Issues

Local Children Lose Out On $162 Million In Child Care Funding

Thousands of local children are losing out on access to millions of dollars in free child care funds because of non-flexible rules in how this funding can be spent. Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, unveiled a plan today that includes changing these funding rules in order to ensure that local children fully benefit from all the child care support they are entitled.

Child care providers in Los Angeles County, both in-home and private provides, have access to millions of dollars in child care funding from the State of California every year to provide subsidies that allow children from low income families access to child care. The problem is that child care providers face antiquated contracting processes which impair their ability to serve as many children as possible at the highest level of quality.

The result is that between 2005 and 2008, over $162 million in unused child care funds were sent back to the state from providers in Los Angeles County. The need for those dollars is well documented. In the 2008, only 11,000 infants who qualify for subsidized care were served, out of an eligible population of 116,000. Only 28,000 qualifying school-age children were served, out of an eligible population of 260,000. Only 32,000 of preschool aged children are served out of an eligible population of 110,000. There are also over 51,000 children on waiting lists for subsidized care in this County, 60 percent of who are in need of full time care.

The fact that we are sending even a single dollar back to the state is unacceptable, and this situation is but one example of the inefficient, silo approach we have in place on this issue, said Supervisor Knabe. Clearly the rules for how this child care funding can be spent are not aligned with the needs of our children locally.

With my motion today, we are going to be looking closely at why this is happening and how we can fix it so that our children have access to all the child care they are entitled to have.

Dredging Of The Marina Del Rey South Entrance Channel Has Begun

The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors announced that the United States Army Corps of Engineers began dredging the south entrance channel to Marina del Rey on January 2, and will continue until the approximate completion date of March 15, 2009.

The $3 million dredging project will remove 50,000 cubic meters of contaminated sediment using a hydraulic dredge to remove a tip shoal area at the south entrance of the Marina harbor. Upon completion of the project, the dredged portion of the south entrance will return to the design depth of -20 feet mean lower low water. The sediment will be pumped to a temporary sand separation plant situated on parking lot # 3 located at 8600 Vista del Mar in Playa del Rey. Utilizing a new application, the treatment facility will separate sand from other materials and contaminants, resulting in sand suitable for nourishment at Dockweiler State Beach. The material unsuitable for beach placement will be trucked to an inland landfill.

For more information, contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Affairs Office at (213) 452-3925 or click here.

It’s Not Too Late To Vaccinate

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the Department of Public Health is urging all residents to get a flu shot or the FluMist nasal spray vaccine if they have not done so already. Flu season can last until spring, so it is not too late to vaccinate against the flu.

Many people mistakenly believe that there is no benefit to getting a flu vaccine after November, said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. In fact, influenza activity does not often peak until after the start of the new year and can continue through March, so vaccinations received in December provide protection at the time when people are most likely to catch the flu. Free flu vaccines continue to be offered through our Public Health clinics for those that do not have a regular doctor or insurance coverage.

Each year in the United States, between 5 and 20 percent of the population is infected with influenza, a serious disease that can lead to complications including pneumonia, hospitalization, and even death. In Los Angeles County in 2005, flu and pneumonia complications led to over 2,000 deaths. The flu also has a significant day-to-day impact on families and communities, leading to missed days of work and school, hardships for family care givers, and preventing people from participating in the activities they enjoy.

Yearly flu vaccinations are the best way to prevent influenza. The vaccine can prevent 70-90% of cases in healthy adults under 65 years of age. The vaccine is safe and does not cause the flu. Some minor side effects can occur, signaling that the immune system is responding to the vaccine and building immunity. Such side effects, which usually last only 1 to 2 days, include soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given; a low-grade fever; and aches and pains. These side effects are minor and are far less risky than suffering through the flu.

Residents are encouraged to first contact their regular doctor for recommended vaccinations. Those who do not have a regular doctor or insurance coverage for vaccines may be eligible for reduced-cost or no-cost vaccines. Free flu vaccines are readily available in LA County, and the traditional shot, FluMist nasal spray vaccine and thimerosal-free (preservative-free) vaccine continues to be offered through Public Health clinics, while supplies last. To find a Public Health clinic near you, contact LA County’s information line at 2-1-1 from any land line or cell phone.

