Parks and Environment

New Funding For Three Open Space Projects In Long Beach

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced a commitment of $200,000 today for three parks and open space projects in the City of Long Beach.

$140,000 of the funding will be used towards construction of new basketball courts near Seaside Park. The basketball court would be developed on land along 14th Street, between Pine Avenue and Locust Avenue. The new court would increase the footprint of the greenbelt area from Locust Avenue all the way to the new Seaside Park, and will complement the recently completed skate park.

Another $50,000 will be used towards paying for concept plans and environmental reports for a proposed new Visitors Center at El Dorado Nature Center. From the original 85 acres, when it was built in 1969, the El Dorado Nature Center has grown to 103 acres. In 2003, the Master Plan for the Nature Center was created by the community. The City of Long Beach plans to hire an architecture firm to begin the second phase of the Master Plan, which is to develop a replacement Visitors Center and Habitat Concept Plan. Such a plan is needed in order for the City to apply for a maximum grant of $5 million in funding through California’s Proposition 84 Nature Education Facilities Grant Program, which could be used towards the development of the Visitors Center.

The final $10,000 of the $200,000 Supervisor Knabe announced today will be used to rebuild the Wild Oats Community Garden, located between 10th Street and Anaheim Street. The garden will need to be removed because of construction of the Termino Avenue Storm Drain Project, a $23 million County project to improve flood control and water quality in several neighborhoods around the Colorado Lagoon and Belmont Heights. The $10,000 contribution will go towards rebuilding and reestablishing the community garden when the construction is complete in 2011. The funding for the reconstruction of the Wild Oats Community Garden was previously announced during Supervisor Knabe’s annual State of the County speech in November 2009. Today’s action is simply the formal allocation of the $10,000.

Irrigation Overhaul Planned At Downey’s Los Amigos Golf Course

More than $4.2 million will be invested in renovating the irrigation system at the County’s Los Amigos Golf Course in the City of Downey, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

The existing irrigation system is more than 30 years old and has exhausted its useful life. The County will be replacing the old system with a new automated system and establish a reclaimed water connection and pump house to irrigate the golf course. Two lakes will be drained, renovated and relined so they can be used as reservoirs for excess reclaimed water.

The golf course will remain open during construction. The contractor will coordinate the construction schedule with the daily functions and act ivies of the golf course. Construction is scheduled to be completed in August of this year. The project is funded by Golf Course Capital Improvement Project Funds, which are collected with every greens fee and can only be used on the course where it is collected. Additional funding comes from the Fourth Supervisorial District Capital Project funds and from a grant by the Central Basin Municipal Water District.

The project supports the County’s Sustainable Design Program by providing a reclaimed water irrigation system that will eliminate the use of potable water for landscape irrigation. Additionally, it will use Smart Water Controller technology to irrigate the course and maintain proper conditions while minimizing over watering.

Community Leaders Gather For Dedication Of Bellflower Bike Trail Pedestrian Path

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe joined community leaders on Monday, November 30 in the City of Bellflower for the ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony of the new Bike Trail and Pedestrian Path.

The new 2.3-mile path, which runs along an abandoned rail Right-of-Way from Lakewood Boulevard to Caruthers Park, is now open to walkers and bicycles. Horses and motorized vehicles are not permitted.

The project budget was over $2 million, and Los Angeles County was able to help out with a large portion of that – with $400,000 coming from Proposition A funds and an additional $100,000 coming from Supervisor Knabe’s Competitive Grant Program.

I’m so pleased to have been part of the project that encourages fitness and strengthens the community, said Supervisor Knabe. I want to encourage other cities to add on to it to increase access for bike paths and connectivity with the San Gabriel and Los Angeles River Bike Paths.

Knabe To Help Rebuild Long Beach Community Garden

Just a little more than a month after ground was broken on the Termino Avenue Storm Drain Project, Supervisor Don Knabe announced that he will be providing $10,000 to help reestablish a community garden that will be need to be destroyed to make room for the project.

The Wild Oats Community Garden is located between 10th Street and Anaheim Street, and unfortunately, the Termino Drain construction will require the temporary destruction of the garden. The community partners and those who have plots in the garden realize that the temporary disruption of the garden is for the long-term benefit of an entire community and for the environmental health of an important watershed.

