Issues
MANIPULATED: Child Sex Trafficking in Los Angeles
Knabe to Call for More Regulation of “Maternity Hotels”
At the Tuesday, January 29th Board of Supervisors meeting, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe will call for more rigorous zoning restrictions to combat the rise in maternity hotels in LA County, particularly in the San Gabriel Valley.
“Across the United States, the recent trend in “birthing tourism” has led to money- making schemes that put the health and safety of mothers and babies in jeopardy,” said Supervisor Knabe. “We have had an increase in complaints from neighboring residents, concerned about the well-being of those in these homes, as well as concern about the quality-of-life in residential neighborhoods when these facilities are allowed to operate.”
In response to the January 14, 2013 Status Report on Knabe’s Board Motion Regarding Postpartum Recovery Homes, he will ask for the Board’s support to direct County Counsel to draft a proposed ordinance to regulate these boarding houses, while also calling for the CEO to lead multi-agency inspection teams. He will also request funding to assist the inspectors with additional staff and Mandarin/Cantonese translators to communicate with occupants.
“These maternity hotels have grown beyond the scope of a zoning issue. The conditions inside some of these houses are putting the lives of the mothers and babies at risk and we must do what we can to protect them and stop this illegal activity,” said Knabe.
Knabe Calls for Healthcare System Outreach Plan
Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe yesterday called for the County, its unions and partners to begin development of a marketing campaign to educate the public about the County’s health system in advance of the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in January 2014.
Since its passing, the County’s Health Services Department has been aggressively preparing for the ACA, including addressing operations and technology required under the new mandate. The ACA is expected to make healthcare coverage available to up to half of the County’s roughly 1.8 million uninsured people.
“While the County will remain the safety net for hundreds of thousands of residents who will remain without insurance, we are now entering the new world of a competitive marketplace,” said Supervisor Knabe. “We must begin to tell the story of the County healthcare system to those who will now face choice in selecting their healthcare provider.”
With unanimous approval, the Board directed the CEO, in conjunction with the County’s Health Services and Public Social Services departments, labor unions, USC and UCLA, and other partners to develop a comprehensive strategy to explain the County’s public-private health care system to residents and potential enrollees.
LA County has the second largest public health system in the country with a $3.5 billion annual budget. Every year, the County sees 2.9 million outpatients. Sixty-four percent of those who come to County facilities are uninsured.
“While the County may have been a system of last resort in many minds, the truth is we have some incredible facilities and staff,” said Supervisor Knabe. “We need to start telling that story.”
Knabe Announces 2013 Arts Education Partnership Program
Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce his 2013 Arts Education Partnership Program, as part of “Arts Education Week” in Los Angeles County. In its 12th year, the program supports high quality arts education by providing matching funds to non-profit organizations, community organizations, government agencies and schools across the Fourth Supervisorial District.
The Arts Education Partnership Program is designed to increase and sustain well-rounded education in dance, music, theatre and the visual arts for K-12 students. All of the grant applications that are received will be judged by a panel of experts from the various arts disciplines.
The deadline for organizations to apply for the Arts Education Partnership Program is Thursday, February 28, 2013. A workshop will take place at the Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 which will provide an opportunity to learn more about the program. In addition, there will be information on Visual and Performing Arts Standards and best practices in lesson planning.
The 2013 Arts Education Partnership Program Application and program guidelines can be downloaded from Knabe.com. Completed applications must be emailed to the Arts Education Partnership Program at aepp@bos.lacounty.gov no later than 11:00pm on February 28, 2013.
Board of Supervisors Approves Knabe’s Call for Extension of Protest Period for Clean Water Measure
Following the conclusion of the Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure Public Hearing and the testimony of hundreds of concerned stakeholders, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Supervisor Don Knabe to allow for more time for protesting the proposed parcel tax.
“We continued to hear complaints from residents, businesses, school districts, churches and non-profits that this process has not been open and transparent,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Even as the Board was hearing testimonies at the public hearing, my office was receiving emails and phone calls from residents asking where they could get a protest form and how they could protest the measure.”
Supervisor Knabe’s motion, the public hearing and protest process would be extended for an additional 60 days and address several key issues in the process including the feasibility of an online protest option and addressing the concern of double taxation for those that are already capturing and treating storm water.
“Many property owners and businesses are already doing the things the parcel fees is meant to achieve; this is a double tax for them,” said Knabe. “Renters should have a voice as an increase in parcel fees would likely be passed on to them. Everyone wants clean water – put this to the voters so they can decide if this fee is how they want to try to achieve that.”
Supervisor Knabe’s motion also instructed the Department of Public Works to provide a process for placing the initiative on a general election ballot, define a specific list of clean water projects, determine a possible sunset date for the measure and develop a potential alternative method of funding storm water quality projects.
Newborn Baby Boy Safely Surrendered on Christmas Eve
Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success for the 13th time in 2012 with the report of a safely surrendered newborn baby boy. This most recent safe surrender occurred on Christmas Eve at a hospital in Valencia.
As is standard practice, the newborn is in protective custody and will be placed with families approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.
