Issues

Two New Traffic Stops Coming to Rowland Heights

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved two traffic regulation orders today that are designed to improve traffic safety in areas of Rowland Heights. The approval establishes one-way stop controls for northbound traffic on Abeto Avenue at Fidalgo Street and eastbound traffic on Fidalgo Street and Gallio Avenue.

The goal of installing new traffic controls at these intersections is to improve traffic safety, enhance traffic flow, and better serve adjacent properties. As required by the California Vehicle Code, the Board of Supervisors had to officially adopt these regulations before the California Highway Patrol and the Sheriff’s Department can begin enforcing them.

Marijuana Dispensary to Close

The marijuana dispensary currently operating in Hacienda Heights will be closing soon, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

The dispensary, which is located at 15838 Haliburton Road in Hacienda Heights opened in May 2005 and was the first medical marijuana dispensary in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. At that time, there were no regulations in the County that governed marijuana dispensaries. Supervisor Knabe led the effort to make sure that these dispensaries would be adequately regulated in order to keep neighborhoods safe, and on May 9, 2006, the Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that regulated marijuana dispensaries in the County.

The new ordinance had a clause which stated that a marijuana dispensary must be at least 1,000 feet from a sensitive location like a school, church, library, etc. Under the new regulations the dispensary in Hacienda Heights was out of compliance with that clause. The operator of the dispensary, California Medical Caregivers Association, has settled with the County and agreed to cease all operations in the unincorporated area of the County for which they have not obtained permits or licenses required under the new regulation and will vacate the Hacienda Heights location on or before April 30, 2007.

This is a big victory for us, said Supervisor Knabe. As I have said before this issue is not about whether medical marijuana is right or wrong – the voters have already answered that question. What is most critical is ensuring the safety of our children and our neighborhoods. Closing this dispensary ensures we are keeping our neighborhoods safe.

Board Approves Plan for New County Office of Water Recycling

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted recommendations today that established the County Office of Water Recycling within the County Department of Public Works. Working with other entities, the Office of Water Recycling will strive to double the region’s use of non-potable recycled water by 2030, an annual increase of 54 billion gallons.

The projected increase in recycled water use would make enough potable water available to meet the demands of an additional 1.3 million people. Among the other recommendations: all County-maintained golf courses, parks, parkways, and expansive greenbelts to be connected to recycled water supplies, where available, by 2020; recycled water use for irrigation of all unincorporated area parks, golf courses and other large areas of open space where feasible; working with interested parties, the Office of Water Recycling will develop an ordinance requiring dual plumbing in new developments within unincorporated areas; increase in public awareness of recycled water benefits through a public outreach effort.

Two-thirds of the water supply used by County residents for potable purposes (drinking, bathing, landscape irrigation, etc.) comes from Northern California and the Colorado River. Consequently, a significant percentage of our water supply is threatened by aging infrastructure, climate change, drought and other natural occurrences.

The remaining one-third of our water supply is from local groundwater, surface water, and recycled water. The primary beneficial use of recycled water is for replenishing the local groundwater supply.

With an estimated 12 million people living in Los Angeles County by 2020, serious steps are needed to increase the use and longevity of our local water supply, said Supervisor Knabe. By adopting the recommendations of our Water Recycling Task Force, we are preparing to meet the water demands of the future with better infrastructure and increased collaboration among water agencies, businesses, the public, and municipal agencies throughout the region.

Download Recycled Water Task Force Report
Download Supervisor Don Knabe’s Motion

Norwalk Clinic to Receive Major Financial Gift

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe will join local health leaders christen the new S. Mark Taper Foundation Building at the Norwalk Regional Health Center and celebrate the Foundation’s $300,000 gift that will help boost health care services at the facility, which opened in February 2006.

Supervisor Knabe, Norwalk City Councilmember Gordon Stefenhagen, JWCH Institute CEO Al Ballesteros and others will unveil new building signage to recognize the grant that will provide additional medical services for low-income, under-insured and uninsured residents, regardless of their ability to pay. According to the County’s Health Department, nearly 27,000 people in the City of Norwalk have no health care insurance.

With this health center being open for the past year – we are giving the gift of hope to many of these thousands of people who have not had access to these services, Knabe said. I also want to express my deepest thanks to the Taper Foundation for their support of this health center. This type of partnership works well to benefit our communities.

The Norwalk Health Center had closed in 2002 because of budget cuts, but reopened in 2006 with the help of Supervisor Knabe, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, L.A. Care Health Plan and Kaiser Permanente.

Newborn Safely Surrendered in Glendale

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success again today with the report of another safely surrendered newborn, the second such report in as many days. This most recent report of a safe surrender occurred in the City of Glendale at Glendale Memorial Hospital.

The newborn female was surrendered on Saturday, February 10 and is reported to be in good health. Although the surrender occurred on Saturday, confirmation was just received today. It is normal for surrenders to take several days to be verified under the rules of the program. 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 is the fourth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2007. Another newborn was also surrendered on Saturday in Downey and two others were surrendered in Brentwood and Bellflower in January. This most recent surrender is the 51st since the program began six 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.

