Issues

LA County Department Of Children And Family Services Looking For New Hires

The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) will host a Job Fair on Saturday, April 26, 2008, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at its Chatsworth Office located at 20151 Nordhoff Street in Chatsworth. The Job Fair is open to the public. Anyone committed to changing the lives of children by working as a Children’s Social Worker or in a supportive clerical role is invited to attend.

DCFS offers multiple positions in a variety of fields including clerical, nursing and social work. A Children’s Social Worker II can earn as much as $66,068 annually and Children’s Social Workers Trainees can earn up to $41,140 annually. Additionally, the County of Los Angeles offers an excellent benefits package, retirement plan and 10 paid holidays per year. At the Job Fair, free educational workshops will touch on topics such as the job application process and "A Day in the Life of a Social Worker."

Applications and information regarding minimum requirements for available positions can be found online at www.lacdcfs.org in the "careers" link, by calling the DCFS Job Hotline at (213) 351-6417 or by visiting DCFS Headquarters at 425 Shatto Place, Room 105, in Los Angeles. Applications and information will also be available at the Job Fair, along with technical assistance in completing the necessary forms.

Board Establishes $10,000 Reward For Information Related To Murder Of 11-Year Old Long Beach Boy

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $10,000 reward today, at the request of Supervisor Don Knabe, for information related to a shooting incident that led to the death of an 11-year old boy in the City of Long Beach.

On Sunday, March 16, 2008, Jose Luis Garcia Bailey, 11, was standing with a group of three other individuals in front of a residence at 2024 East 15th Street in Long Beach across the street from where he lived. The four of them were talking when two males approached on foot and started shooting. Jose was fatally shot.

No one has yet been arrested in this case. The victim is not a gang member, but police believe the suspects are gang members. Investigators also believe it would be beneficial to offer a reward in this case, which may prompt reluctant witnesses to come forward and provide information to identify the individual(s) responsible for this crime.

It is important for the County of Los Angeles to display its resolve in protecting innocent citizens from appalling crimes, said Supervisor Knabe. In order to bring these suspects to justice, and demonstrate our intolerance to such deplorable crimes, I believe this reward should be established, hoping someone will come forward so that we can bring these suspects to justice.

Any person having any information related to the March 16 incident is asked to contact Detectives Russ Moss or Terri Hubert of the Long Beach Police Department – Homicide Division at (562) 570-7244.

Statement By Supervisor Knabe On Proposed 2008-2009 Los Angeles County Budget

The Chief Executive Officer’s proposal for the Los Angeles County 2008-2009 Budget rightly focuses on limiting growth of government programs in the time of a slowing economy and slowing revenue into County coffers.

For the first time in several years, we are experiencing a loss in property tax revenue from the stalled real estate market and the potential loss of state funding in many areas. However, this proposed budget reveals that Los Angeles County remains in solid financial shape and today we are not facing the widespread financial shortfalls and cutbacks that many other levels of government are currently suffering.

What we will have to keep a close eye on is the potential impact the proposed Federal and State budgets could have on the County in the year ahead. Proposed cuts in both of these budgets could potentially mean a loss of up to $500 million in funding to the County in the year ahead. Both the Federal and State budgets proposals are still very uncertain at this point, so the potential hit the County could take is unknown today. We likely will not know more about these impacts until September or October. If State and Federal budget cuts impact the County, then we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Until then, the County will move forward with our own budget proposal that is free of service cuts at this time.

As far as our budget proposal, I am very pleased to see $4.6 million in new funding for enhanced unincorporated Sheriff patrols. This means our unincorporated area residents will benefit from dozens of additional patrol deputies in the near future. Additionally, $3.3 million in new funding will be dedicated to gang prevention efforts.

Although the vast majority of our County programs and departments remain financially solvent, the ongoing deficit in the Department of Health Services is still deeply alarming and continues to loom on the horizon. With a potential structural deficit of over $700 million in the next two fiscal years, the time to act and to make difficult decisions has arrived. We must resolve this deficit without reducing health services to patients. Closing clinics and access points to healthcare is not the answer in a time when we should be opening additional clinics. We need creative decisions and a willingness to look at out-of-the-box solutions to solve this deficit and we need to make these decisions now.

First Measles Case In 2008 Diagnosed In LA County

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has confirmed that a young child has been diagnosed with measles. Currently there is no identified source of the disease and the investigation is ongoing. The child was not vaccinated against measles.

At this time, we have not identified any additional cases, but we are continuing to investigate as we try to determine where and how this patient contracted the disease. We are alerting doctors to be on alert for any patients that might have symptoms associated with measles. What we do know is that the patient was not vaccinated against this highly preventable disease, said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and County Health Officer. This is the first childhood case of measles in Los Angeles County since 2002. The child with measles in that year also was not vaccinated and acquired the disease during foreign travel.

