Issues

First Human Case Of West Nile Virus Confirmed In Los Angeles County

The Los Angeles County Health Officer has confirmed the first human case of West Nile Virus in Los Angeles County for the 2009 season. The case is a blood donor from the Antelope Valley who donated blood in early June. The person does not show any symptoms (asymptomatic), and is feeling well. The donated blood was not used. Health officials are determining where the patient may have contracted the virus. T his is the first documented human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in California.

People should take precautions to avoid mosquitoes, as that is the primary way this disease is transmitted. Mosquitoes obtain the virus by feeding on infected wild birds, said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. West Nile Virus can appear anywhere in Los Angeles County or around the state, and we urge residents to get rid of pools of stagnant water around their homes, where mosquitoes breed, and to use a repellant containing DEET, or another approved repellent, when outdoors in mosquito-prone areas, especially around dawn or dusk.

As of June 19th in Los Angeles County, Public Health and the mosquito abatement districts have detected WNV in five dead birds, two mosquito pools, and three sentinel chickens. In past seasons, most of the infected birds and positive mosquitoes have been found in the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley, and East Los Angeles County areas.

Exposure to West Nile Virus

WNV is spread from humans through the bite of an infected mosquito; mosquitoes can become infected by biting a bird that carries the virus. Most mosquitoes do not carry the virus and most people bitten by a mosquito have not been exposed to the virus. The virus is not spread through person-to-person contact, or directly from birds to humans.

In most cases, people who are infected with West Nile Virus never become sick, or have only very mild symptoms that include fever, headache, nausea, body aches, and a mild skin rash. Symptoms of West Nile Virus could appear within three to 12 days after infection. Fortunately, fewer than one in 150 people who are bitten by an infected mosquito become severely ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In these rare cases, the virus can cause encephalitis and death. The elderly are most at risk for severe cases of the disease. There is no specific treatment for West Nile Virus. However, individuals with severe symptoms may be hospitalized.

Preventive Measures

People can decrease their risk of infection by following these recommendations:

Avoid mosquito-infested areas at dawn and dusk.

Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants whenever you are outdoors.

Repellants containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of eucalyptus, when used as labeled, are effective defenses against mosquitoes.

Check your window screens for holes.

Do not allow water to collect and stagnate in old tires, flowerpots, swimming pools, birdbaths, pet bowls, or other containers. These are prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Clean and chlorinate swimming pools; drain water from pool covers.

Stock garden ponds with goldfish or other mosquito-eating fish. These eat mosquito eggs and larvae.

Empty and wash birdbaths and wading pools weekly.

The Los Angeles County Public Health Department has established a toll-free information line that will provide callers with updated information on West Nile Virus within the county. Call 800-975-4448.

If a recently dead bird (less than 24 hours) is found, the public is encouraged to report this by calling 877-747-2243.

If residents see a green pool or stagnant swimming pool at a home, please report this to Public Health’s Environmental Health Bureau at 626-430-5200.

Where to call with questions about mosquitoes:

Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District: (562) 944-9656

Los Angeles County West Vector Control District: (310) 915-7370

San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District: (626) 814-9466

Antelope Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District: (661) 942-2917

Compton Creek Mosquito Abatement District: (310) 639-7375

Pasadena City Health Department: (626) 744-6004

City of Long Beach Vector Control Program: (562) 570-4132

LA County Celebrates 25 Years Of Trauma Services

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.

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.

Renovation And Expansion Of San Pedro Service Center Moves Forward

The renovation and expansion of the San Pedro Service Center moved a step closer to beginning construction today as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved putting the project out for contracting bids.

The construction project will bring the San Pedro Service Center compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The renovation of existing restrooms includes the installation of additional stalls and other upgrades. The reconfiguration of the existing senior citizens room includes the installation of a kitchenette, storage area, and two additional single-unit restrooms. The addition to the northeast side of the building will include an 800-square-foot multipurpose room. A 1,350-square-foot addition to the southeast side of the building will provide two daycare classrooms with toilets, storage areas, and a corridor.

The total budget for the project is $2,480,000, which will be fully funded by Fourth Supervisorial District Capital Improvement funds. The costs for actual construction are expected to be $1,407,000, with the remainder going towards equipment, plus engineering and design costs. Construction bids are due back from potential contractors on July 14, 2009.

The San Pedro Community and Senior Services Center, which opened its doors in 1972, has continued to expand its services over the years, while receiving few upgrades. The center, located at 769 West Third Street in San Pedro, currently provides a wide array of services to the community, ranging from a senior meals program, child care services, computer and citizenship classes, food pantry, toy loan center, and more.

Anti-Gang Program Will Continue In The Cities Of Bellflower And Paramount

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced today that the Board of Supervisors has authorized two separate one-year agreements between the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the Cities of Bellflower and Paramount for the continuance of a successful gang abatement program in the two cities.

