Issues

Supervisor Knabe Appointed to California Statewide Emergency Council

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe has been appointed to serve on the California Emergency Council. The appointment was announced by Governor Schwarzenegger on May 5, 2006.

The California Emergency Council is the official advisory body to the Governor during an emergency and on issues of emergency preparedness. Additionally, the Council may advise the Governor on the State Emergency Plan and on the approval of orders and regulations.

I am honored to have been appointed by the Governor, said Supervisor Knabe. I am looking forward to the opportunity to advise the Governor on the important issues this Council will take up.

The California Emergency Council has a total of 10 members. Members do not receive a salary and the position does not require confirmation by the State Senate.

Free Self-Help Legal Access Center Opens at the Long Beach Courthouse

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe will join Superior Court leaders this Friday afternoon to commemorate the much-anticipated Grand Opening of the Self-Help Legal Access Center at the Long Beach Courthouse.

On August 2, 2005, with the support of Supervisor Knabe, the Board of Supervisors approved the funding for this center, which will be the Fourth District’s first such Self-Help Center. There are currently four other Self-Help Centers like this one located throughout the County. Since the first facility opened in the Van Nuys Courthouse in 2000, these centers have combined to serve over 100,000 Los Angeles County residents.

The new Self-Help Center will be staffed with an attorney, paralegal and trained volunteers, and will be managed by Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS). While the employees and volunteers of the center will not be able to provide legal advice or offer direct representation, staff members will be able to provide information on preparing forms, courtroom procedures and appropriate courtroom demeanor.

"Opening this center is another landmark in our continuing campaign to enhance our outreach into the community," said Superior Court Presiding Judge William A. MacLaughlin. "We believe this center will provide critically needed services to people in the Long Beach area. Supervisor Knabe is to be commended for securing the necessary financial support to make this possible."

I am thrilled that we finally have this highly-successful program in the Fourth District, said Supervisor Don Knabe. This Self-Help Center will provide our residents, who maybe do not have the ability to pay for an attorney, with free access to basic legal resources and information.

All residents of Los Angeles County with business at the Long Beach Superior Courthouse are eligible to access the Self-Help Legal Center, regardless of income. The new hours of the center which will be located inside of the Law Library are as follows: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Grand Opening and Open House is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, April 21st. The Long Beach Courthouse is located at 415 West Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach.

Wetlands to be Developed in Long Beach

Supervisor Don Knabe announced recently that the Board of Supervisors approved plans for the construction of treatment wetlands and public use open space that will greatly benefit the community. The project is located in the Dominguez Gap Spreading Grounds east and west basins in the City of Long Beach.

The Dominguez Gap was identified in the 1996 Los Angeles River Master Plan as one of five sites that would provide flood management, water quality, environmental enhancements, and recreational and educational improvements. In 2001, a feasibility study for the project was completed by the Los Angeles County Flood Control District.

During the process, the District worked to gather input and support from a large and diverse group of stakeholders. The supporters of this project include: the City of Long Beach, the California Coastal Conservancy, the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, along with residents in the area.

Construction will consist of developing extensive treatment wetlands in the east basin, enhancing the quality of water recharged in the west basin, providing public use open space along both basins with passive recreational features including trails, shade structures, and interpretive signage, and installing trash removal devices at major storm drain outlets. Work on the project is scheduled to begin August 2006 and should be finished in March 2007. Construction is not expected to disrupt traffic and local access in the area.

This project is an integral part of the Los Angeles River Master Plan, said Supervisor Knabe. This will not only create a wetland habitat in the Dominguez Gap, but it will also be a significant point of interest along the Los Angles River greenway.

Steinmetz Park Play Areas to be Renovated

Steinmetz Park in Hacienda Heights is among 12 parks throughout Los Angeles County that will have their play areas renovated as approved by the Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

The renovations will include the replacement of the old, non-compliant play equipment and surfacing with new play equipment and modern surfacing designed to reduce the stress of impacts. The new play area improvements will meet all applicable State laws including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility.

The cost of these renovations at Steinmetz Park will be approximately $450,000, with $315,000 coming from Proposition 12 funds and the remaining $135,000 will come form Proposition A funds.

These are necessary renovations that will provide our parks with new play equipment and low-impact surfacing, said Supervisor Knabe. Our children deserve to go parks that have both safe and modern playground equipment.

Newborn Safely Surrendered at Downey Hospital

A newborn boy has been surrendered at a Downey hospital as part of the Safe Surrender program, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

The baby boy was safely surrendered yesterday at Downey Regional Medical Center. The baby was healthy and has been initially identified as Hispanic or Caucasian. This incident is the fifth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2006 and the 41st since the program went into effect.