For information on the web regarding low-cost flu vaccines through a health care organization or other vaccination clinic, visit the Public Health Immunization Program’s website by clicking here or at www.findaflushot.com

Supervisors Want Explanation On Future Of Palmdale Airport

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and Board Chairman Don Knabe, directing the County’s Chief Executive Officer to prepare a formal request to Los Angeles World Airports, the Board of Airport Commissioners, and the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, to explain its plans for the undeveloped property adjacent to the Palmdale Airport.

This vital property is not being utilized as was promised when it was taken by eminent domain from property owners over 40 years ago, said Supervisor Antonovich. The City of Los Angeles has an obligation to explain fully its plans for using the property.

For four decades, this land has been sitting vacant, not being used for the development of another critically-needed regional commercial airport, which was the intended use of this land, said Supervisor Knabe. Today’s action will hopefully get us some answers about how this vital facility will be used for regionalizing commercial air traffic.

In the 1960s, the Los Angeles City Airport Commission acquired Ontario Airport, the 17,000-acre Palmdale airport site, and later contracted with the United States Air Force for Palmdale’s Plant 42’s runway and air terminal, for a regional airport network to meet future population needs. To date, the City’s Los Angeles World Airports Department has failed to develop this property.

LA County Celebrates 25 Years Of Trauma Services

December 2008 marks the 25th anniversary of Los Angeles County’s trauma system. Nearly 400,000 critically injured trauma patients have been treated in local trauma centers since the first trauma centers were designated in 1983. Traumatic injuries continue to be the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 1 and 44.

Critically injured trauma patients include those who require immediate life-saving surgical intervention because of major blood loss or shock as a result of motor vehicle crashes, gunshot or knife wounds, falls, or other violent accidents. These patients are brought by ambulance directly to a trauma center for specialized care rather than being transported to the nearest emergency room.

Unlike regular community hospitals, trauma centers maintain an entire team of specialized medical personnel, including a trauma surgeon, who are available 24 hours a day to ensure that life-threatening injuries to be treated at a moment’s notice. There are currently 13 trauma centers in Los Angeles County, making it the largest organized trauma system in the country.

As we saw during the recent train collision in Chatsworth, trauma centers are crucial to disaster response, says Cathy Chidester, Director of the Emergency Medical Services Agency. There are four to five multi-casualty incidents every month in the county, where critically injured victims are taken to a trauma center.

Over the past 25 years, the number of trauma patients treated annually has grown from 15,138 in 1984, to 19,481 in 2007. The most recent data shows that males have more traumatic injuries than females (14,584 males vs. 4,897 females) and that the top five mechanisms of injury are: motor vehicle crashes (5,039), falls (4,045), auto vs. pedestrian/bicycle (2,947), gunshot wounds (2,366), and motorcycle crashes (1,339). Out of 19,481 trauma patients, nearly 1,800 were pediatric.

Trauma System History

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors officially designated the first eight trauma centers on December 15, 1983. The system grew to a peak in 1985 with a total of 22 designated trauma centers. The county currently has 13 trauma centers.

During the initial period of growth, there were many perceived advantages in seeking trauma center designation, such as marketing advantages, prestige, and favorable impact on post-graduate training programs. However, it quickly became evident that the perceived benefits were not enough to offset the high levels of uncompensated care for trauma patients.

The decline of trauma centers was finally halted with the implementation of secure trauma catchment areas, which helped keep patient numbers high enough for trauma centers to maintain high-quality training programs, and the Board of Supervisors’ decision to allocate newly available Proposition 99 tobacco tax monies to offset the trauma centers’ financial losses.

Additionally, the recent stability of the trauma system network is largely due to the voter-approved special parcel tax (called Measure B: Trauma, Emergency and Bioterrorism Response Assessment) that was approved in 2002. Part of the money that is collected allows the county to maintain and enhance the trauma network.

The trauma system has proven to be cost effective because it lowers mortality and morbidity rates, decreases permanent disabilities, and decreases the number of productive years lost to society, says Chidester. More importantly, the system saves lives every day by providing highly specialized care for the most life-threatening injuries.

Santa Returns To Whittier Parks

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe will join Mr. and Mrs. Claus and other special passengers on Thursday, December 18 when they board the Here Comes Santa Holiday Train – an annual event that brings presents and fun in the snow to three locations in the Whittier area.

