Issues

Newborn Girl Safely Surrendered At County Fire Station 41 In Unincorporated Los Angeles

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success again yesterday with the report of another safely surrendered newborn. This most recent safe surrender occurred at County Fire Station #41 in unincorporated Los Angeles.

The newborn female was surrendered at 4:58 p.m. on Thursday, May 27 at Fire Station #41, and is reported to be in good health. As is standard practice, the baby girl is in protective custody and will be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

This case could have ended in tragedy, but because of the Safe Surrender program, this baby girl has a long life ahead of her, said Supervisor Knabe. I am happy this mother made the right choice for her baby.

This is the second Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2010, and the 78th since the program began nine 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.

Child Support Arrest Warrant Project Reaches Another Milestone

A special effort by Los Angeles County to target parents who fail to pay court-ordered child support has reached another milestone achievement. The Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department reports that investigators assigned to the County’s Child Support Arrest Warrant Project have cleared more than 2,000 arrest and bench warrants since the Project’s inception in December 2007.

The Child Support Arrest Warrant Project is a joint collaboration between the Criminal Prosecution Unit of the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department and the Office of District Attorney. A team of eight District Attorney Investigators is assigned full-time to locating and arresting or citing non-custodial parents who have failed to appear in court or failed to comply with terms of court-ordered probation after conviction for failing to pay support.

In addition to clearing the 2,000 arrest and bench warrants, the project also has resulted in dramatic increases in the amount of support paid by defendants charged with criminal non-support. Since December 2007, more than $11 million in support has been collected from parents who were paying nothing before being charged.

Our goal is not to put parents in jail; rather, it is to ensure that they do the right thing for their children, said Steven J. Golightly, Director of L.A. County CSSD. But if a parent with resources fails to abide by court orders, we will not shy away from doing whatever it takes to ensure compliance.

The joint Child Support Arrest Warrant Project was made possible through funding provided by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, on an initiative of Supervisor Knabe. The County’s investment, matched 2 for 1 with funding from the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement, fully underwrites the costs of the law enforcement team.

In the last year, the Child Support Arrest Warrant Project has received public recognition for its achievements. In September, 2009, the Project won the LA County STARS award for Service Excellence. In October, it received recognition from the County’s Quality and Productivity Commission at its annual awards ceremony, held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center.

County Shuts Down Marijuana Dispensary In Unincorporated South Whittier

A medical marijuana dispensary operating illegally in unincorporated South Whittier was forced to close last week, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

County officials shut down the dispensary in the unincorporated Whittier area on Friday because it didn’t have the proper County permits and licenses. The dispensary, located at 11331 La Mirada Boulevard near Leffingwell Road, was discovered to be operating illegally in late April by County officials who initiated immediate action to close it down.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted the County’s medical marijuana ordinances in 2006, which allow medical marijuana dispensaries to operate within most commercial and manufacturing zones in the unincorporated areas of the County with a conditional use permit and a business license. Dispensaries cannot be located within a 1,000-foot radius of sensitive uses, such as schools, playgrounds, parks, libraries, places of religious worship, child care facilities, etc., and they may not be located within a 1,000-foot radius of other dispensaries unless a variance is obtained from the Regional Planning Commission. The County requires dispensary operators to have all required permits and licenses prior to opening their doors for business.

Representatives of the County Departments of Regional Planning and Treasurer and Tax Collector conducted on-site inspections of the dispensary in late April and issued notices of violation to the dispensary operators for not having the proper permits and licenses. The dispensary closed its doors after County Counsel contacted both the dispensary operators and the property owners, and told them that civil action may be pursued against them if the dispensary did not cease operations immediately.

This is a big victory for the County, said Supervisor Knabe. This is not about whether medical marijuana is right or wrong – the voters have already answered that question. What is most important is ensuring the safety of our children and our communities, and ensuring that properly-permitted dispensaries operate within the law. Closing this dispensary was a high priority and ensures we are keeping our neighborhoods safe.

L.A. County Emergency Survival Guide Is Now Available On-Line In Spanish

In coordination with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the Office of Emergency Management has published a comprehensive guide to emergency preparedness intended to help the residents of Los Angeles County better prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

The County’s Emergency Survival Guide is now available on-line in both English and Spanish at http://www.lacounty.gov website’s homepage in the Hot Topics in LA County, Residents, Business and Publications sections.

