Jobs and the Economy

County Search And Rescue Team Honored

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Supervisor Don Knabe, and other members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors recently gathered to honor the 85 members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue Team, California Task Force 2, including six canine heroes and their handlers and 31 members of the CA-TF2 Deployment Support Team. The honors came after the team members deployed to Haiti following last month’s earthquake.

While in Haiti, the team saved the lives of nine people and provided medical care and support to numerous other people. The first team deployed on January 13, on a 14-day mission to assist the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in the rescue and recovery of earthquake victims in Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince. A second team was deployed for eight days beginning January 29, 2010, to provide rescue ready support and humanitarian aid as the country continued its recovery efforts, and returned to Los Angeles on February 7, 2010.

Renew A Federal Stimulus Program That’s Creating Local Jobs Now

By Don Knabe & Gavin Newsom

Despite hopeful signs that the worst of our nation’s economic crisis is behind us, unemployment rates across the nation remain stubbornly high.

In California, December payrolls were down another 40,000 jobs and at 12.4%, our joblessness rate remains among the highest in the country.

For the millions of Californians who seek the dignity of work and pride of a paycheck, a jobless economic recovery is no recovery at all. As local elected leaders, we see the human face of this lingering recession every day – the families and small business owners struggling to make ends meet.

That’s why we’re heartened by the renewed focus demonstrated by President Obama and Congressional leaders from both parties in Washington on helping local communities and our small and medium-sized businesses create jobs. There’s been much discussion lately about how many jobs have actually been created since last year’s passage of the $787 billion stimulus package. And in his State of the Union speech recently, President Obama called on Congress to pass a new federal jobs bill to help put people back to work. The new jobs bill is an enormous opportunity for lawmakers to give a boost to a little-noticed program from last year’s federal stimulus package that Los Angeles and San Francisco Counties are using right now to create thousands of private, nonprofit and public sector jobs.

The 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) set aside $5 billion nationwide – and $1.8 billion for California alone – to create what is called the "Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Emergency Contingency Fund (TANF-ECF)." That’s federal stimulus jargon for a work-subsidy program that provides federal funds to pay 80% of the wages for unemployed workers with a dependent child, including subsidizing wages for private sector and non-profit employers. By combining this program with funding for youth employment, Los Angeles County has already placed more than 10,000 County residents in jobs. In San Francisco, we call the program JobsNow, and we’ve put more than 1,650 people back to work for more than 800 local companies and nonprofit organizations.

Sound too good to be true? Thousands of people now working under this program in San Francisco and Los Angeles Counties and other California counties prove otherwise. As a result of this federal stimulus funding, thousands of Californians who would otherwise join the unemployment rolls are supporting their families and local businesses are continuing to thrive.

The JobsNow Program in San Francisco and the 10,000 Jobs Program in Los Angeles County are exactly in line with the Obama Administration and Congressional leaders of both parties’ priorities when it comes to incentivizing job creation. But our success locally in putting people back to work could come to a screeching halt – and throw thousands out of work again – when the program expires this year on September 30.

Amidst a jobless recovery, it simply makes no sense to end this program.

Fortunately, in his proposed Fiscal Year 2011 budget, President Obama is supporting an extension of the program for one year, to September 30, 2011. California’s own Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein are also supporting amendments to extend the program in the federal jobs bill. Representatives Judy Chu and Pete Stark are sponsoring a similar proposal in the House of Representatives.

California is America’s largest economy. Economic recovery and job creation here will help drive economic and job growth across the country. We strongly urge Congress to include an extension for this program in the new federal jobs bill. Let’s continue a federal stimulus program that’s working exactly as it was intended – putting thousands of people back to work now.

Don Knabe is a Republican Los Angeles County Supervisor

Gavin Newsom is the Democratic Mayor of San Francisco

Los Angeles County Creates More Than 10,000 Local Jobs

With President Obama’s State of the Union Speech expected to focus on job creation and retention, Los Angeles County has already reached a major milestone today in job creation. The County’s goal to create 10,000 temporary jobs locally has been achieved, but was also exceeded this week. As of today, 10,044 men, women, and young adults have been hired into jobs created by the program.