Every year this is a great occasion for families to come down and enjoy the spirit of the Holidays, said Supervisor Knabe. The kids have a great time visiting with Santa and playing in thousands of pounds of real snow.

The Holiday Train pulls into its first stop on December 18 at Amigo Park at 3:30 p.m., and then makes a stop at Parnell Park at 5:00 p.m.; finally it’s off to Adventure Park at 6:30 p.m. At each stop children will receive presents, get a chance to take pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus play in real snow. Over 3,000 children, parents and community members are expected to attend throughout the night.

Here Comes Santa Holiday Train Locations:

3:30 p.m. @ Amigo Park, 5700 Juarez Avenue, Whittier, 90606

5:00 p.m. @ Parnell Park, 10711 Scott Avenue, Whittier, 90604

6:30 p.m. @ Adventure Park, 10130 South Gunn, Whittier, 90605

Knabe Advocating For Infrastructure Funding

Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is in Washington, D.C. today meeting with legislative leaders about local infrastructure improvements as part of the federal stimulus debate for a nationwide, multibillion dollar investment in public works projects.

Included in Supervisor Knabe’s schedule today are meetings with the Army Corps of Engineers, the offices of Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer, and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. In addition to discussing County infrastructure projects, Knabe was also advocating for projects that would benefit Metro and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Although the details of a federal economic stimulus package are only in discussion, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works still has over $485 million in infrastructure improvements projects ready to begin if a national public works investment becomes a reality. Other County agencies, including the Department of Beaches and Harbors and the Department of Parks and Recreation have also identified tens of millions of dollars in additional projects.

Included in the list of proposed local projects are $28.1 million in improvements to the County’s five general aviation airports, $122.3 million in road improvements spread over 80 separate projects that would resurface dozens of miles of County roads, $258 million in watershed and flood control projects, and $76 million in green technology and environmental improvements.

Among the largest proposals is a $20 million plan to replace residential water meters with wireless water meters, eliminating the need to drive to 65,000 homes monthly to read water meters. The wireless infrastructure will eliminate the pollution associated with driving the required 141,786 miles and 6,000 gallons of fuel annually. A $35 million project would create wetlands to treat stormwater runoff from 2.2 square miles of the Sun Valley Watershed on a 46-acre site while incorporating open space, habitat and recreation. The treated stormwater will be recharged in to the underground aquifer in Sun Valley.

"A large-scale national investment in infrastructure improvements could have the serious positive impact our economy needs, said Supervisor Knabe. Our plan for Los Angeles County will benefit the public, and more importantly create numerous jobs and businesses locally.

Supervisor Don Knabe’s Board of Supervisors Chairman’s Speech

Thank you. Even though she’s now officially enjoying retirement, I’d first like to begin by thanking Supervisor Burke for her service as Chair of the Board over this last year.

Her many years leadership and grace guided the County through very challenging times and all of us appreciate her work on behalf of the 10 million people that call our County home.

Now looking towards the future, it is my privilege to welcome our new colleague, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

I thank you again for the invitation to speak at your swearing-in ceremony yesterday and I look forward to working with you.

I am certain that your talents and passion on the issues will be of great benefit to this Board in the years ahead.

If there is ever anything my staff or I can do for you or your staff, please don’t hesitate to ask.

I would also like to thank my colleagues on the Board for this opportunity to once again serve as Chairman.

We have been through a lot as a board over the last several years, the ongoing health care crisis, the state budget crunch and labor negotiations.

And I know we have many more challenging days ahead of us.

But I believe that if we continue to work together as a strong, cohesive group, we will get the job done.

I appreciate the efforts of Sachi and the Board of Supervisors Executive Office staff and that of our CEO, Bill Fujioka and his staff.

I look forward to working with every one of our departments as we chart the course for the County of Los Angeles over the next year.

In my opinion, charting that course is straightforward and uncomplicated.

It doesn’t require long speeches, rhetoric, or partisanship.

As we establish the vision of this Board and this County for the year ahead, I want to remind everyone that the answers to some of life’s most complicated questions are rooted in common sense solutions.

I believe the same can be said for the challenges that face Los Angeles County.

We need to ask ourselves:

Are we being thrifty with County tax dollars?