The Emergency Survival Guide contains 100 pages of helpful tips and information for residents to prepare for fires, floods, earthquakes, pandemic flu, terrorism, extreme weather, and tsunamis. There is space to record household emergency plans including out-of-state contacts, family evacuation gathering points, and the location of utility shut-offs. The Emergency Survival Guide also features checklists for gathering emergency supplies that will help individuals, families, pet owners, businesses and communities survive and recover after a major disaster. Additional information on preparing for disasters is also available on-line at www.espfocus.org

Residents and business owners, including persons with access and functional needs may also call 211 LA County for emergency preparedness information and other referral services. The toll-free 2-1-1 number is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week. 211 LA County services can also be accessed by visiting http://211la.org

Los Angeles County Has A Brand-New Fire Station – In Orange County

In 2005, the City of La Habra contracted with the Los Angeles County Fire Department for fire protection and emergency medical services. At the time, this was a first for the Fire Department, to reach beyond L.A. County’s boundaries to provide its services to a community in neighboring Orange County.

Part of the new service agreement called for the creation of a fourth fire station to provide additional fire protection and emergency medical services to residents in the Cities of La Habra, La Mirada, and parts of unincorporated area of South Whittier.

This week was the dedication of Fire Station 194, a new facility along Beach Boulevard, which is well positioned to answer the growing annual volume of 3,600 emergency calls for the City of La Habra, and 3,000 emergency calls for the City of La Mirada.

The City of La Habra shared in the cost by paying for 50 percent of the land purchase, design, and construction costs to bring this $3.5 million fire station to reality.

May Revise Impact

Over the last two years, we have been dealt nearly $500 million in funding cuts by the State of California to critical local programs that impact the lives of every County resident, including public health, mental health, and social services. Beyond these $500 million cuts, State leaders have also raided our coffers by borrowing an additional $360 million in local property tax revenue. Now, with the release of the State’s Budget Revision last week, Los Angeles County residents are poised to suffer from hundreds of millions of dollars in additional local cuts, potentially pushing community programs to the breaking point and pushing thousands of criminals out of State prisons and into local jails.

The Governor’s 2010-11 May Budget Revision, projects an overall $19.1 deficit, which includes $7.7 billion in the remainder of this current fiscal year and $10.2 billion in fiscal year 2010-11. Closing the deficit relies heavily on $12.5 billion in proposed additional funding cuts to health and social service programs.

Among the proposed cuts to programs that are run by Counties across California are $1.6 billion from CalWORKs, completely eliminating the program. CalWORKs provides cash grants and welfare to work services to over 1 million Californians in low-income families. Locally, 320,940 children in 167,617 families in Los Angeles County would lose over $1 billion in cash grants.

Additionally, $637 million would be cut from In-Home Supportive Services Program funding, and $73.6 million in funding for the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, which would eliminate the program.

$654 million in funding will be cut or redirected away from Mental Health programs and funding would be cut Statewide by 60-percent for Counties providing Federally-mandated mental health services. These cuts would result in over $239 million in funding cuts to the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

We are also facing $523 million in certain Medi-Cal cost containment measures, plus $1.2 billion in cuts to subsidized child care and other childhood development programs.

The Governor is also proposing to transfer an estimated 15,000 non-violent felons to local jails, for an estimated State General Fund savings of $244 million. Even though the State would see savings from this move, the cost burdens of housing these inmates would fall to local taxpayers. Our Sheriff’s Department is estimating that this proposal alone would cost the County an additional $100 million, and result in severe overcrowding of local jails.

In every case, these cuts will have a tremendous effect on the County of Los Angeles and the people we serve.

Your County leaders are currently investigating the impact these proposed funding cuts will have on County programs and services to residents. We will continue fighting to protect the funding we need continue these critical programs for County residents.

Deputy Honored For Bravery During Hawaiian Gardens Rampage

Supervisor Don Knabe and members of the Hawaiian Gardens City Council honored Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Freddy Brown for his heroic actions last week in the City of Hawaiian Gardens.

Deputy Freddy Brown was credited with saving six lives by shooting 26-year-old Joseph Mercado, who is suspected of using an AK-47 to kill his former girlfriend, her brother and her father at their Hawaiian Gardens home on May 6.

Deputy Brown was honored for subduing the gunman who was allegedly killing his former girlfriend, her brother and her father and critically wounded their mother before being shot by Deputy Brown. Six other family members, including an infant escaped due to the actions of Deputy Brown.

We want to thank and commend Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Freddy Brown for his incredible display of courage, in the face of life-threatening peril to himself, and protecting the residents of Los Angeles County without hesitation, said Supervisor Knabe. Freddie, congratulations on a job well done. You are a hero.

Mumps Cases On The Rise In Los Angeles County

Amid an increasing number of mumps cases reported in Los Angeles County, the Department of Public Health today urged residents to be alert for any sign of the disease in their community and to take steps to protect themselves.

At least nine cases of mumps have already been reported in Los Angeles County this year, six of which have been confirmed, said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. By comparison, seven cases were confirmed countywide in all of 2009, seven in 2008, and five in 2007.

