Emergency Preparedness

Early Warning Loudspeaker Systems to be Tested in Marina del Rey

The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors will test several different early warning loudspeaker systems at Burton Chace Park in Marina del Rey, Supervisor Don Knabe announced recently.

Several companies are competing for the County’s use of their device. The equipment is being considered as part of a mass notification warning system for residents and visitors in Marina del Rey in the event of impending danger from either a natural or human-made disaster. Beginning at 11:30 a.m., each vendor will give a brief presentation, and at 12:00 p.m. the actual tests of the devices will commence.

Three or four different devices will be tested; each device will be tested for approximately 30-45 seconds. The tests will include both siren tones (hi-low and wail) and voice broadcasts. For people in and around Burton Chace park the devices will be quite loud, but well within OSHA safety limits. The effective audible range of the devices will be an approximate 3,000 foot radius. Sheriff’s Deputies will be deployed in the park during the testing to maintain a distance between the devices and the public and to advise patrons.

If you have questions please contact Marina del Rey’s Sheriff’s Station Harbor Operations, Sergeant Mike Carriles, at 310-482-6033.

Marina del Rey Seawall Repair Project Now Underway

The first phase of a multimillion dollar construction project by Los Angeles County to repair several thousand feet of the seawall protecting Marina del Rey is now underway, Supervisor Don Knabe announced this week.

The Marina seawall consists of 728 reinforced concrete panels spanning approximately 7.2 miles of land within the Marina. Voids of varying sizes have been detected at the bottom of approximately 17,600 lineal feet of seawall resulting from consolidation and loss of underlying soils from groundwater fluctuations caused by tidal changes. The voids have the potential to compromise the long-term structural integrity of the seawall.

The first phase of the project is now underway and will target repairs along 1,600 feet of the seawall. The $5,350,000 budget for Phase I of the project will fund repairs on the largest and most critical gaps in the seawall. Construction includes grouting voids, placement of filter fabric and bedding stone, and installation of a 3-foot minimum layer of armor rock protection at the base of the wall.

Most of the work will be completed by a team of divers and a water-based derrick crane. In some areas, the rock will be placed using a land-based crane with the contractor coordinating the construction schedule with local businesses to minimize disruption of services and access to docks.

These seawall repairs are absolutely critical and will be completed as soon as possible, said Supervisor Knabe. This project is designed to further increase the safety of the residents and visitors of Marina del Rey.

Marina del Rey Dredging Project Update

The dredging has been proceeding very smoothly with no significant problems to report. Approximately 1/3 of the total 250,000 cubic meters in the Marina del Rey north entrance area has been dredged up to date. The full dredging operation is still scheduled for completion on or about March 15, 2007. The Marina del Rey Harbormaster will continue to keep the north entrance closed to boating traffic until it is safe to resume such traffic. A good description of the dredging project can be found at the following website:
www.spl.usace.army.mil/marinadelrey.htm

Knabe Congratulates New Port Director

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe offered his support and congratulations this morning to Geraldine Knatz, the newly named Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles. Knatz comes to her new job after serving as Managing Director of Development for the Port of Long Beach.

Geraldine is a great choice and I have truly enjoyed working with her over the years, said Supervisor Knabe. She has a strong knowledge of the issues facing our two port complexes that comes with the 24 years she spent at the Port of Long Beach and her several years with Los Angeles Harbor Department before that. Geraldine also shares my support and interest in the future of the Alameda Corridor and I look forward to working with her in this new role.

Both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach are located within the Fourth District, which Supervisor Knabe has represented since 1996.

There are many challenges ahead for whoever was ultimately selected to lead the Port, said Knabe. We must continue to find ways of keeping this complex competitive in an increasingly aggressive global market and, more importantly, we must work to constantly improve and upgrade the security of our ports from the ongoing threats of terrorism. I know Geraldine will do an excellent job in both areas.

Supervisor Knabe Appointed to California Statewide Emergency Council

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe has been appointed to serve on the California Emergency Council. The appointment was announced by Governor Schwarzenegger on May 5, 2006.

The California Emergency Council is the official advisory body to the Governor during an emergency and on issues of emergency preparedness. Additionally, the Council may advise the Governor on the State Emergency Plan and on the approval of orders and regulations.

I am honored to have been appointed by the Governor, said Supervisor Knabe. I am looking forward to the opportunity to advise the Governor on the important issues this Council will take up.

The California Emergency Council has a total of 10 members. Members do not receive a salary and the position does not require confirmation by the State Senate.

Nearly $25 Million Awarded for Port Security Upgrades

The Los Angeles / Long Beach Port Complex will soon benefit from nearly $25 million in federal grants for fortifying security throughout the port facilities.

The grants were announced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as part of the Port Security Grant Program (PSGP). The award for the Long Beach port area is $12,768,629. Another $11,447,716 is heading to the Port of Los Angeles. PSGP funds address key national priorities by helping to protect ports against small craft and underwater attacks and vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.

This Grant is another strong recognition by Homeland Security about the importance of ensuring the safety and security of our port complexes in Los Angeles County. We must ensure the continuous, uninterrupted flow of commerce through our ports and this funding will help us do exactly that, said Fourth District Supervisor Don Knabe.

In order to receive funding, eligible port terminals requested funding for eligible projects – especially projects addressing port security priorities. All applications were reviewed by the local United States Coast Guard port captains and scored on uniform rating criteria.

In addition to the awards announced this week, over the past five years, the Grant Program has provided $489 million to enhance dockside and perimeter security in our nation’s seaports.

Knabe Opens Long Beach Multicultural Health Education Center

Supervisor Don Knabe was on-hand to help open the City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) new Miller Family Health Education Center (FHEC) located at 3820 Cherry Avenue in Long Beach. The building’s completion marks the culmination of a six-year, public-private partnership.

The City of Long Beach has taken a leadership role in creating a health education center that is important to local residents because it is focused on our diverse population, said Knabe who represents Long Beach. Much of what we do in public health deals with education and prevention.

The most unique feature of the FHEC is the Multicultural Pavilion, a conference training facility with simultaneous language interpretation technology to deliver program content to audiences in three languages simultaneously.

The 2000 Census identified the City of Long Beach as one of the most ethnically diverse large cities in America. The census also pointed out that over forty percent of Long Beach households do not speak English at home. The Miller Family Health Education Center is an innovative approach towards reaching the entire community in a culturally and linguistically appropriate fashion.

The FHEC will reach diverse community members dealing with chronic diseases like diabetes, a condition over-represented in African-American and Latino populations. Presentations on managing medications can be presented in Spanish and English at the same time. The facility will also accommodate childcare services for families attending health education workshops and meetings. Some of the outreach and education programs, which were brought together to operate out of the FHEC, will focus on Latino Diabetes management, Child Health Disability Prevention, Tobacco Education and HIV/AIDS prevention, among others. The state-of-the-art center is dedicated to community and provider health education, leadership development, and collaborating with community residents as well as health and human and social services providers in the greater Long Beach area.

Partnering organizations that provided capital and programmatic support include Kaiser Permanente, which donated the building, the Earl B. and Lorraine H. Miller Family Foundation, The California Endowment, the Boeing Company and the Center for Natural Lands Management. Additional local and regional organizations and foundations such as the Bixby Land Company, the Port of Long Beach, Molina Healthcare, the John H. Hancock Family Foundation and the City of Long Beach Board of Health and Human Services have joined the FHEC Circle of Giving in support of the center.