Are we being helpful and courteous to the customers of

County government?

Are we prepared to meet the needs of our citizens and seize new opportunities when they surface?

And are we brave enough to make the hard decisions even when they are not popular or politically advantageous?

I want to commit to you now as Chairman of the Board, the answers to those questions will be yes.

I also pledge that there will not be a Democrat or Republican solution to the challenges faced the County in the year ahead.

But, there will only be solutions that benefit our customers… the taxpayers and residents of Los Angeles County.

There is no denying that the current economic challenges facing our nation also going to have a significant impact on the County of Los Angeles.

With that in mind, I am not going to lay out a list of goals or projects for you today that I intend to achieve this year.

As it is, we face a myriad of tough decisions to ensure our County will continue to be the excellent service provider it has been in years past.

The one critical goal I do want to address today is in the area of healthcare.

As a Board we must continue to work with the Department of Health to solve their predicted budget deficit in the coming years.

I have said it before and I will say it again, we need to re-prioritize and find creative solutions to health care to make the system work and work efficiently.

And a critical part of ensuring our healthcare system is working efficiently is ensuring that we get MLK Hospital back on its feet and back open for business, serving the critically underserved residents of South Los Angeles.

In just a few weeks, our County leaders will begin working with a new Legislature, a new Congress, and a new White House.

But regardless of the party affiliation of our new leaders – our attitude of working together must transcend party lines.

As Chairman of this Board of Supervisors, I assure you I will be working hand-in-hand with elected officials from every level of government, no matter what political party they may be affiliated with, to find solutions to our challenges.

It is from this effort that we can forge an environment where Los Angeles County can continue to flourish.

As I said during my own swearing-in ceremony ten days ago, an attitude openness and cooperation must exist across our entire County workforce – from management, to the individual departments, to the thousands of employees represented by our Union partners.

Cooperation thrives in a climate of open, honest dialogue.

Political rhetoric for the sake of private goals pollutes the atmosphere and blocks out progress.

Our competition is NOT with each other, or the next County, or the other party.

Instead, the competition is to ensure the success and ensure the future of Los Angeles County.

My friends, we have a lot of work to do.

Let’s begin now.

Thank you.

Supervisors Fund Two Projects On Catalina Island

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors allocated nearly $1 million in funding today that will benefit two projects underway on Catalina Island.

The first project allocates $415,000 in Cities Excess Funds to the City of Avalon to continue the restoration of Joe Machado Field, a community park that was damaged by mudslides and flooding following a wildfire on Catalina Island in May 2007. The total cost of the restoration is estimated at $1.4 million and will be completed in four separate phases. The first phase, removal of debris and demotion of the damaged areas of the park, is currently underway.

In exchange for the $415,000 allocation, the City of Avalon will return an earlier grant for the exact same amount of money that had been previously given to the City. In June 2005, the County committed $415,000 to Avalon from the 1996 Safe Neighborhood Parks Proposition fund. That initial grant was to be used for the construction of a community center, but the project was postponed due to lack of additional funding. Because of the community center postponement, the City of Avalon will return the initial $415,000 grant to the County in exchange for today’s new grant for the same amount of money. The funds from the new grant can then be applied to the restoration of Joe Machado Field.

The second project allocates $500,000 from Fourth District Capital Project funds at the request of Supervisor Knabe to help the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy complete road improvements across portions of Catalina Island. The money will be used for making all-weather improvements to roads that are currently unsealed and dirt roads.

Reward Established For Information Related To Shooting Deaths Of Five Homeless Persons In Long Beach

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, first established in 1850, has reached an important milestone by growing to over 10,000 deputy sheriffs and 8,000 professional staff. As the largest sheriff’s department in the world, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department provides law enforcement services to the unincorporated areas of the County and 40 contract cities, as well the jail system, courts, community colleges and transit systems.

Sheriff Leroy D. Baca, who has led the Department since 1998, gratefully acknowledges the continued vision and support of the Board of Supervisors in helping the Department expand to meet the law enforcement needs and challenges of a flourishing County. Sheriff Baca said that by reaching this staffing milestone, the Department will continue as a national leader in providing an unsurpassed level of service to the community. He proudly credits the leadership and diversity of his personnel with the Department’s ongoing success and achievement.