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Buckboard Day Festival Returns To Rowland Heights

The 37th Annual Buckboard Day Family Festival is coming back to Rowland Heights Park on Saturday, October 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The popular event is sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation.

In addition to live music, this year’s Festival will also include a Jr. High School Battle of the Bands, Buffalo Soldiers, Hay Rides, a Petting Zoo, and much more. Food and beverages are also available for sale during the Festival. The theme this year is, "Creating Community Through People.

Non-profit organizations from throughout the community are invited to participate by sponsoring an information, craft, food, or game booth. There is no charge for participating, but space is limited so be sure to reserve yours today.

Rowland Heights Park is located at 1500 South Banida Avenue in Rowland Heights. For additional information call (626) 912-6774.

County Provides Free Used Oil Recycling Centers

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works has teamed up with Corporate Sponsors Jiffy Lube, Kragen Auto Parts, and KFWB News Radio to educate Do-It-Yourself auto mechanics about the importance of recycling Used Motor oil and oil filters. In addition to the education campaign, Public Works and its co-sponsors are providing KFWB Team Blue free used motor oil and oil filter recycling collections events throughout Los Angeles County.

Team Blue used motor oil collection events will be available at participating Kragen Auto Parts Stores. Early arriving participants bringing used motor oil and oil filters to Team Blue events at Kragen Auto Parts will receive gift certificates, Kragen T-shirts, free oil filters, or other prizes while supplies last.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Used Oil Management Program, used motor oil is insoluble, persistent and can contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals. It’s slow to degrade, and it sticks to everything from beach sand to bird feathers. Used oil is a major source of oil contamination of waterways and can result in pollution of drinking water sources.

Public Works urges recyclers to take advantage of this program. Funding for this education campaign has been provided by the California Integrated Waste Management Board. The following is a list of Kragen Auto Parts store locations and event dates. All events will occur between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Kragen Auto Parts

10/19 Long Beach – 5151 Atlantic Avenue

10/20 La Crescenta – 2605 Foothill Boulevard

10/22 Alhambra – 800 East Valley Boulevard

10/24 Alta Dena – 737 East Altadena Drive

10/29 Arcadia – 37 Las Tunas Drive

11/3 Hacienda Heights – 15840 East Gale Avenue

11/10 Pasadena – 1860 East Colorado Boulevard

11/17 San Gabriel – 965 East Las Tunas Drive

11/24 Burbank – 677 North Victoria Boulevard

11/25 Torrance – 4900 190th Street

Newborn Safely Surrendered To Los Angeles fire Department In Boyle Heights

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce that a baby boy was safely surrendered in the City of Los Angeles last week.

The newborn Hispanic male was surrendered at a Los Angeles City Fire Station in Boyle Heights on Monday, October 1 and is reported to be in good health. As is standard practice, the baby boy is in protective custody and will eventually be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

I want to thank this newborn’s mother for doing the right thing, said Knabe. We have a law on the books to protect babies from abandonment and give the mother a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands.

This is the fourteenth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2007 and the sixty-first Safe Surrender since the program began six 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.

New Avalon Lifeguard and Paramedic Headquarters Funding Approved By County

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved a $3.897 million project to construct a state-of-the-art lifeguard and paramedic headquarters building in the City of Avalon on Catalina Island. Of the $3.897 million budget, $2.915 will be used for actual construction costs, while the remaining funds will be used for project management costs, furnishing and equipping the building, and a public art project for the exterior of the building.

The proposed project is a two-story, 7,005 square foot lifeguard/paramedic station which consists of a two-bay garage for housing a paramedic truck, a utility vehicle and watercraft trailers; an office with storage rooms; a reception area, with a public restroom.

The Avalon Lifeguard facility will also have one unique feature among all of the County’s similar buildings. This will be the first to include dormitory space for workers, which will consist of a living room, kitchen, dining room and bedroom space for up to eight people. County lifeguards on Catalina Island are on-call for 24-hour periods, meaning that anyone stationed in Avalon must secure housing in the City’s limited and expensive housing market. With the new building, lifeguards will be able to complete their shifts without having to acquire housing off-site.

The new building will be constructed on a parcel of land adjacent to City Hall that was donated to the County by the City of Avalon. Construction is scheduled to be completed by January 31, 2009.