On March 3, 2009, Supervisor Knabe introduced the 10,000 Jobs Program, which utilizes almost $200 million in federal stimulus funding to create temporary subsidized employment opportunities in County departments, private sector employers, non-profit organizations, and in cities across Los Angeles County for CalWORKs welfare recipients.

CalWORKs is a welfare-to-work program that uses federal funding to provide temporary financial assistance and employment focused services to families. Most parents are also required to participate in employment services programs with the goal of finding work and getting off welfare permanently. The County’s 10,000 Jobs Program is an expansion of this effort. This portion of stimulus dollars must be used towards benefitting welfare recipients, lifting people off welfare rolls and from being a burden on taxpayers, and putting them into temporary jobs that may lead to permanent employment.

Under the rules of the federal funding, 80-percent of the cost of a subsidized worker will be covered by the government, and the employer is only responsible for 20-percent of the overall cost. The 20-percent can be further reduced by an employer’s supervision and training costs. Even though the jobs are located throughout the County, the South Bay Workforce Investment Board acts as the employer of record. They perform payroll functions, pre-screen candidates, and absorb Workers Compensation liability. A requirement for participating employers is that subsidized workers cannot displace existing employees.

More than 500 businesses across the County have hired employees through the program. Several cities have also hired workers through the program and more than 700 participants are actually working directly for the County, doing temporary seasonal jobs.

It is a tremendous achievement that we have surpassed the goal of creating 10,000 local jobs in such a short time, but we will not stop there, said Knabe. To recover our local economy, we are going to need to create thousands of more jobs, which is why the County is working with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to extend this funding, get the most out of it we possibly can, and create as many more jobs as we can before this funding eventually expires.

Even though the County’s 10,000 jobs goal was been reached, funding is still available and jobs are still being created. Two resources are available for employers looking to hire workers or for those looking for a job. The first is the County’s telephone hotline, 211. The second is a dedicated website, www.employmentstimulus.org

Supervisor Knabe Provides Funding To Support Future Automotive Partnership Building At Cerritos College

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe presented a check for $100,000 to Cerritos College on Monday, November 30. The funds will support the automotive partnership building, Southland Cerritos Center for Transportation Technologies, which is scheduled for completion in February 2010.

The new $6 million automotive partners building will be a unique facility serving the college and its private/industry partners.

Northwood University’s west coast program center, which offers a bachelor’s degree in automotive management for full-time students and working adults, will be using the classrooms in this facility. Meeting rooms and show rooms will be used by car dealers to provide ongoing training for their employees and conduct new vehicle model presentations.

When completed in 2010, the center will give the students exposure to the real life experiences of their chosen profession and perhaps provide an opportunity for student placement within the industry.

Knabe, who has been a great supporter of the college for many years, is impressed by this private/public partnership mode which brought many auto dealers together in support of this project.

This is a visionary kind of project, said Supervisor Knabe. Competing auto dealers are coming together in support of the new automotive partners building. This will play a large role in filling the ever-changing, highly-skilled employment needs of the auto industry. I’m glad to be part of this great project.

We appreciate the commitment and continued support from Supervisor Knabe, said Dr. Linda Lacy, Cerritos College President/Superintendent. We are excited about this partnership which will allow us to educate and train tomorrow’s automotive industry workforce.

Cerritos College has offered automotive technology training since the college was established in 1955. Each year nearly 1,000 students seek certificate degrees and special programs in the disciplines of automotive repair, advanced transportation technologies, auto collision repair, intelligent transportation systems and alternative fuel and hybrids, making it one of the most comprehensive programs in the United States.

As one of ten state Advanced Transportation Technology and Energy Initiative Centers, the Cerritos College Automotive Technology Program continues to be recognized as a regional and state leader.

Cerritos College’s Automotive Technology Program provides students with hands-on, nationally authorized training for GM, Ford, Chrysler and import vehicles, and operates a California Advanced Transportation Technology Center partially subsidized by the state to encourage development of alternative fuel sources.

