Issues

Increase in Rabid Bats Found in Los Angeles County Prompts Concern

With an unusually high number of rabid bats recorded in Los Angeles County so far this year, the Department of Public Health is reminding all residents to avoid touching any wild animals, especially bats. So far in 2010, 21 rabid bats have been detected countywide, compared to an average of 10 per year.

Dogs and cats with current vaccines that have come into contact with rabid animals may be re-vaccinated and kept in quarantine for 30 days to ensure they have not been infected by rabies. Bats are protected by federal law and are an important part of our ecosystem. In nature, about 1 in 1000 to 1 in 10,000 bats is infected with rabies. However when a sick bat is found, the risk of that bat having rabies is much higher; approximately 10 percent.

Individuals should take the following steps to reduce their rabies risk:

  • Make sure pets are up-to-date on rabies vaccinations.
  • If you are bitten by a wild animal, contact your doctor immediately to determine if you need rabies post-exposure treatment.
  • Do not try to touch any wild animal, especially bats.
  • If a bat is found on the ground around your home or in a public place, place a box or container over it and call your local animal control agency.
  • If a bat is found in your home and may have had access to pets or areas where people were sleeping, do not release if outside. If possible, put a box or container over it and call your local animal control agency.
  • If your pet has been found with a bat or other wild animals, report the exposure to the Department of public Health Veterinary Public Health and Rabies Control Program by calling 213-989-7060.

For more information, visit Public Health’s Website.

Los Angeles County Votes to Ban Plastic Bags

Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a ban on single-use carryout bags at all grocery stores, convenience stores, pharmacies and drug stores located in the County’s unincorporated areas.  As part of its approval, the Board supported an amendment by Supervisor Knabe which revised the definition of “reusable bag” to include language that a reusable bag can be cleaned or disinfected, not just machine washable.

“While I support the elimination of single-use bags, if there is going to be a ban, I believe it should be done at a statewide level, as the Board previously supported in AB 1998,” said Supervisor Don Knabe.  “Rather than being punitive, we should provide incentives to encourage businesses to develop creative, green solutions, and therefore jobs, to our environmental challenges.  That is why I asked for a change in language to today’s motion to ensure that we did not exclude many locally-owned manufacturing plants from producing reusable carryout bags.  There are many types of materials that can be used to manufacture reusable bags, and we should not limit their use because they are not machine washable.”

Knabe Statement on the “Home For Good Plan”

I want to congratulate the Business Leaders Task Force on Homelessness for the “Home for Good Plan,” an effort by local business and community leaders to find solutions to the issue of homelessness in Los Angeles County.  I generally support the recommendations outlined in the Plan, and I agree that a more direct, streamlined approach to housing the chronically homeless is needed.

We have already made great strides towards aligning with this approach in LA County.  Last year, I called for a restructuring of our General Relief (GR) program to focus first on housing.  The GR program provides cash assistance to over 89,000 County residents each month, assisting with food, housing and employment.  While the cost of the program nears $200 million, experts estimate that the County spends almost four times this on other services to those on General Relief, 53,000 of whom are homeless.  These additional costs are mostly related to repeated incarcerations in County Jail and recurring visits to County emergency rooms and clinics, pushing the price tag closer to $1 billion per year.  A shift in focus to housing will not only help many of these individuals overcome serious challenges and transition to a better life, but will also save taxpayers money.

I look forward to working with the Task Force on this strategy, and joining with them to advocate in Washington DC for the changes in federal policy needed to advance our mission to end homelessness in Los Angeles County.

Applications Open For Nonprofit Arts Organization Grants

Funding for non-profit arts organizations to hire college undergraduate interns in summer 2011 is available from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. The guidelines, application and application instructions for the Arts Internship Program are now available on the Arts Commission’s Web site.

