll put forth a motion that instructs the Chief Executive Officer to work together with the Department of Public Works to review Governor Brown’s new water restrictions and report back in 30 days on its impacts to the Waterworks Districts and County unincorporated areas. They will also report back with recommendations on how to best implement the new restrictions.

In this time of crisis we all need to do our part to save this precious natural resource. As the largest county in the state of California, we must set an example of conservation for others to follow.