Los Angeles County And Union Leaders Reach Major Agreement

Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, announced a major agreement today regarding several months of negotiations with the labor unions that represent County employees.

Under the agreement, every single County union and bargaining unit has agreed to a two-year, no change extension of their current contracts. The extensions include no cost-of-living increases or salary increases. The County’s union partners represent nearly 90-percent of the approximately 101,000 County employees.

"Our union partners stepped up and recognized the shared sacrifice we are all in right now," said Supervisor Knabe. "Los Angeles County is in difficult financial times, between diminishing tax revenue from the local economy and round after round of funding hits from the State of California. We are all in this together as we weather this economic storm."

Knabe Announces His 2010 Arts Education Partnership Program

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, is pleased to announce his 2010 Arts Education Partnership Program. This grant program targets non-profit organizations, community organizations, government agencies and schools across the Fourth Supervisorial District, and provides matching funds to support the various arts education programs.

The objective of the Arts Education Partnership Program is to increase and sustain well-rounded education in dance, music, theatre and the visual arts for K-12 students throughout the Supervisor’s District. All of the grant applications that are received will be judged by experts from the various arts disciplines.

To find out more about the program and to submit an application, please click on the links below to access the Guidelines and Instructions and the Application. Please be sure to read the Guidelines and Instructions first before starting the Application.

As stated in the Guidelines and Instructions, all applications and supplemental materials must be postmarked no later than November 4, 2009.

Click here for the guidelines.
Click here for the application.

Knabe Spotlights Economic Impact Of El Segundo Aircraft Manufacturer

Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, visited the Northrop Grumman F/A-18E/F Super Hornet assembly line in El Segundo this week to learn more about the positive impact the facility has on the regional economy.

Northrop Grumman is the principal subcontractor to The Boeing Company for the F/A-18E/F, the U.S. Navy’s frontline carrier-based strike fighter. The company produces the aft/center fuselage section and vertical tails and integrates all associated subsystems.

I was extremely impressed during this visit to see the obvious pride and dedication of Northrop Grumman’s people who work on the F/A-18E/F program, Knabe said. They should be commended for their contributions to delivering the Super Hornet to the men and women in our armed forces who count on it to keep them out of harm’s way.

Northrop Grumman has delivered more than 1,900 fuselage shipsets to Boeing since the original F/A-18 program began in the 1970s. The current F/A-18E/F program accounts for about 1,200 jobs in Los Angeles County and more than 10,000 jobs in California with over 700 supplier companies. The Super Hornet industry team includes Boeing, Northrop Grumman, GE Aircraft Engines, the Raytheon Company and more than 1,900 suppliers in the United States and Canada.

The F/A-18E/F entered service with the U.S. Navy in 2001. The Navy is expected to acquire a minimum of 506 Super Hornets and 88 EA-18G Growlers, which along with a previous order of 24 aircraft for Australia, will keep Northrop Grumman’s assembly line open for many years.

County Launches Emergency Notification System

Los Angeles County is unveiling a new emergency mass notification system to alert residents and businesses by phone, text, and e-mail of emergencies in their area, Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors announced today.

Called Alert LA County, the system will allow the Sheriff’s Emergency Communications Center to activate local and regional alerts by drawing the boundaries of the area to be notified on a computer map. Recorded and written alerts will provide information on the nature of the emergency and necessary actions, such as evacuations. The system is so precise it will allow the exclusion of a single home, useful in situations involving hostages or crimes in progress.

The County’s 7.1 million land-line phone numbers are programmed into the mass notification system, but the public must register Voice over IP lines, cell phones and e-mail addresses. The website http://alert.lacounty.gov may be used to register your cell phone number, Voice over IP phone number, and e-mail address with the Emergency Mass Notification System. Registration of this information can be done on the County’s Alert.lacounty.gov website. Each telephone number and e-mail can be associated with only one street address.

If a call is picked up by an answering machine when an alert is being issued, a recorded message will be left. If the number is busy or does not answer, the number will be redialed twice. The system has the ability to detect and communicate with telecommunication devices for the deaf (TTY/TDD).

