Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is happy to announce that a baby girl was safely surrendered in the City of Downey over the weekend.

The newborn Hispanic female was surrendered at Downey Regional Medical Center on Saturday, February 10 and is reported to be in good health.

As is standard practice, the baby girl is in protective custody and will eventually be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

I want to thank this newborn’s mother for doing the right thing, said 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. That’s exactly what happened this weekend.

This is the third Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2007 and the fiftieth Safe Surrender 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.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will consider whether to create a new position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) that would be much stronger than the County’s current Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), based on a proposal introduced today by Supervisors Don Knabe and Zev Yaroslavsky.

The proposal for a strong CAO is not a new or unique idea. Currently a majority of counties throughout California have a strong chief administrator that has the authority to hire and fire department heads, as well as other executive and administrative duties. This idea of a stronger CAO has actually been under consideration for several months. During that time draft versions of the plan and ordinance language were developed, as well as several questions of legal process were answered by County Counsel.

The recommendation calls for a Charter Amendment to the County Code to be placed before the voters during the next Countywide election in June 2008. The Amendment would do the following: transfer to the CAO the authority for hiring, firing and disciplining of department heads, establish that non-elected department heads will report to the CAO, establish a clause that guarantees the Board of Supervisors will not interfere with the CAO, and change the name of the position to Chief Executive Officer.

Although dozens of County departments would report to the CEO under this proposal, certain departments would not be included. These include the elected independent department heads, such as the Sheriff, Assessor and District Attorney, as well as departments that would continue to report to the Board of Supervisors, including the CEO, the Executive Officer of the Board, the Auditor-Controller and the County Counsel.

This proposal represents good public policy for Los Angeles County, said Supervisor Knabe. In any major business, division heads do not report directly to a corporate board of directors. They report to a CEO who in turn reports to that Board. In the same way, County department heads should be held accountable to a single person, and the Board of Supervisors should hold a single person accountable. This plan provides a clear and efficient chain of command and accountability.

The Board of Supervisors will discuss Knabe and Yaroslavsky’s recommendation at the next Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, February 13, 2007.

Surrounded by some of the most famous and dirtiest hands in Hollywood, Los Angeles County Public Health Officials and community leaders today unveiled an aggressive public education campaign aimed at getting residents to wash their hands to reduce the spread of seasonal flu and encourage pandemic flu preparedness. Public Health Officials made the announcement in the forecourt at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, where hundreds of tourists visit daily and place their dirty hands inside the famous imprints of celebrities.

Staying healthy this flu season can be as simple as washing your hands, covering your cough and sneezes, not touching your hands to your face, nose or mouth, and getting a seasonal flu shot, said Jonathan Fielding, MD, MPH, Public Health Director and County Health Officer. This campaign carries simple and important messages – clean hands decrease your chance of catching the flu and can slow the spread of disease if and when we experience a pandemic.

Pandemic flu has occurred three times in the last century (1918, 1957 and 1968) and can take place in any season. On March 30, 2006 Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky signed Planning Resolutions detailing federal, state, and local shared and independent responsibilities for pandemic flu planning.

Although it is difficult to predict when the next pandemic will occur or how severe it will be, public education and outreach are critical to the County’s prevention efforts. Health experts predict an infection rate of 25 to 50 percent of the population, depending on the severity of the virus strain. Seasonal influenza, which occurs every year during the winter months and affects 5 to 20 percent of the U.S. population, should still be treated with the same precautions, including good hand washing and annual vaccination.

The Clean Hands campaign will illustrate just how easy it is to transmit germs while going about a daily routine. These same precautions can reduce the risk of foodborne illness. The campaign will also show how easy it is to prevent catching the flu or other germs simply by washing or sanitizing your hands. The advertising portion of the campaign includes print, television and radio advertisements that are scheduled to launch in the coming weeks. Public service announcements are already being negotiated for broadcast placement.

Due to Los Angeles County’s diverse population, the Clean Hands campaign will be produced in 12 different languages and target 13 markets, including Hispanic, Asian, Russian, Armenian, Arabic, African, American, GLBT and people with disabilities. The campaign will also focus on reaching businesses,

schools, faith-based and other community-based organizations, individuals and families.

On average 36,000 Americans die each year from the complications of seasonal flu, added Dr. Fielding. Los Angeles County consists of many diverse communities that are susceptible and it is critical we reach every one and educate them about how to protect their families and stay healthy.

As part of the kick-off event, a black light demonstration showed how dirty some of the celebrity hand impressions are and how easily germs can be transmitted from person to person. The County provided a hand sanitizing station for tourists to use so they can enjoy the attraction without worrying about catching the flu.

The Clean Hands public education and outreach campaign runs through April 2007, and is funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For more information, or to download brochures, please visit the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s web site at: www.lapublichealth.org

The Department of Public Health is committed to protecting and improving the health of the nearly 10 million residents of Los Angeles County. Through a variety of programs, community partnerships and services, Public Health oversees environmental health, disease control, and community and family health. Public Health comprises more than 4,000 employees and an annual budget exceeding $700 million.

