“I am proud of the Fourth District choirs that are participating in Los Angeles County’s Annual Holiday Celebration,” said Supervisor Knabe. “This holiday event is an incredible tradition filled with rich culture, eclectic sounds, and fun for the entire family.”

Among the groups performing three are based in the Fourth Supervisorial District:

• Family Life Sanctuary Choir (Whittier)
• Second Samoan Congregrational Church Choir (Long Beach)
• South Bay Children’s Choir (El Segundo)

Holiday Celebration information is available online at www.holidaycelebration.org, Facebook.com/LAHolidayCelebration or by calling 213-972-3099.

Watch the Holiday Celebration video featuring some of the artists who will be performing in this year’s show http://youtu.be/9BxMG8yfScY.

The mural by the artist duo David Russell and Roberto Del Hoyo, from MobileMuralLab, wraps around the concessions and restroom buildings and a retaining wall on the beach, transforming the look of the beach facilities. Since Dockweiler is the only L.A. County beach with public fire pits, visitors from all over Los Angeles County use the beach after dark. The artwork incorporates an innovative glow-in-the-dark feature that can only be viewed after sunset.

The mural resulted from a collaboration with Dockweiler beachgoers and the artists from MobileMuralLab. The text-based content of the mural was gathered from participants interviewed at free events on May 26 and June 23 called Nite-Write. Crowds of more than 200 people on both occasions shared beach stories and painted their names and the names of the communities where they live with ultra-violet paint on the sides of MobileMuralLab’s converted search-and-rescue truck. The truck will be open to the public at the dedication and will show documentary footage from the Nite-Write events.

This event is open to the public; no reservations are needed. Parking is free at Lot #1 at Dockweiler State Beach, 12000 Vista del Mar, Playa del Rey, CA 90293.

For more information about this project, please visit the L.A. County Arts Commission’s Web site at http://lacountyarts.org/civicart/projectdetails/id/207.

The popular bike trail winds its way along the coast from Will Rogers State Park in Los Angeles, through the cities of Santa Monica, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach, to Torrance County Beach in Torrance.

Phase I of the project includes the reconstruction of about two miles of asphalt and concrete sections of the trail and the sealing of other segments along a five-mile stretch from 45th Street to 1st Street in Manhattan Beach, and from Torrance Boulevard to Calle Miramar in Redondo Beach.

Trail users are advised that weekday access may be limited in Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach within project construction zones, which will not exceed more than 1,000 feet in length. Detour signs will be posted to assist bicyclists and others in avoiding the construction zones. There will be no construction activity or closures on the weekends and the bike trail will be open.

The $410,000 project is being funded by the Fourth Supervisorial District Capital Improvement Funds. It is expected to be completed by the end of November.

For further information about the project, call Jolene Guerrero, Office Engineer, at (626) 458-4975.

Metro is currently preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/DEIR) to identify transit improvements that would provide an alternative to the I-405 corridor by accessing the regional rail network through connections to the proposed Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor, currently under environmental review.

As part of the Draft EIS/EIR, Metro will assess existing conditions in the study area, further refine the project alternatives, assess their potential impacts and identify possible and reasonable mitigation measures.

Two ‘build’ alternatives are being considered in the DEIS/DEIR. The Light Rail Alterative will evaluate extending the Metro Green Line from its current terminus at the Redondo Beach Station to the proposed Torrance Regional Transit Center (RTC).

The freight track alternative will evaluate operating self propelled rail transit vehicles on the Harbor Subdivision right-of-way using upgraded rail tracks from the El Segundo/LAX area to the proposed Torrance RTC. In addition the Draft EIS/EIR will evaluate the No Build and Transportation Systems Management alternatives.

The public is encouraged to attend the community meetings and provide their input. Discussed at the meetings will be a project overview and update, a recap of the Scoping Meetings that took place earlier this year and a progress report on the project alternatives and proposed station locations.

The following is a list of upcoming meetings:

Wednesday, October 20, 2010 (6-8 p.m.) Nakano Theater, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance.

Thursday, October 21, 2010 (6-8 p.m.) Lawndale Christian Church, 4234 W. 147th Street, Lawndale.

Monday, October 25, 2010 (6-8 p.m.) North Redondo Senior Center, Perry Park, 2308 Rockefeller Lane, Redondo Beach.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010 (6-8 p.m.) Flight Path Learning Center, 6661 West Imperial Highway, Los Angeles.