The Alert LA County system project will cost $1.97 million cost over five years, which includes the purchase of the 911 data from the local telephone companies. Land-line numbers will be refreshed on a monthly basis to ensure accuracy and numbers registered on the website will be added to the database on a nightly basis.

State Proposal Threatens 10,000 Local Jobs Program

A program designed to create 10,000 temporary jobs across Los Angles County using President Obama’s stimulus funding is now at risk because of a State proposal to eliminate the CalWORKs welfare program.

On March 3, Supervisor Don Knabe introduced the program, which would utilize over $159 million in federal stimulus funding to create temporary subsidized employment opportunities for CalWORKs welfare recipients in County departments, private sector employers, non-profit organizations, and in cities across Los Angeles County.

CalWORKs is a welfare-to-work program that uses federal funding to provide temporary financial assistance and employment focused services to families. Most parents are also required to participate in employment services programs with the goal of finding work and getting off welfare permanently. The 10-thousand jobs effort is an expansion of this program. This portion of stimulus dollars must be used towards benefitting welfare recipients – so the goal of the 10,000 jobs program is to use it to create thousands of job opportunities – lifting people off of the welfare rolls and from being a burden on taxpayers – and putting them into temporary jobs that may lead to permanent employment.

The program is now in jeopardy, because when State leaders proposed ending CalWORKs last week, it threatened the cutoff of federal funding for welfare coming to California, including the $159 million in stimulus funding needed to make this program a reality.

There is a limited timeframe for when this federal funding is available, so we have no time to waste to make sure our unemployed residents can benefit from the thousands of jobs we can create with these funds. Our local unemployment rate is hovering around 11-percent and we have a major opportunity to do something about it, said Supervisor Knabe. This program is a win-win situation, and we intend to make the most of it. The problem is that Sacramento is once again about to screw up a good thing. If the threat of cutting CalWORKs continues, it jeopardizes these 10-thousand jobs and all the other "work" in welfare-to-work. Washington has the money, and Los Angeles County has the means. It’s time to make the 10,000 jobs initiative a reality.

Under the program and the rules of the federal funding, 80-percent of the cost of a subsidized worker will be covered by federal funds, and the employer will only be responsible for 20-percent of the overall cost. The 20-percent can be further reduced by an employer’s supervision and training costs. Even though the jobs can be anywhere in the County, the South Bay Workforce Investment Board acts as the employer of record. They perform payroll functions, pre-screen candidates, and absorb Workers Compensation liability. All sectors are being targeted, the public sector – including County departments and other public agencies, nonprofits (including community and faith-based organizations) and the private sector. A chief requirement for all employers wishing to participate is that subsidized workers cannot displace existing employees.

Two resources are available for employers looking to hire workers or welfare recipients looking for a job. The first is the County’s telephone hotline, 211. The second is a dedicated website, www.employmentstimulus.org

Knabe, Supervisors To Meet With Federal Leaders

Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, is in Washington, D.C. this week, leading the County’s annual legislative meetings with federal lawmakers. Over the next three days, the Board of Supervisors will meet with members of the California Congressional delegation, federal agencies, and other key decision makers.

Among the County’s top federal priorities this year are the reopening of MLK hospital, climate change impact on Los Angeles County, funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, and the continued development of an interoperable communications system that will allow public safety agencies to easily communicate with each other during a local disaster.

Supervisor Knabe will also be discussing the continuation of the C-17 program at Boeing’s Long Beach Plant, the need for additional dredging in Marina del Rey, and securing federal workforce investment funding in order to create temporary local jobs in Los Angeles County.

Supervisor Knabe will be available to discuss the County’s federal priorities with members of the media while he is in Washington, D.C. He can be reached through press secretary David Sommers, (213) 453-6446, or dsommers@bos.lacounty.gov. Supervisor Knabe also has a dedicated section of his website, containing video blogs about the County’s federal priorities, and downloadable copies of the issue papers. The site is available at www.knabe.com or www.knabe.com/dc