Public Health would like to remind parents how important childhood immunizations are to everyone’s health. Because of vaccines, there are very few cases of measles in the United States today. Parents concerned about vaccine safety should speak to their child’s health care provider.

A Note About Vaccine Safety:

Recent media attention regarding vaccines and questions of a possible link to autism has focused on a mercury-containing preservative called thimerosal. However,

– According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and other leading medical study groups, thimerosal has never been proven to cause any harm.

– None of the vaccines recommended for children age 6 and under, except for certain doses of inactivated influenza vaccine, contain thimerosal, and have not since 1999. In the state of California, thimerosal-free vaccine must be used in children under the age of three. The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, along with several other vaccines, has never contained thimerosal.

– Currently available childhood vaccines have an excellent safety record. There is no scientific data to link vaccines to such serious conditions such as autism.

Los Angeles County Funds 124 Summer Internships At 87 Arts Organizations

Los Angeles County, through its Arts Commission, has given grants totaling $496,000 to 87 performing, literary, media and municipal arts organizations throughout Los Angeles County to support paid internships for college undergraduates in summer 2008.

Descriptions of and contacts for the 124 internship positions are posted on the Arts Commission’s web site. Go to www.lacountyarts.org, click on Internships, then 2008 Internship Positions or click here to download the information.

Interested undergraduates should apply directly to the organization offering the internship, not the Arts Commission. College undergraduates either resident in or attending school in Los Angeles County are eligible for the internships.

Interns are paid $350 per week for ten weeks and take part in educational and arts networking activities. Through the program, interns gain a deeper understanding of the work involved in nonprofit arts administration and the role of the arts in a community, and develop business skills that can be put to use in their future careers. Internship host organizations help mold and shape potential new workers in the arts field who may go on to arts leadership positions on staffs, boards or as volunteers.

Organizations in the County’s Fourth Supervisorial District offering arts internships include: Arts & Services For Disabled, Inc., City of Torrance, Friends of the Cerritos Center, International City Theatre, Long Beach Symphony Association, Musical Theatre West, and Public Corporation for the Arts/Arts Council for Long Beach.

Examples of County internship experiences include:

– An operations/education intern to work at the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra to plan and prepare for the 2008-2009 season of artistic, production, and education activities, working closely with the Artistic Department staff to gain a hands-on experience in preparing and coordinating multiple aspects of concert production, artist relations, and programs.

– A music production & administrative assistant to work at Arts & Services for the Disabled to support programs for students with development disabilities. The summer project will culminate with the intern and ASD students creating and producing a musical piece for broadcast by ASD that will potentially air on local state and/or community college radio stations and online.

– An education associate to work at the Friends of the Cerritos Center to assist in the development and implementation of the Center’s educational programs for youth. The intern will gain hands-on experience in arts instruction activities, including curriculum development for the Professional Development Workshops for Teachers program, production of the annual Educator’s Handbook, and general implementation and program administration.

Opera Tales Returns To Fourth District Libraries

Supervisor Don Knabe today announced that the highly-acclaimed Opera Tales program will soon be returning to Fourth District County Libraries. Opera Tales is a LA Opera program that introduces children and families to the world of opera at local libraries. Supervisor Knabe established the partnership between the LA Opera and the County of Los Angeles Public Library, and provided funding to bring Opera Tales to libraries in the Fourth District.

This year, Opera Tales celebrates the 150th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini’s birth. The program highlights opera’s combination of story and music, and four singers from the LA Opera will sing various arias and act out key scenes from the stories. The stories to be read and performed are from the works of Puccini, including The Girl of the Golden West, Turandot and Gianni Schicchi.

County Libraries in the Fourth District that will host Opera Tales are:

– Diamond Bar Library – Monday, April 14 at 7:00 p.m.

– Hacienda Heights Library – Tuesday, April 15 at 7:00 p.m.

– Hermosa Beach Library – Friday, April 18 at 3:00 p.m.

– Lomita Library – Tuesday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m.

– Artesia Library – Thursday, April 24 at 3:00 p.m.

– La Mirada Library – Saturday, April 26 at 2:00 p.m.

For information on library locations or future programs, please call

(562) 940-8422, or visit the County Library Web site at
www.colapublib.org

Fourth Member Of County’s Most Wanted List Caught

A fourth member of the Los Angeles County Ten Most Wanted List of child support evaders has been arrested, less than two weeks after the List was launched and unveiled at a press conference.

James J. Nickerson, who owes more than $412,000, was taken into custody at his home in San Clemente on Saturday, March 29. Officers from the San Clemente Police Department, working with information and assistance from Los Angeles District Attorney Investigators, executed the outstanding bench warrant issued by the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Following his arrest, Nickerson was turned over to the Los Angeles investigators, who transported him from the Orange County jail in Santa Ana to the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail (Twin Towers). Nickerson posted bail in the amount of $50,000 and was released on Monday, March 31. He was ordered to return April 24 for a sentencing hearing to Department 82 of the Central Arraignment Court adjacent to the Twin Towers facility.