Supervisor Knabe understands that it’s vital to reestablish this community garden once the two-year Termino Drain project is complete, so he will be contributing $10,000 to Long Beach Organic for the specific use of rebuilding and reestablishing the community garden.

The Termino Avenue Drain project is a $23 million effort to improve flood control and water quality in several neighborhoods around Colorado Lagoon and Belmont Heights. Nearly 90-percent of the costs are being covered by the County. It’s an effort that the City, County, and community have been working on for nearly 20 years.

County Waives Park Fees For Veterans, Military Personnel And Their Families

In honor of Veterans Day, admission fees and vehicle entrance fees have been waived to the regional park facilities on November 6-13, 2009, for Veterans and their families. The motion, introduced by Supervisor Don Knabe, was unanimously approved today by the Board of Supervisors.

As Veterans Day approaches, it is important that we recognize the many contributions that Veterans and their families have made for our great County over the years, said Supervisor Knabe. We owe them many freedoms that we have today, and they truly deserve the honor and respect of their fellow Americans.

All Veterans, military personnel and their immediate families are invited to visit the following Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation facilities from November 6 through November 13, 2009, free of charge with proper identification:

Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park

120 Via Verde Drive

San Dimas

(909) 599-8411

Castaic Lake Recreation Area

32132 Castaic Lake Drive

Castaic

(661) 257-4050

Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area

4100 North La Cienega Boulevard

Los Angeles

(323) 298-3660

Santa Fe Dam Regional Park

15501 East Arrow Highway

Irwindale

(626) 334-1065

Schabarum Park

17250 East Colima Road

Rowland Heights

(626) 854-5560

Whittier Narrows Regional Recreation Area

750 South Santa Anita Avenue

South El Monte

(626) 575-5526

Arboretum of Los Angeles County

301 North Baldwin Avenue

Arcadia

(626) 821-3212

Descanso Gardens

1418 Descanso Drive

La Canada Flintridge

(818) 952-4400

South Coast Botanic Garden

26300 Crenshaw Boulevard

Palos Verdes Peninsula

(310) 544-6815

Virginia Robinson Gardens

(310) 276-5367

By appointment only

Los Angeles County Sues State To Protect And Improve Water Quality

After a unanimous vote by the Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District has filed a lawsuit against the State of California Water Resources Control Board to improve water quality and keep beaches across the County clean and safe.

Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said the lawsuit was necessary in an effort to force the State of California to hear scientific evidence that proves methods adopted by the State to determine bacteria levels at Santa Monica Bay are unreliable.

Public health and water quality remain a top priority of the County, said Supervisor Knabe. We support water standards that protect public health and safety and we want to ensure the State is using the best scientific standards possible in addressing water quality.

The County is committed to working with local cities to develop and implement state-of-the-art, cost-effective solutions for reducing pollutants in stormwater and keeping our beaches clean and safe, Supervisor Knabe added.

Since 2004, the County and cities together have spent more than $200 million a year to improve and protect water quality at local beaches. However, for more than 18 months, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board has failed to respond to repeated requests to address new scientific evidence County officials believe should be considered before making huge investments of public funds.

We are perplexed at the State’s failure to act, said Gail Farber, Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. Instead of working with us on this issue, the State has silenced science.

The County of Los Angeles maintains approximately 500 miles of open channel, 2,800 miles of underground storm drains, and 79,000 catch basins. The County’s stormwater program is developed under the oversight of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, the state agency that is responsible for overseeing these programs, and is undertaken in partnership with the cities at the beaches and watersheds. The County’s stormwater program includes multifaceted public education efforts such as stenciling storm drains and airing public service announcements, as well as extensive structural improvements, such as devices to exclude trash from entering into streams and waterbodies and low-flow stormwater diversion devices at the beaches.

County Supports Education Law Reforms In ‘Race To The Top’

The Board of Supervisors has unanimously passed a resolution made by Supervisor Don Knabe to state the Board’s strong support of the Governor and California’s Legislature in their efforts to make the necessary changes to state law that would enable California to apply for billions of dollars in new federal education funding.