The Strategies Against Gang Environments (SAGE) Program decreases street gang violence and narcotics-related activities by utilizing civil injunctions and other procedures to enhance a city’s efforts to reduce gang violence and graffiti problems. The program also aims to divert potentially dangerous gang activity into more constructive behavior within the community.

Under the terms of the agreements, one full-time Deputy District Attorney will be maintained within each of the cities. The assigned Deputy District Attorneys will also pursue civil nuisance abatement actions, and will advise and work with city law enforcement officers, community leaders, and other officials to develop a multifaceted strategy for improving public safety.

The SAGE program is an outstanding program that has really benefited cities throughout the County, said Supervisor Knabe. I am proud that, once again, the District Attorney’s Office is partnering together with our cities to combat gang violence. We have lost too many residents to senseless violence, and I am pleased that our cities are using this program to take back our streets.

Knabe Offers $10,000 Reward For Information Related To The Rape And Robbery Of An Elderly Blind Woman

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors once again unanimously approved a $50,000 reward today for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Emigdio Preciado, the primary suspect in the shooting of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Schaap. The Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau requested that the Board re-establish the $50,000 reward to prompt individuals to come forward and provide information as to the whereabouts of the suspect.

On September 5, 2000, Deputy Schaap was shot and injured while on routine patrol in Whittier with his partner, Deputy David Timberlake. While attempting to stop a van for a vehicle code violation, the alleged assailants opened fire with an assault rifle from inside the van. Multiple rounds were fired, one of which struck Schaap in the head. The bullet fragments were removed at St. Francis Medical Center, and Schaap was released and home with his family by Thanksgiving Day. A first suspect has already been apprehended, but the second suspect, Emigdio Preciado, is still at large and wanted for attempted murder. Preciado is an adult male Hispanic presumed to be in Mexico and considered armed and dangerous.

By again renewing this $50,000 reward, this Board intends to send a clear message that we support our deputies 100 percent and that this sort of egregious assault will not be tolerated, said Supervisor Knabe. If this reward serves to bring Deputy Schaap’s attacker to justice, I consider it money well spent.

Information on the whereabouts of Preciado or any other information related to this case should be directed to any local law enforcement office or to the Homicide Bureau of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, at (323) 890-5500.

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

Long Beach To Host Regional Water Summit

Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the Southern California Water Committee are partnering together to host the Los Angeles County Water Summit on Wednesday, June 3, 2009, at the Queen Mary in the City of Long Beach.

The event, which will be held between 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., will focus on the state of water in Southern California. The summit is sponsored by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Long Beach Chamber of Commerce, County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Castaic Lake Water Agency, Central Basin Water District, County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, MWH, Water Replenishment District of Southern California, West Basin Water District, and Building Industry Association of Southern California.

Make no mistake about it, we stand at a crossroads in California’s water history, said Supervisor Knabe. I am an optimist by nature so, for my part, I predict that we will step outside of the box and we will develop aggressive water conservation and recycling programs that will reshape demand in Southern California.

For more information on the Los Angeles County Water Summit please contact the Southern California Water Committee at (909) 980-4700.

Seismic Retrofit Of Imperial Highway Bridge Now Complete In Downey And Norwalk

The Imperial Highway Bridge over the San Gabriel River has been seismically retrofit in the Cities of Downey and Norwalk, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

This $812,040 project is a part of the Federal Highway Bridge Program. Under this program, Federal funds are allocated to local agencies and are used to finance 88.53 percent of the eligible costs of bridge seismic retrofit projects. The remaining 11.47 percent of the cost of the project will be financed with State Proposition 1B funds. Additional funding for the project was provided by the Fourth Supervisorial District’s Road Construction Program.

By retrofitting this bridge, both the drivers and pedestrians who use the bridge will benefit by crossing a safer bridge, said Supervisor Knabe.

South Whittier First To Benefit From Stimulus Projects

Unincorporated South Whittier will be the location of the very first federal stimulus transportation projects anywhere in the Los Angeles region, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today. The two separate road resurfacing projects in South Whittier are part of a larger $2.3 million series of projects, which are the first to be funded before any other local city or government agency in the area.

The projects include resurfacing and improvements on Meyer Road from Leffingwell Road to north of Imperial Highway, and Valley View Avenue from Telegraph Road to north of Imperial Highway. Other resurfacing projects will be completed with the $2.3 million in federal funding from the Federal Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in the Florence-Firestone area. A total of 68 jobs are expected to be created as part of these projects.

ARRA is intended to not only save existing jobs and create new ones, but also to improve our local infrastructure with projects exactly like these. We will be using these stimulus funds not to grow government, but instead to grow our local businesses that we will be contracting with to complete these projects, said Supervisor Knabe.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works will deliver 19 transportation infrastructure projects throughout the County using over $46 million of ARRA funds. Public Works is actively seeking small businesses and community based enterprises to bid on contracts for this and future ARRA Stimulus projects. County businesses seeking more information regarding these and future ARRA Stimulus projects may visit the Public Works Business Outreach website

at http://dpw.lacounty.gov/PRG/business

This project will be advertised for construction bids early next month.