The program is for Los Angeles County-based nonprofit performing, presenting (including film and media organizations with a presenting program), arts service and literary arts organizations that are interested in mentoring an undergraduate college student for ten weeks during summer 2011. Grants of $2,500 to $3,500, depending on organizational budget size, to be used to pay interns are awarded to successful applicant organizations. To support the internships, Los Angeles County, through its Arts Commission, will give grants totaling $250,000 to approximately 75 arts organizations throughout the County. The deadline to submit an application is Wednesday, December 15, 2010

A free application workshop will be held on Thursday, November 18 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Arts Commission offices, 1055 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 800, in downtown Los Angeles. To sign up for the workshop please visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2011internapp or go to www.lacountyarts.org, then click on “Internships.”

Organizations interested in this program should review the guidelines before beginning an application and be aware of the following:

Only nonprofit arts organizations that possess 501(c)(3) status and are not part of a college or university are eligible for the program, including municipal arts agencies and municipal performing arts organizations.

Each organization may request only one full-time intern.

Organizations with budgets over $1.5 million are required to provide a cash match of $500.

Organizations with budgets greater than $4 million are required to provide a cash match of $1,000.

The purpose of the County’s program is to provide undergraduate students with meaningful on-the-job training and experience in working in nonprofit arts organizations, while assisting arts organizations to develop future arts leaders.

For more information, please visit LA County Arts

Metro Implements New Transit Information Number

The well-known telephone number 1.800.COMMUTE, funded by Caltrans for transportation information in Los Angeles County is being discontinued.

Metro will now provide bus and rail information through a new easy-to-remember number 323.GO.METRO.

While the phone number is changing, the service remains the same. Metro’s Customer Information agents will continue to handle approximately 50,000 calls a week from riders seeking assistance with bus and rail trip planning.

Other travel, traffic and commuter/rideshare information, which was also provided through 1.800.COMUTE, can now be accessed by calling 511.

Metro customers will see a direct benefit when dialing the new 323.GO.METRO number as calls will go directly to Metro’s Telephone Information Center, where an agent will assist the public with fares, routes, schedules and trip planning requests. Metro customers will not have to navigate a  “phone tree” to reach a live telephone information agent.

Due to state budget constraints and the recent emergence of the 511 phone number, which provides similar access, Caltrans opted to discontinue the 1.800.COMMUTE number. The cost of operating 1.800.COMMUTE is approximately $800,000 annually. Metro’s cost for maintaining the 323.GO.METRO number is estimated at $12,000 annually.

In mid-November, Caltrans will place a message on 1.800. COMMUTE announcing to callers that the number will be discontinued. The message will instruct them to start using 323.GO.METRO  (323.466-3876). In addition, Metro is mounting an extensive outreach campaign to inform customers of the change.

While 323.GO.METRO is not a toll-free number, calling the number from most areas of Los Angeles County will not result in a toll charge to the caller. In addition, Customer Relations finds that most callers now use cell phones, which generally do not incur toll charges.

County Launches Specific Needs Awareness Planning Disaster Registry

To better prepare County residents for natural disasters, the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management has announced the launch of the Specific Needs Awareness Planning (SNAP) voluntary disaster registry.

The SNAP registry is an Internet-based system that will allow residents to provide information, which will be kept confidential, to public safety officials about their access or functional needs. SNAP does not guarantee priority response to registrants, but assists emergency response officials in planning and responding to the requirements of people with access and functional needs such as those relating to physical, medical, sensory, cognitive or age-related conditions, during a disaster by integrating database and mapping technology together.

To register for SNAP, visit http://snap.lacounty.gov and click on “Register Now.”

Expo Light Rail Construction to Cause Blue Line Delays

Metro Blue Line passengers will experience travel delays of up to 40 minutes for the next three weekends beginning tonight, November 5, due to construction of the Expo light rail line, which will connect with the Metro Blue Line in downtown Los Angeles.

Metro will provide bus shuttle service between the Washington Station and the 7th St./Metro Center Station.