In March, 2004, Nickerson pled "no contest" to a charge of violating Penal Code section 166 (a) (4) for failing to pay court ordered child support for two children. Following his plea, he was placed on probation. A bench warrant for his arrest was issued a year later, in March, 2005, after he was found in violation of probation and failed to appear for sentencing.

The County’s 10 Most Wanted List for child support evaders was launched by Supervisor Don Knabe, District Attorney Steve Cooley, and Child Support Services Department Director Steven J. Golightly on Tuesday, March 18. To date, four of the Ten Most Wanted have either been arrested or have surrendered to the court.

Member of County’s 10 Most Wanted Surrenders After Press Conference

Michael Lee, one of the County’s new Ten Most Wanted Delinquent Parents, surrendered this afternoon in Superior Court at the Central Arraignment Court facility downtown, Supervisor Knabe announced. Mr. Lee has had warrant outstanding for his arrest since January 11, 1999, when he failed to appear for a probation revocation hearing.

At his appearance, Mr. Lee was sentenced by Commissioner John W. Green to 180 days in the County jail; the sentence was stayed, however, on conditions that he make a lump sum payment of $4,000 by April 2, 2008, an additional lump sum payment of $4,000 by July 1, 2008, and that he pay $300 per month beginning April 1 to pay down the amount he owed. Mr. Lee was ordered to return in two weeks on April 2 with proof of the first lump sum payment.

Before surrendering, Mr. Lee appeared on the 18th floor at the Central Civil West Courthouse, accompanied by his fiance and his sister. He was visibly nervous and admitted that he was shaken and shamed by the publicity that had resulted from yesterday’s press conference. He had been contacted by a number of acquaintances who had seen his DMV photo broadcast on TV news.

I couldn’t be more thrilled with this news, said Supervisor Knabe. This shows that the media plays an important role in getting the word out about these delinquent parents. Our Ten Most Wanted list is already showing that it’s a success.

Upgrade Of The South Bay Bike Trail Complete

A major upgrade and overhaul of the South Bay Bike Trail is now complete, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today. The renovated bike path is located between 62nd Avenue and Culver Boulevard in the Playa del Rey community of the City of Los Angeles.

The South Bay Bike Trail stretches nearly 22 miles between Will Rogers State Beach and Torrance County Beach, with most of the path running along public beaches. The project involved the reconstruction of the existing bike trail, including the construction of deep base to stabilize the path and new concrete pavement, and the installation of new striping and pavement markings. The total cost of the project was $431,243, with funding coming from Proposition C Local Return Funds.

It is important that the bike paths on our beaches are safe, said Supervisor Knabe. These improvements will enhance the safety and increase enjoyment of the numerous residents and visitors who use the South Bay Bike Trail.

County To Launch 10 Most Wanted Program For Child Support Evaders

The County of Los Angeles will soon launch a new program, modeled after the FBI’s successful most wanted list, to track down and capture the County’s ten most egregious child support payment evaders. The program will be announced at a press conference on the Temple Street steps of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration on Tuesday, March 18, 2008, at 9:00 a.m., by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, and the Director of the County’s Child Support Services Department, Steven J. Golightly.

The new 10 Most Wanted List features some of the County’s worst child support offenders. The ten individuals, who will be revealed at the press conference, together owe more than $2 million in unpaid child support for 17 children. The individual amounts owed range from $63,000 to over $427,000 per person.

Together these ten evaders owe $2,032,296.90 to their children; these families are struggling to pay their bills because this specific group of parents are choosing to evade or ignore their responsibilities, said Supervisor Knabe. With this new 10 Most Wanted List, the County now has another tool in aggressively tracking down these uncooperative parents.

The County previously had a list of the most wanted delinquent parents, but in the past, the Child Support Services Department (CSSD) had no way of arresting and bringing these offenders to court. That changed last April when Supervisor Knabe created a partnership between CSSD and the Office of the District Attorney to establish the Child Support Arrest Warrant Project. The project is designed to pursue uncooperative parents who evade their child support obligations even after arrest and bench warrants have been issued against them for failing to appear in criminal court. Supervisor Knabe provided $500,000 to assist in funding District Attorney Investigators who will seek out, investigate and arrest these child support evaders.

CSSD has a number of options to pursue the collection of child support payments on behalf of families in need, and always seeks to establish cooperative relationships with the parents required to make payments. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of parents currently in the County’s system that go to great lengths to evade their child support obligations, even after arrest warrants have been issued. There are approximately 1,240 parents with outstanding warrants who fall into this category, and they owe several million dollars in child support payments. Since the use of District Attorney Investigators began on December 4, 2007, 160 of those 1,240 warrants have been cleared.