Mental Illness Walk Comes To Santa Monica Promenade

The Fourth Annual Los Angeles National Association for Mental Illness NAMIWALKS for the Minds of America 5K event is taking place at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica on Saturday, October 6.

Scheduled to participate will be more than 5,000 walkers and supporters from Los Angeles County who are expected to raise more than $500,000 to support programs of education, research and advocacy for those who suffer from mental illness including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and severe anxiety disorders.

In 2006, NAMIWALKS for the Minds of America was held in 59 cities nationwide, attracted over 55,000 walkers/supporters who raised more than $5.5 million. Since its inception in 2003, a total of 150 NAMIWALKS for the Minds of America events have been held, engaged more than 133,000 walkers/supporters, and raised over $13 million.

On-site registration for the Los Angeles NAMIWALKS for the Minds of America 5K walk begins at 8:00 a.m., pre-walk activities commence at 9:30 a.m., and the actual walk starts at 10:00 a.m. For more information, contact Los Angeles NAMIWALKS for the Minds of America’s office at (213) 251-6557 or go to www.namiwalkslac.org

Knabe Provides $2.5 Million For The Renovation And Expansion Of The San Pedro Service Center

To ensure that the San Pedro Service Center remains a great community resource, Supervisor Knabe recently allocated $2.5 million to be used for the renovation and expansion of the San Pedro facility.

The facility, which opened its doors in 1972, has continued to expand its services over the years, while receiving few upgrades. In an effort to improve the condition of the 35-year old facility, Supervisor Knabe worked closely with many of the groups that use the Center. The studies revealed that the Service Center has simply outgrown its current configuration and will require substantial modifications due to the shortage of space and the overall condition of the building.

With the Supervisor’s funding commitment for the project now in place, the County will begin to study how to best expand the heavily-used facility. The top priorities for the remodel and expansion include: additional rooms for senior programs, more childcare classrooms, and meeting space for local community groups. The funding for the project came from Supervisor Knabe’s Fourth District capital project account.

The San Pedro Service Center is a vital community resource, said Supervisor Knabe. I want to ensure that the Service Center, which has served the San Pedro community so well, remains a great resource for the community for another 35 years and beyond.

The San Pedro Service Center is located at 769 West Third Street in San Pedro. The Center currently provides a wide array of services to the community, ranging from a senior meals program, child care services, computer and citizenship classes, food pantry, toy loan center, and more.

Governor Approves Knabe Plan to Slow Jail Early Release Program

A policy idea first proposed by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe last year, that would increase the electronic monitoring of convicted felons, has now been signed into statewide law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Bill, signed by the Governor yesterday, could allow thousands of inmates sentenced for minor, non-violent crimes to be shifted out of County jail beds and into electronic monitoring instead. This would allow the additional jail beds to be used to ensure violent criminals serve longer portions of their sentences, a problem that now exists under the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Early Release Program.

The idea for increased use of electronic monitoring was presented by Supervisor Knabe to the Board of Supervisors in July 2006. After the Board approved making Knabe’s plan a legislative priority, an author for the Bill was successfully sought in State Senator Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles).

Under the old state law, many convicted criminals were allowed to choose between a jail sentence and electronic monitoring. Many criminals chose jail time instead of the electronic monitoring option because they knew that under the current statistics of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Early Release Program, if they enter the County jail system, they will likely only serve 10-percent of the time they were actually sentenced with, as opposed to serving 100-percent of their sentence on electronic monitoring.

Supervisor Knabe’s proposal asked the Governor and legislators to revise the State law to ensure that the decision between electronic monitoring and a jail term is left to the law enforcement community and not in the hands of lawbreakers. Under the new law, electronic monitoring will become mandatory for certain non-violent offenders, and as a result, it will free up much-needed beds in County jails for the very worst offenders, who need to remain behind bars for more than just a fraction of their sentences.

If a criminal receives a 30-day sentence, then why would they agree to be electronically monitored that entire time if they know the loopholes of early release mean a 30-day sentence translates into only a few days behind bars, said Supervisor Knabe. The choice between the two should not be an option in the hands of convicted criminals. Criminals should not get to choose their punishment simply because one takes less time to complete. Length of punishment belongs in the hands of our judges and when a judge imposes a sentence, that sentence needs to stick.