"Race to the Top" is a $4.35 billion competitive grant program that is a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), designed to support education reform and innovation. A primary focus of this program is to improve education by linking teacher performance to student progress, supporting innovative educational models such as charter schools, and a targeted effort to address the lowest 5% of under-performing schools. Unfortunately, the state laws that govern education in California currently render the state ineligible to apply for this funding. A special legislative session called by the Governor to address this issue began this week.

"There is overwhelming need for reform and change in the approach to education," said Supervisor Knabe, "and no where more so than in the County’s camp schools and community day schools, which serve as the educational home to thousands of young people under jurisdiction of the juvenile court. These are precisely the type of students this federal funding is designed to reach."

Supervisor Knabe’s proposed overhaul of educational opportunities in Los Angeles County’s juvenile camps and halls was unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors. The reforms were proposed by Supervisor Knabe after a study revealed students were seriously underserved by the schools designed to teach children incarcerated in the Los Angeles County juvenile justice system. Among the reforms will be the creation of charter schools in the probation system. The reforms will also customize educational opportunities based on the individual needs of the student, including a vocational education path, a college-bound path, and a GED completion path, among others.

"We cannot leave this funding on the table," Knabe continued, "it would be tragic if we let arcane state laws bar us from this significant opportunity to compete for these funds."

County Begins Repair Process For Fire Areas

Critical infrastructure damaged or destroyed in the recent string of wildfires across Los Angeles County will be swiftly repaired under a motion introduced today by Supervisor Don Knabe and Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. The motion gives the County Department of Public Works wide authority to spend up to $25 million to issue emergency contracts and begin repairs to roadways, flood control systems, and utilities that were impacted during the Station, Morris, and Rancho Palos Verdes Fires.

The County’s top priority is repairing and reopening roads that were damaged and closed during the fire. This includes replacing damaged guardrails, removing dead trees, and strengthening roadbeds that were weakened by the intense heat. Emergency repair work will also restore damaged flood control infrastructure, including the construction of temporary protection against winter rains.

Damage reports are still preliminary, but early estimates from the Station Fire area reveal the need to repair at least 95 guardrail locations, remove more than 760 trees, clean out 24 debris basins, and repair minor damage at the construction site of the ongoing $88 million Big Tujunga Dam Seismic Rehabilitation Project. Additionally, the County will need to rebuild the destroyed Public Works office and crew quarters at the Mill Creek Road Division Depot near Angeles Forest Highway.

We are removing the bureaucratic red tape by giving Public Works the authority to make these repairs, said Supervisor Knabe. We need to get the burn areas on the road to recovery as soon as possible and this motion will make that a reality.

This action allows the County to fast-track repairs and minimize the risk of potential mudslides and floods in the aftermath of the fire, said Supervisor Antonovich.

Irrigation Overhaul Planned At Los Amigos Golf Course

More than $5.5 million will be invested in renovating the irrigation system at the County’s Los Amigos Golf Course in the City of Downey, Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, announced today.

The existing irrigation system at Los Amigos is more than 35 years old and has exhausted its useful life. The project consists of replacing the outdated irrigation system with a new fully-automated reclaimed water system. In addition, the golf course’s two lakes, which currently require frequent refilling, will also be renovated, so they can be used as reservoirs for the new reclaimed water irrigation system.

The project supports the Board of Supervisor’s Sustainable Design Program by providing a reclaimed water irrigation system that will eliminate the use of potable water. Additionally, the project will use Smart Water Controller Technology to irrigate the course to maintain proper conditions while minimizing overwatering.

The total project budget is $5,516,000, which will be funded with $2,471,000 in

Los Amigos Golf Course Capital Improvement Funds, $2,595,000 in net County cost consisting of $1,125,000 in Fourth Supervisorial District Capital Project funds, $1,470,000 in prior year net County cost, and $450,000 in grant funding from the Central Basin Metropolitan Water District.

"Los Amigos is a wonderful asset to affordable public golf in our region, said Supervisor Knabe. "This new irrigation system will not only help update and maintain the stunning grounds for golfers, but it will also increase the longevity of our local water supply."

Los Amigos Golf Course will remain open during construction as there is no anticipated impact on play or anticipated closure of any part of the golf course.

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.