Public Safety

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.

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.

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.

County Will Renovate Four Fire Stations And One Lifeguard Station In The Fourth District

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the first phase of a project that will renovate fire and lifeguard stations throughout the County, Supervisor Don Knabe announced today. Renovations are needed in over 90 of the County’s fire and lifeguard stations to meet code requirements and give female employees privacy when sleeping, dressing, and changing.

Twelve facilities will be renovated in Phase 1 of the program, with five coming from the Fourth District. The renovation work includes the construction of new restroom layouts that will provide private toilets and shower areas, the installation of partitions in the sleeping quarters, and the creation of private changing areas. The total project budget for Phase 1 is $5 million, and is scheduled to be completed within 18 months. The funding for the project is coming from the Fire Protection District.

The right to privacy is absolutely critical for each and every one of our County firefighters and lifeguards, said Supervisor Knabe. This project will ensure that our fire and lifeguard stations are modern and account for the growing number of female personnel that the County employs.

Fourth District Fire and Lifeguard Stations in Phase 1

– Fire Station 17 – 12006 Hadley Street in Whittier

– Fire Station 49 – 13820 La Mirada Avenue in La Mirada

– Fire Station 56 – 12 Crest Road in Rolling Hills

– Fire Station 96 – 10630 Mills Avenue in Whittier

– M.B. Lifeguard Station – 2600 Strand in Manhattan Beach

New Graffiti Prevention Program To Launch February 23

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe in partnership with Helpline Youth Counseling, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Cities of Downey, La Mirada, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, Whittier, and Unincorporated Whittier will launch the Aware Teens Against Graffiti or A.T.A.G. Program this Saturday, February 23 at 8:00 a.m. at the STAR Center, located at 11515 South Colima Road in Whittier.

A.T.A.G. is an innovative delinquency prevention program that targets first time tagging and vandalism offenders between the ages of 9 to 15 and their parents. The weekend-long program focuses on the parents receiving an intensive two-day skill-building training, and the youth offenders participating in community service projects and group discussions while being supervised by law enforcement. The program is a unique and proactive effort in Los Angeles County as it brings elected officials, law enforcement, the court system, community-based organizations and families together in a collaborative effort to combat tagging and vandalism in the community.

Graffiti is a huge problem in many of our neighborhoods and communities, and it is reducing the quality of life, property values, business growth and development in these areas, said Supervisor Knabe. A.T.A.G. works to prevent and eliminate this growing problem by providing parents with necessary skills, support and resources to help their kids and it teaches young offenders about accountability, responsibility, respect, values and future consequences.

Knabe Praises Bust Of Multi-Million Dollar Child Care Fraud Ring

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe offered congratulations today on the successful bust and arrests of a widespread child care fraud ring that involved the theft of over $3 million in taxpayer’s funds. In 2007, Supervisor Knabe led the effort to pass State legislation to combat fraudulent use of funds for government-subsidized child care programs – fraud which costs California’s taxpayers millions of dollars per year.

I could not be happier that the criminals involved in this fraud ring are now behind bars, but I am also still outraged at the continued theft of taxpayer dollars intended for families in need, said Supervisor Knabe. The fact that we have tens of thousands of children on a waiting list for these child care subsidies shows that there is still a great need for the State to address the serious fraud problems in these important programs

The bust announced today involved charges being filed against 55 different people, which were spread across five separate criminal complaints. The fraud ring was allegedly run, in part, by a convict currently in federal prison on a narcotic trafficking term. The $3 million bust is believed to the largest of its kind to date in the nation.

Today’s bust is a prime example of how California’s child care programs, which issue over $1.2 billion in taxpayer dollars each year, are highly vulnerable to fraudulent activity and improper payments, due to a gap in appropriate oversight at the State level, said Supervisor Knabe.

A 2005 report to the Legislature indicated that fraud could exist in up to 7 percent of all child care payments statewide. The report also estimated that 6.2 percent of all child care payments are erroneously issued, as a result of inconsistent practices and policies.

Throughout 2006 and 2007, Supervisor Knabe continually advocated in Sacramento for decisive action on this issue. In 2006, Knabe sponsored Senate Bill 1421 (Margett) to address fraudulent activity in child care programs. This led to a bipartisan dialogue, and passage of Senate Bill 84 (Ducheny) by the Legislature, which was then signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in August 2007.

The Legislature’s action calls for a best-practices study, which is due back by September of this year. It will report on the best practices for the prevention, detection, and investigation of improper payments and fraud in all subsidized child care programs. Additionally, local efforts across California, such as the highly-effective fraud mitigation and prevention activities in Los Angeles County, which last year prevented over $50 million in erroneous child care payments from occurring, will be reviewed as part of the study.

Knabe Establishes Rewards For Information Related To Three Shooting Deaths In Long Beach

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved three $10,000 rewards today, at the request of Supervisor Don Knabe, for information related to two different shooting incidents that led to three deaths in the City of Long Beach.

On Saturday, January 19, 2008, Dennis Moses, 17, and Breon Taylor, 15, were shot and killed while attending a birthday party at the Lakewood Masonic Center located on East Parkcrest Street. Police believe a fight occurred between people at the party, which led to gunfire. The very next day, on Sunday, January 20, 2008, Ikime Sims, 20, was found outside a house near 68th Way and Orcutt Avenue with a gunshot wound to his lower body. He was transported to a local hospital, but died shortly after.

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 these 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 January 19 incident is asked to contact Detectives Mark McGuire or Hugo Cortes of the Long Beach Police Department – Homicide Division at (562) 570-7244. Any person having any information related to the January 20 incident is asked to contact Detectives William Matsubara or David Rios of the Long Beach Police Department – Homicide Division at (562) 570-7244.

Supervisor Don Knabe Honored By Children’s Mental Health Agency For Support Of Children’s Causes

Intercommunity Child Guidance Center (ICGC), which provides comprehensive mental health and social services for children and their families, recently recognized Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe for spearheading landmark programs designed to safeguard children.

While on the Board of Supervisors, Don Knabe has repeatedly advocated for and supported groundbreaking programs to protect the lives of children and safeguard their environment, said ICGC Executive Director Charlene Dimas-Peinado. He’s truly been a champion of children’s causes throughout his career, as well as an advocate for children’s mental health services.

ICGC, which serves the Whittier and Southeast Los Angeles County area, presented its Children’s Champion Award to Supervisor Knabe during its recent 50th Anniversary Gala held at the historic Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena.

Supervisor Knabe championed the County’s Safe Surrender Program in 2001, which allows a parent or guardian to drop off an infant, three days old or younger, to a hospital emergency room or other designated location without fear of arrest and prosecution. Based on the State’s Safe Haven Law, the program has saved the lives of more than 60 newborn children.

In addition, Supervisor Knabe led efforts for the creation of a Child Care Quality Review System in Los Angeles County, sought enhanced County’s oversight of the State-licensed Foster Family Homes program, led a drive to reform the County’s Department of Children’s and Family Services and helped to establish a rating system for child care centers to help parents make informed choices.

Proceeds from the gala dinner benefited the Early Attachments, that last a Lifetime Infant-Toddler Center, an ICGC project in partnership with Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier. The Center will provide an early intervention and prevention program for families with infants at-risk for abuse, neglect or foster care placement with the goal of decreasing that risk by providing services aimed at fulfilling the well-being of the entire family system.