Ultimately, we need additional jail beds to ensure that every criminal serves every day he is sentenced to, but until that day comes, this new Bill will ensure that the very worst offenders will remain behind bars and that the electronic monitoring option will be used only for non violent criminals. I applaud Governor Schwarzenegger, Senator Romero, and all the legislators who supported this important Bill.

Up to 2,000 inmates in the Los Angeles County jail system will be placed into electronic monitoring through the use of ankle bracelets. As of this week, there are only 413 offenders on electronic monitoring.

Discover Marina del Rey Day Set For October 7th

Discover Marina del Rey Day 2007, an annual day of family fun and activities, will take place Sunday, October 7, 11 am to 4 pm in Burton Chace Park, 13650 Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey.

The popular event is presented by Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water and sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and the Department of Beaches and Harbors.

Events this year include some of the most popular offerings of past years, such as the air-sea rescue demonstration in the Marina’s main channel by the United States Coast Guard and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and the inflatable games for children. Though the event is presented free to the public, those who want to use the inflatable games pay $5 for a wristband, which also includes access to snack carts and a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. Food and beverages are also available for sale in Burton Chace Park.

Among other exciting events this year are a screening at 12 noon, presented by the Los Angeles County Public Library and Sony Pictures, of the animated film Surf’s Up. From 1:00 to 3:00 pm, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the recording industries’ Music Performance Fund, through the assistance of Professional Musicians Union Local 47, will present a concert in the park with the Susie Hansen Latin Band, preceded from 12:30 to 1 pm by the Venice High School choral group, the Allegros.

The Bob Baker Marionettes will present performances throughout the day, preceded by Children’s Storytime given by the Lloyd Taber-Marina del Rey Library Children’s Librarian Kyla Kothman.

The Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation will offer unique arts and crafts workshops and Beaches and Harbors’ W.A.T.E.R. Youth Program will offer leisure kayaking from noon to 3 pm in the main channel for visitors ages 6 and up.

Throughout the day, a variety of exhibitor booths will offer vital information on health, safety and the environment. A tour of the Marina del Rey Anglers/Ocean Resources Enhancement Program White Bass Grow Out Pen will allow visitors to watch the counting and releasing of the sea bass.

The group will also sponsor youth fishing off the Marina pier for visitors ages 7 to 15.

Parking for the day is available at $5 in Los Angeles County Lot 4, near the park, at 13500 Mindanao Way. For event information,
marinadelrey.lacounty.gov

Knabe Announces New Funding To Improve Juvenile Probation Services

The Los Angeles County Probation Department will soon add dozens of new jobs that will benefit juvenile service programs, thanks to new funding totaling $4.6 million that was successfully sought by Supervisor Don Knabe. The new funding comes after Supervisor Knabe directed County budget staff to fund a reduction in field caseload levels within the Probation Department. The resulting recommendations include the $4.6 million allocation, which will fund 71 new positions.

34 of the positions are for the Juvenile Services Placement Bureau, to reduce the current caseload level down to 25 cases per Deputy Probation Officer. These positions will also improve efforts to properly manage and administer State and Federal regulations that govern case management.

33 of the new positions will be in the Juvenile Special services Bureau, which will reduce the current caseload to 50 cases per officer. This will help the department adopt a home-based service delivery model to increase family participation and decrease risk factors which lead to crime.

The final four positions will be Assistant Probation Directors in the Residential Treatment Bureau. They will support and assist camp managers in the administration of the juvenile camps.

Knabe Katch Fishing Derby Returning To La Mirada Regional County Park

Over 1,000 youth ages 3 to 15 will be angling for a prize catch at the Eleventh Annual Knabe Katch Fishing Derby this Saturday, September 29, 2007. This year’s event hosted by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and the La Mirada Kiwanis Club along with the City of La Mirada and the County Department of Parks and Recreation promises to be a fun-filled day for the entire family.

The fishing derbies are always fun events that children and families look forward to and many return to participate each year, said Supervisor Knabe. Even if a child has never fished before, there are volunteers on-hand to show them the art of casting a line and the fun of putting a worm on a hook.

The event will begin at 7:00 a.m. with a free pancake breakfast, followed by the derby kickoff at 8:00 a.m. Children may take part in free fishing and angler safety lessons as well as other activities. Each child will also receive a free t-shirt and be eligible for prizes in several categories.

La Mirada Regional County Park is located at 13701 South Adelfa Avenue in the City of La Mirada. For more information, call (626) 333-1369.