Four of the confirmed cases have occurred in the past two months and may be related to the multi-state mumps outbreak affecting the Hasidic Jewish population that was first seen in this country on the East Coast. Specifically, cases have been detected in congregate settings such as schools, colleges, and community centers.

Mumps is a vaccine-preventable viral illness that is transmitted by coughing and sneezing. Symptoms begin from 12 to 25 days after exposure, and include swelling of salivary glands, fever and inflammation of the testes in teenage and adult males. Up to 20 percent of infected individuals may be asymptomatic, however. Symptoms tend to decrease after one week and usually go away after 10 days, but in some cases the illness can cause severe symptoms that include inflammation of the testicles, meningitis and encephalitis.

The best protection against the mumps is to make sure that you receive the measles-mumps-rubella vaccination, said Dr. Fielding. If you develop mumps symptoms, avoid congregate settings where you could spread the disease to others, and contact your doctor immediately.

Unimmunized children under age 19 who do not have health insurance or a regular source of health care can receive low-cost or free mumps vaccine through a Public Health center (during vaccine clinic hours), or through their local community health center.

For information on Public Health vaccine clinics, locate a health center near you by using the Public Health website or by calling the LA County Information line at 2-1-1. Contact the health center to make a vaccine appointment.

Community Input Sought For Bicycle Master Plan

Bicycle riders are invited to participate in the second series of community workshops on the countywide Bicycle Master Plan, currently being developed by the Los Angeles County Public Works Department.

The Master Plan seeks to expand and connect County bikeways, improve existing County bicycle facilities, develop and prioritize a list of proposed new bikeways and bicycle projects, and promote bicycle usage.

As part of the effort, the Public Works Department is hosting three series of community workshops to obtain input on the Master Plan. During this second series, workshop participants will have an opportunity to review the input provided to date, and recommend additional bikeways and bicycle facilities for the Plan.

The workshops will begin on June 2, 2010, and end on June 30, 2010. Meetings will be held in Marina del Rey, Topanga, East Los Angeles, Ladera Heights, Newhall, Hacienda Heights, Baldwin Park, Calabasas, Lancaster and Athens Village.

A third series of workshops will be held later this year.

Visit www.lacountybikeplan.org to obtain the date, time and location of the workshop nearest you or for more information on the Bicycle Master Plan. For questions, contact County Bikeway Coordinator, Abu Yusuf, at (626) 458-3940 or ayusuf@dpw.lacounty.gov

Ceramic Mural Celebrates Baywatch Avalon

Catalina Island is perhaps the only place in the world where Baywatch means something other than the popular television show of that name. Baywatch on this island refers to the cadre of highly trained paramedics, lifeguards, fire fighters and rescuers who handle everything from bee stings to diving accidents to lost hikers. This vital service is celebrated in a ceramic tile mural created by artist Sandow Birk for the fa cade of the new Avalon Lifeguard Paramedic Headquarters dedicated today.

Rendered in blue tones on white tiles in the tradition of azulejo tiles found throughout Europe, North Africa and Latin America, the mural, on the curved wall of the headquarters’ entrance, depicts the idyllic harbor of the town of Avalon. In the distance a plume of smoke rises from a boat as a lifeguard vessel speeds to assistance. In the sky above the dots and dashes of Morse code spell out S.O.S. The mural’s border features sea life from the area, while six vignettes depict the various specialized activities and vehicles of the Baywatch Avalon lifeguards.

The Los Angeles County Arts Commission through its Civic Art Program commissioned the mural as well as the tile work on the headquarters’ staircase risers leading up to the mural. Baywatch Avalon is part of the Lifeguard Division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The use of ceramics reflects Catalina’s history of tile making which dates from the 1920s. The staircase tiles mix traditional Catalina Tile Co. tiles with new tiles hand painted by Birk and fabricated by his wife and partner Elyse Pignolet. The risers bear the core values of the Fire Department , Commitment, Courage, Community, Caring, Teamwork, Integrity , and a poem that is the informal code of the U.S. Lifesaving Service.

The Avalon Lifeguard Paramedic Headquarters is located at 440 Avalon Canyon Road in Avalon, a 15-minute walk from the ferry dock.

Sandow Birk worked closely with the staff Baywatch Avalon while developing the artwork for the new headquarters. The lifeguard and paramedic station is 7,005 square feet and includes office space, reception area, living quarters for personnel and a bay for emergency vehicles and watercraft trailers.

Carrie Brown of the Arts Commission was project manager for the Avalon Lifeguard Paramedic Headquarters artwork. Under the County’s Civic Art Policy, adopted in 2004, one percent of design and construction costs on County capital projects over $500,000 is set aside for the incorporation of civic art.