Click Here for more information about the South Bay Metro Green Line Extension Project

The $3.41 million project will create an Automated Data Acquisition and Telemetry System that will enable the County’s Department of Public Works to remotely collect, store and analyze information on the operational conditions at facilities associated with the project. By creating a unified communications system between the wells, engineers can control the West Coast Basin Barrier remotely from a centralized monitoring facility. This will allow for more rapid changes in the injection system and better monitoring of the groundwater supply in the underground aquifers.

The West Coast Basin Barrier is comprised of 153 injection wells that stretch from the Palos Verdes Peninsula, north to Los Angeles International Airport. By injecting water into these wells, seawater from Santa Monica Bay is prevented from seeping into the critical freshwater aquifers underneath the Los Angeles Basin. Seawater intrusion is the movement of ocean water into fresh groundwater, causing contamination of the groundwater by salt.

In Phase 1 of the project, which was completed in April 2010, the County constructed a 12-inch-wide underground conduit which the future telecommunication controls of Phase 2 would eventually run through. The West Coast Basin Barrier Project is located in the Cities of El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and Torrance. Access to adjacent properties will remain open during construction and traffic impacts will be minimal.

The project and exhibition has been approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Fire Chief and the Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors. It involves creating and installing hand-painted artwork on form-fitting art panels on four sides of more than 100 lifeguard towers and their roof tops. Painting of the panels began in January and installation will begin in May. This weekend, on Saturday, February 20, Los Angeles County Lifeguards, will be painting exterior tower panels between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at 13535 Mindanao Way, in Marina Del Rey.

This is a unique and truly wonderful opportunity for hospitalized youngsters and others to discover, grow and show the world their creative abilities, said Steve Powell, of the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Association. What better way to show the world the amazing creative powers of our young people than to put their work on public display on Los Angeles County beaches visited by millions of Americans every summer.

In January, Portraits of Hope began daily program sessions throughout L.A. County schools, hospitals, and youth groups. Participants began to learn about public art, civic education, and teamwork while engaging in creative therapy. They began painting pre-designed panels that, in keeping with the job lifeguards do, represent environmental and healthy lifestyle concerns. Many will be painting with their mouths or feet, added Powell.

Portraits of Hope projects serve as creative therapy for thousands. Portraits of Hope has provided children and adults facing cancer, burn trauma, spinal injuries, HIV/AIDS, head and brain injuries, and other serious medical problems with innovative, fun, and therapeutic activities that let them enjoy and take pride in themselves during their medical care and rehab.

To meet individual needs of children and adults with disabilities, Portraits of Hope has developed specialized brushes and painting methods including telescoping paint brushes for children and adults in wheelchairs or attached to IVs, shoe brushes for children and adults with injured upper limbs or who cannot manipulate a brush with their hands, and flavored mouth brushes for those with limited or no movement in their arms and legs.

Portraits of Hope’s numerous bedside visits provide creative therapy to hospitalized children from toddler to 17. They are a great inspiration to these kids and to everyone else. We are extremely fortunate to have this organization serving our community, said Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe.

Ultimately, over 5,000 local children and others from schools, hospitals and youth groups will be involved in the project. Previous Portraits of Hope Projects, including NASCAR racecars, airport control towers, the Osaka Sports Arena, and all of NYC’s taxicabs. The group’s efforts have received national and international attention. For more information, visit www.portraitsofhope.org

The protective fencing follows a three-year study by Audubon chapters of the roosting sites of Western Snowy Plovers on LA County beaches. Cooperating in the protections for the birds are US Fish and Wildlife Service; California Department of Fish and Game; Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors; California Coastal Commission, Santa Monica, Palos Verdes/South Bay, and Los Angeles Audubon Societies; and, biologist Tom Ryan of Ryan Ecological Consulting.

This effort will serve as a model for protecting sensitive resources while allowing appropriate beach access to the public that wish to surf and walk along the shore around the Snowy Plover enclosure. For information regarding Snowy Plover conservation, contact
tern@laaudubon.org

The new 2.3-mile path, which runs along an abandoned rail Right-of-Way from Lakewood Boulevard to Caruthers Park, is now open to walkers and bicycles. Horses and motorized vehicles are not permitted.

The project budget was over $2 million, and Los Angeles County was able to help out with a large portion of that – with $400,000 coming from Proposition A funds and an additional $100,000 coming from Supervisor Knabe’s Competitive Grant Program.

I’m so pleased to have been part of the project that encourages fitness and strengthens the community, said Supervisor Knabe. I want to encourage other cities to add on to it to increase access for bike paths and connectivity with the San Gabriel and Los Angeles River Bike Paths.