Work will begin at 9 p.m. on Friday and continue until Monday early morning, November 8. Metro expects to have the Metro Blue Line service restored on Monday before rush hours between Washington and 7th St/Metro Center Stations. Should any unforeseen delay occur, the bus shuttle service will continue in operation with buses running between Washington and 7th St./Metro Center stations.

The same plan also is schedule for the weekends of November 12 and November 19 and will continuing until the early hours of Monday, November 15 and November 22.

The Metro Blue stations affected will be San Pedro, Grand Avenue, Pico/Chick Hearn and 7th/Metro Center. Rail service from Washington Station to Long Beach Transit Mall will not be affected. There also will be Metro personnel at Washington and 7th/Metro Center stations to help direct patrons.

The bus shuttle service will operate every 15 to 20 minutes on Friday night. On Saturday and Sunday buses will run every 5 to 10 minutes and after 8 p.m. every 15 to 20 minutes.

The temporary bus stops will be located near the stations. Those passengers coming from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles will have to transfer from the train to the bus at the Washington Station, on Long Beach Avenue just south of Washington Boulevard. The buses will have stops at San Pedro Station on Washington Boulevard just east of San Pedro Street, at Grand Avenue Station on Washington Boulevard east of Olive Avenue, at Pico/ Chick Hearn Station on Pico Boulevard, east of Flower Street and at 7th/Metro Center at the Figueroa Street entrance to the Metro Rail station.

Metro Blue Line customers traveling to Long Beach can board buses at the Hope Street entrance to the 7th St./Metro Center. Buses will make stops at Pico/Chick Hearn station on Pico Boulevard, east of Flower Street, at Grand Avenue Station on Washington Boulevard east of Grand Avenue, at San Pedro Station on Washington Boulevard just east of San Pedro Street, and at  Washington Station will be on Washington Boulevard just east of Long Beach Boulevard.

Metro patrons are advised to allow extra time for their trips and check television monitors in train stations or call Metro’s hot line number 213- 922-4999 for the latest information on the construction work and service impacts or go online to www.metro.net. All work is subject to weather delays.

Metro apologizes for this inconvenience and appreciates the public understanding and cooperation during this construction period. For schedule information, contact Metro Customer Relations at (213) 922-6235.

The Expo Line is a new 8.5 mile light rail line under construction from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City. It will share tracks and two stations with the Metro Blue Line along the Flower Street portion of the alignment. For Expo Line Construction information contact (213) 922-3976.

County Waives Park Fees for Veterans, Military Personnel and Their Families

In honor of Veterans Day, admission fees and vehicle entrance fees have been waived to the regional park facilities on November 6-13, 2010, for Veterans and their families.  The motion, introduced by Supervisor Don Knabe, was unanimously approved today by the Board of Supervisors.  This fee waiver follows on Supervisor Knabe’s earlier motion for a fifty percent discount off greens fees for Veterans at County golf courses on November 11, which was approved earlier this month.

“On Veterans Day we pay tribute to the sacrifice of the men and women in our military who have courageously served our country and protected the many freedoms we enjoy today,” said Supervisor Knabe.  “We also owe a debt of gratitude to their families, who share in this sacrifice and who truly deserve the honor and respect of their fellow Americans.”

All Veterans, military personnel and their immediate families are invited to visit the following Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation facilities from November 6 through November 13, 2010, free of charge with proper identification:

Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park

120 Via Verde Drive

San Dimas

(909) 599-8411

Castaic Lake Recreation Area

32132 Castaic Lake Drive

Castaic

(661) 257-4050

Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area

4100 North La Cienega Boulevard

Los Angeles

(323) 298-3660

Santa Fe Dam Regional Park

15501 East Arrow Highway

Irwindale

(626) 334-1065

Schabarum Park

17250 East Colima Road

Rowland Heights

(626) 854-5560

Whittier Narrows Regional Recreation Area

750 South Santa Anita Avenue

South El Monte

(626) 575-5526

Arboretum of Los Angeles County

301 North Baldwin Avenue

Arcadia

(626) 821-3212

Descanso Gardens

1418 Descanso Drive

La Canada Flintridge

(818) 952-4400

South Coast Botanic Garden

26300 Crenshaw Boulevard

Palos Verdes Peninsula

(310) 544-6815

Virginia Robinson Gardens

(310) 276-5367

By appointment only

Los Angeles County Golf Courses

All veterans with proper military identification will receive a fifty percent discount on green fees (excluding tournament play) all day on Thursday, November 11:

Alondra Golf Course: (310) 217-9919

Altadena Golf Course: (626) 797-3821

Diamond Bar Golf Course: (909) 861-8282

Eaton Canyon Golf Course: (626) 794-6773

El Cariso Golf Course: (818) 367-6157

Maggie Hathaway Golf Course: (323) 755-6285

Knollwood Golf Course: (818) 363-1810

Lakewood Golf Course: (562) 429-9711

La Mirada Golf Course: (562) 943-7123

Los Amigos Golf Course: (562) 869-0302

Los Verdes Golf Course: (310) 377-7370

Marshall Canyon Golf Course: (909) 593-8211

Mountain Meadows Golf Course: (909) 623-3704

Santa Anita Golf Course: (626) 447-2331

Victoria Golf Course: (310) 323-4174

Chester Washington Golf Course: (323) 756-6975

Whittier Narrows Golf Course: (626) 288-1044

Los Angeles County Extends Child Care Program

The Board of Supervisors today unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Don Knabe to extend the CalWORKS Stage 3 Child Care Program.

A recent action by the State would eliminate child care slots for over 11,700 Los Angeles families in the CalWORKS Stage 3 Child Care Program.  A recipient is designated in Stage 3 if s/he has moved off welfare and into the workforce.

“People in this program have worked very hard to get off welfare and back into a job,” said Supervisor Knabe.  “We have been able to devise a program that can provide support immediately to these at-risk families and without additional administrative costs.  The bottom line is that in this troubled economy, we must keep people working.”

Metro Board Votes on Routes for Westside Subway Extension and Regional Connector Projects

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors today approved the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report (EIS/R) for the Westside Subway Extension and Regional Connector projects, clearing the way for both projects to enter final environmental review and preliminary engineering.

In approving the environmental drafts, the Board also approved Metro staff recommendations for the Locally Preferred Alternatives (LPA) – the routes the projects would take through their respective project areas. For the Westside Subway Project, the recommended route is a subway extension running between the Wilshire/Western Metro Purple Line Terminus to Westwood/VA Hospital, a distance of approximately nine miles.  For the Regional Connector Project, the recommended route is a nearly two-mile, fully underground light rail line connecting the Metro Gold Line, Metro Blue Line, and future Expo Line through Downtown Los Angeles.  The LPA recommendation to eliminate the 5th/Flower Station was approved.  The Board, however, requested Metro staff to report back at the December Board meeting whether there was private sector interest in funding a further study of the 5th/Flower Station.

In the Final EIS/R phase, agency planners will further analyze environmental issues for route and station options that were carried forward from the draft.  At the end of the approximately one-year final environmental review process, the Metro Board will decide the project that will ultimately be built utilizing local Measure R transportation sales tax monies.  Metro is also currently seeking matching funds through the federal New Starts Program for these projects.

Both projects are expected to fill two major gaps in the Los Angeles area rail system, providing faster, more reliable travel times for transit commuters while increasing project trips throughout the Metro Rail system.

“Today’s Board decision to move both of these projects forward simultaneously is a major milestone in the history of transit in Los Angeles County,” said L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Chair Don Knabe.   “What’s more, the Board’s action is a vote of confidence that these projects will best compete for immediate federal funding as our agency moves aggressively to fulfill the promise of Measure R and the accelerated timeline of 30/10.”

Click here to learn more about the Westside Subway Extension and the Regional Connector Transit Corridor