Traffic Signals Will Receive Upgrades in Long Beach and Whittier

Damaged traffic signals and equipment in Long Beach and Whittier will be replaced with new equipment, Supervisor Don Knabe announced recently.

The project in Long Beach is at the intersection of Del Amo Boulevard and Susana Road, and involves the installation and modification of the traffic signals at the intersection. The estimated cost of the project is $1,718,375. Construction will begin this month, and the projected completion date is February 2008.

The Whittier project is located at the intersection of Beverly Boulevard and Pioneer Boulevard. This project will involve the installation of conduits, conductors, pull boxes, retrofit kits and lamps to convert the existing out-dated, poorly functioning street light system to a more modern and reliable system. The cost estimate for the project is $192,260. Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2007 and be complete by June 2008.

Street Name Sign Upgrade Coming to Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works has embarked on a project to upgrade street name signs in the Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights areas. The project is part of a County program to increase the visibility of street name signs along roadways with speed limits of 30 mph or greater.

Working with the Department of Public Works and Chief Administrative Office, the Board of Supervisors has selected the communities of Hacienda Heights and Rowland Heights as the next areas to implement the new street name signs. These new signs will have larger lettering and greater reflectivity at night to increase safety and mobility on the major streets of the communities. The signs will also include the community names of Hacienda Heights or Rowland Heights along with the Los Angeles County Seal to help bring a unifying theme of neighborhood to these unincorporated areas. Over 740 signs will be installed along the major streets of these communities.

"These new street signs will not only bring increased safety to these communities, but they will act as a Community Branding of sorts," said Supervisor Knabe. "Most of the cities throughout the County have street signs that signify the city, and our unincorporated areas deserve the same. Hopefully, these signs will help to bring these neighborhoods together."

Colima Road and Azusa Avenue have been upgraded with the new signs already and Hacienda Boulevard is currently under way. The remaining streets in the Rowland Heights and Hacienda Heights communities will follow Hacienda Boulevard. Public Works expects to complete this project by this spring.

Free Golf Lessons Offered at County Golf Courses for Youth Ages 4 to 18

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The County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation kicked off its Junior Golf Program last week at La Mirada Golf Course. The Junior Golf Program will offer free golf lessons to youth ages 4 to 18 at a total of six participating Los Angeles County golf courses.

Celebrating its sixth year of introducing youth to the game of golf, the County of Los Angeles Junior Golf Program offers youth an opportunity to practice and learn the game of golf from professional instructors. Each one-week Junior Golf session takes place every day from 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The County of Los Angeles Junior Golf Program will offer free lessons at the following locations and dates:

La Mirada Golf Course

15501 East Alicante Road

La Mirada, California 90638

January 22-26, January 29-February 2

Chester Washington Golf Course

1930 West 120th Street

Los Angeles, California 90047

February 19-23, February 26-March 2

Santa Anita Golf Course

405 South Santa Anita Avenue

Arcadia, California 91006

March 19-23, March 26-30

Mountain Meadows Golf Course

1875 Fairplex Drive

Pomona, California 91768

April 23-27, April 30-May 4

El Cariso Golf Course

13100 Eldridge Avenue

Sylmar, California 91342

May 14-18, May 21-25

Diamond Bar Golf Course

22751 East Golden Springs Drive

Diamond Bar, California 91765

June 11-15

For more information or to enroll in the program, contact Los Angeles County Junior Golf Director Mike McMonegal at (626) 821-4648.

Improvements Complete at Rowland Heights County Park

Over $1.8 million in renovations and improvements at Rowland Heights County Park are now complete, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today. The extensive construction work included reproofing of the existing community building, resurfacing and repainting of the parking lot, replacement of drinking fountains and barbeque grills, additional security lighting and new sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Additionally, area teens also participated in the renovation of the park through the County’s Youth Employment Plan. Participants were employed to plant shrubs around the parking lot and to remove old wooden bleachers. The final construction cost of the renovation project was $1,801,370. This amount represents a significant financial savings over the original $2,456,000 budgeted for the project.

This project is about making a reinvestment in our community, said Supervisor Knabe. These improvements will not only increase the usefulness of Rowland Park, but will also benefit the many residents of surrounding communities who utilize this park.

Wendy Lee Welt of Downey is Appointed to the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities

Supervisor Don Knabe today announced that the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved his appointment of Downey resident Wendy Welt to the Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities.

Welt is the President of Beneficial Lifestyles in Hawthorne, and is also an accomplished motivational speaker who performs seminars for various corporations, organizations and churches. She is currently attending California State University, Long Beach, where she is working towards a degree in Communication Studies.

Welt also volunteers to help children who have been abandoned, disabled, or abused. She has served on the Disabilities Commission for almost seven years and has served as both the Chair and Vice Chair.

As a person born without arms and legs, I am a huge advocate for the disabled, said Welt. My passion is to help as many people as I can.

Wendy is a very strong and passionate woman, who has overcome some tremendous obstacles to get where she is now, said Supervisor Knabe. She is absolutely committed to the disabled population, and she will continue to be a valuable asset on this Commission.