The Safe Surrender Program in Los Angeles County was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in June of 2002. 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.

The first year the program went into effect, no surrenders were reported in Los Angeles County. That same year, 11 newborns were discovered abandoned and deceased. By 2005, the number of Safe Surrenders climbed to 8 cases and the number of abandoned deceased infants dropped to 4.

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

Knabe Funds Peninsula Transit Shuttle

A $5,000 reward has been unanimously approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to assist in the investigation of the fatal hit and run accident that claimed the life of 16-year-old Casie Hyde in Redondo Beach last December.

On the night of December 2, 2005, Hyde and her boyfriend, Mike Archuletta were in a car accident in the 2700 block of Manhattan Beach Boulevard. Redondo Beach detectives are investigating the accident as a possible road rage case as several witnesses reported seeing a black pickup truck involved in the accident that left the scene.

Supervisor Don Knabe requested the $5,000 reward from the Board of Supervisors during the meeting of Tuesday, March 28. The County’s reward joins a $25,000 reward announced by Hyde’s family last week.

Anyone having any information related to this accident is asked to call the Redondo Beach Police Department at (310) 379-2477.

Safely Surrendered Baby in Long Beach

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced this morning that a baby has been safely surrendered at a hospital in Long Beach. The newborn Caucasian boy was surrendered yesterday afternoon at Community Hospital of Long Beach. The baby is healthy and will be placed in an adoptive home by the Department of Children and Family Services.

I want to thank this mother for doing the right thing, said Supervisor Knabe. We have a law on the books to protect babies from abandonment and give the mother a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands.

The Safe Surrender Program in Los Angeles County was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in June of 2002. 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.

The newborn handed over at Community Hospital yesterday is the 40th safely surrendered baby since the program started and the fourth since the beginning of 2006.

Newborn Safely Surrendered at Norwalk Hospital

A newborn boy has been surrendered at a Norwalk hospital as part of the Safe Surrender program, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced this morning.

The baby boy was safely surrendered yesterday at Coast Plaza Doctor’s Hospital in Norwalk. An unidentified woman brought the baby to the emergency room, saying the baby was born at home and that his mother had asked the woman to surrender him to the hospital. This incident is the third Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2006. The first two surrenders occurred on the same day last month when two newborns were dropped off at hospitals in Long Beach and Glendora.

The Safe Surrender Program in Los Angeles County was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in June of 2002. 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.

The first year the program went into effect, no surrenders were reported in Los Angeles County. That same year, 11 newborns were discovered abandoned and deceased. By 2005, the number of Safe Surrenders climbed to 8 cases and the number of abandoned deceased infants dropped to 4. The newborn handed over at the Norwalk hospital yesterday is the 39 th safely surrendered baby since the program started.

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

Two Newborns Safely Surrendered in Los Angeles County

Two newborn babies were recently turned over to local hospitals as part of the Safe Surrender program, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced this afternoon.

Both surrenders occurred on Friday, February 24. The first was a newborn Hispanic male, who was dropped off at Foothill Presbyterian Hospital in Glendora. The second newborn was also a Hispanic male, who was surrendered at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Long Beach. Although the surrenders happened over one week ago, it is not unusual for cases to take several days to be verified as a true Safe Surrender.

The Safe Surrender Program, initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in June of 2002, allows a parent or legal guardian to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old confidentially and without fear of prosecution to any hospital or fire station, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.

The first year the program went into effect, there was not a single Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County. That same year, 11 newborns were discovered abandoned and deceased. By 2005, the number of Safe Surrenders climbed to 8 cases and the number of abandoned deceased infants dropped to 4. The two recent Safe Surrenders were the first for 2006.

The right choice was made for these newborns, said Supervisor Knabe. Both babies are healthy and will end up in loving homes because they were turned over through the Safe Surrender Program.

Planning for the Future of Hacienda Heights

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is inviting residents and local business owners in Hacienda Heights to attend the kick-off meeting of a planned Community Planning Advisory Group.

Supervisor Knabe, along with the Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning, recently started the process of involving local residents in evaluation and updating of local community plans. The community group will also help explore priorities for local fee revenues coming from the last expansion of the Puente Hills Landfill.

This first meeting is planned for Wednesday, February 22, 2006 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Steinmetz Park Senior Center. The park is located at 1545 South Stimson Avenue in Hacienda Heights. The purpose of this meeting is to hear a report from the County’s consultants on the findings of their community interviews. This meeting is also the first opportunity for Hacienda Heights residents to come together to influence community planning priorities.

I look forward to personally addressing the Hacienda Heights community on Wednesday night, said Supervisor Knabe. This is an important process for outlining the future of Hacienda Heights and I want to thank the residents and local business owners for their help in shaping the future of this community.