“Thanks to the Safe Surrender program, this baby has a second chance at life and hope for bright a future,” said Supervisor Knabe. “I’m thankful that this mother decided to surrender her baby, rather than put her in a harmful situation. As word spreads about the Program, mothers in desperate situations can make the right choice for their babies, because of Safe Surrender.”
This is the 13th Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2012, and the 103rd since the program began over eleven 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.
Metrolink to Buy Newest, Cleanest Locomotives
The Metrolink Board of Directors authorized the agency to enter into a contract to secure Tier 4 locomotives at its Dec. 14, 2012, meeting.
The revolutionary locomotives are expected to reduce emissions by 86 percent.
“This is a significant milestone in Metrolink’s efforts to operate the most efficient and environmentally friendly commuter rail system in the nation,” said Board Chair Richard Katz. “It demonstrates our commitment to our neighbors and to doing our part to clean up the air in Southern California.”
At this point, Metrolink is on pace to become the first in the country to achieve Tier 4 status in revenue service.
The procurement of the locomotives and the contract with Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) is contingent upon the securing of project funds, while Friday’s Board decision is the latest step of a lengthy process. The first three demonstration locomotives are scheduled to be complete in the fall of 2015.
The locomotive upgrades will have system wide benefits and help reduce emissions in the surrounding communities. In addition, these locomotives will have greater horsepower that can increase capacity by adding more train cars to a set.
The phased-approach contract includes a base order of 10 locomotives, plus an option to purchase up to 10 additional locomotives. Metrolink has allocated $129.4 million for the purchase of the locomotives.
The overall program will allow Metrolink to eventually secure 20 new Tier 4 locomotives. The Board’s decision also committed Metrolink to the testing of alternative fuel sources in future operations. Metrolink will make the first locomotives replaced by the new Tier 4s available to the South Coast Air Quality Management District for the purposes of experimentation with various alternative fuel technologies expected to be commercially available in the next decade.
These technologies include, but are not limited to, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and battery technology. Metrolink will continue to work collaboratively with its funding partners in this pursuit.
For additional details on Metrolink, please visit www.metrolinktrains.com.
Knabe Statement on Abandoned Newborn Found in City of Industry
Following yesterday’s discovery of an abandoned, deceased newborn at a trash collection center in the city of Industry, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is reminding residents about the County’s Safe Surrender program.
“Heartbreaking tragedies like what occurred in the city of Industry are a reminder to mothers that there is always an option for their baby,” said Supervisor Knabe. “The Safe Surrender program was created to give a Mother, no matter what the situation, a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands and to protect a baby from abandonment: No shame, No blame, and No names. Though 101 lives have been saved by the Safe Surrender program, this tragedy shows we have a lot more work to do.”
Established by Supervisor Knabe in 2001, the Safe Surrender program allows a parent or legal guardian to confidentially handover an infant, three days old or younger, to any hospital emergency room or fire station in Los Angeles County. As long as the baby has not been abused or neglected, the person may surrender the baby without fear of arrest or prosecution for child abandonment.
Since the program began, 101 babies have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County, including twelve this year. The multilingual Safe Surrender Hotline, 1-877-BABY-SAFE, is available 24-hours a day for more information and the location of the nearest Safe Surrender site. Safe Surrender sites can also be found by calling the County helpline at 211 or by visiting www.babysafela.org.
To learn more about the Safe Surrender program, visit http://youtu.be/_EGoPXD23G0.
100 Newborns Saved By County’s Safe Surrender Program
Families, firefighters and hospital staff joined Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe at Grand Park yesterday evening for a ceremonial candle lighting to honor the 100 newborns who were given a chance at a happy and healthy life thanks to the Safe Surrender program.
“In 2001, the Safe Surrender program began in Los Angeles County. Eleven years later, I am so proud that 100 infants have been saved and new families have been created,” said Supervisor Knabe. “While it is difficult to ‘celebrate’ a baby being given up, when we consider what the alternative could have been, we recognize the courage it took for a mother, who found herself in a desperate situation, to make a better choice for her child.”
During the ceremony at downtown’s Grand Park, Supervisor Knabe and Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby invited families who have adopted safely surrendered babies and others who had a first-hand role in the program to light a candle in honor of the 100 infants safely surrendered in Los Angeles County. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Grand Park fountain was illuminated in blue light to build awareness of the Safe Surrender program.
“This year alone, 11 newborns have been given a second chance at life and hope for a bright future because of the Safe Surrender program,” said Supervisor Knabe. “As word spreads about the program, mothers in desperate situations can make the right choice for their babies because of Safe Surrender.”
As a way to increase awareness of the Safe Surrender program, Supervisor Knabe encouraged county residents to light a candle at home and post a photo of it to Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #100LivesSaved. Residents are also encouraged to follow Safe Surrender on Twitter @SurrenderSafe and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SafeSurrender.
Established in 2001, the Safe Surrender program allows a parent or legal guardian to confidentially hand over an infant, three days old or younger, to any hospital emergency room, fire station or other designated Safe Surrender site, as long as the baby has not been abused or neglected. As of November 28, 100 newborns have been safely surrendered.
To learn more about the Safe Surrender program, visit http://youtu.be/_EGoPXD23G0.