That no evidence exists as to what ever happened to 9.7 million gallons of raw sewage over a 55 month period is abhorrent. That’s the equivalent to the volume of nearly 15 Olympic-sized swimming pools and no one has any idea of what happened to the raw sewage. No one knows if it made it into the Santa Monica Bay, onto our beaches, into our streams and parks or bubbled up through manhole cover and storm drains onto streets where our children play. This investigation has shown that we must make immediate reforms, which is exactly what I am proposing today. Supervisor Knabe
January 24, 2007
Supervisor Knabe’s Action Plan
Direct Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Los Angeles County’s Public Health Officer, in close consultation with the Public Health Commission, Auditor-Controller, County Chief Administrative Officer and County Counsel to:
1. Lead a project to pursue all fifteen Auditor-Controller recommendations to conclusion;
2. Assume personal accountability for the results;
3. Designate a senior manager to serve as day-to-day project manager and advise the Board of his/her selection within one week;
4. Work closely and consultatively with affected County Departments and Districts, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, Heal the Bay, Santa Monica Baykeepers, the City of Los Angeles and all other affected constituencies;
5. Submit in no more than 60 days and present to the Board as a set item, the approach proposed to implement each recommendation along with an action plan and time table to accomplish the specified results
6. Also include as part of the project plan the additional task of critiquing the County’s public health disaster response plans based on the improvements planned as a result of the Auditor-Controller’s report.
7. Provide monthly project status reports to the Board thereafter.
Instruct the County Fire Chief, the Directors of Public Works and Beaches and Harbors, and request the County Sanitation Districts, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, Heal the Bay, Santa Monica Baykeepers, the City of Los Angeles and all other affected constituencies to work with Dr. Fielding and his staff in this effort.
Instruct the Executive Officer to submit a letter and the Auditor-Controller’s report to the Governor and the County’s State legislators:
1. Indicating Board support of the County Public Health Commission’s recommendation to have a public health expert on the L. A. Regional Water Board,
2. Requesting consideration of a change in the Water Code to require at least one Water Board member have a public health background and,
3. Suggesting they consider investigating whether the problems Los Angeles County experienced in reporting and documenting potentially harmful sewage spills as required by law are also occurring elsewhere in the State.
Instruct the Executive Officer to submit a letter to the Los Angeles Water Quality Control Board requesting that they:
1. Amend the Los Angeles County National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit and Waste Discharge Requirements to require sewer system owners/operators to implement the Auditor’s recommendations;
2. Convene a work group of key stakeholders to develop specific maintenance standards for owners/operators of sanitary sewer systems in the County;
3. Seek appropriate authority and funding to create and operate an ongoing independent sanitary sewer collection system monitoring program. The program would monitor sanitary sewer owners/operators for compliance with established maintenance standards and would include a written report on the monitoring results.
Instruct the County Auditor-Controller to conduct an audit, within one year of this date, and report back as a set item on the Board’s agenda on the status of the implementation of his recommendations as well as recommendations of what further action may be needed, Commend the Auditor-Controller and his staff that conducted this report for a job well done.

This week the Los Angeles County Community Development Commission (CDC) – which functions as the County’s Housing Authority – will release a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for over $30 million in both HOME Affordable Rental and "City of Industry Funds". Housing developers are encouraged to submit proposals and apply for these funds.

The NOFA allocates $12 million for special needs rental housing and $12 million for affordable multi-family rental and senior rental developments through the City of Industry Funds program. The NOFA also allocates $6.5 million through the HOME Affordable Rental program. Special needs populations include individuals who are developmentally disabled, mentally ill, domestic violence victims, emancipated foster youth, HIV/AIDS afflicted, transition age youth, frequent users of emergency facilities, and homeless families. A separate and open-year-round Request for Proposal (RFP) for the development of affordable for-sale housing is also currently available.

The NOFA is part of the CDC’s ongoing efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing and thereby build better lives and better neighborhoods for County residents. The City of Industry Funds program originates from "tax increment revenue" generated from that city’s redevelopment areas and which can be used within a 15-mile radius of the City of Industry. Revitalization leads to an increase in property tax revenue because land within the redevelopment areas incrementally increase in assessed value from a base-year assessed value. The incremental increase in assessed value produces an incremental increase in property tax revenue (tax increment revenue), a portion of which is allocated for the City of Industry Funds.

An agreement to distribute the revenue outside the City of Industry was reached because the overwhelmingly industrial city is home to few residents, which made increasing the affordable housing stock within its boundaries less beneficial than expanding the target area for affordable housing projects out to 15 miles.

HOME Affordable Rental funds are provided to the CDC from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Funds are made available within the unincorporated areas and 47 participating cities within Los Angeles County.

For the first time, the CDC is combining both the City of Industry Funds and the HOME Affordable Rental funds into a single NOFA in an effort to simplify the funding application process and increase the supply of affordable housing. Additionally, the application process has been lengthened in an effort to allow developers ample time to secure and leverage various funding sources.

Carlos Jackson, Executive Director of the County CDC, said, "I am confident that this new combined NOFA will create a more streamlined application process for affordable housing developers and ultimately lead to the creation of additional affordable housing units throughout the County."

The NOFA was posted on the County CDC’s Web site www.lacdc.org
starting on Tuesday, January 2nd. A Proposers’ Conference will be held on January 17th at the CDC. There will be a 9:00 a.m. conference for developers interested in special needs development and a 2:00 p.m. conference to discuss general affordable housing development. Additionally, there will be a Questions and Answers Session that will be held on January 25th at 2:00 p.m. at the CDC. The CDC will begin accepting applications on February 2, 2007 and all applications must be received by June 30, 2007. Funding will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to funding availability and eligibility criteria. For more information, please visit www.lacdc.org or call the CDC at (323) 890-7235.

Go on-line at www.ladcss.org
for previous press releases and information concerning this project.

Los Angeles County-Seniors’ survey of unmet needs is coming to an end January 31, 2007. Senior citizens aged 60 and over, will have the rest of January to complete the L.A. County Seniors Count! survey and be counted. Advocates such as the Los Angeles County Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council and the Los Angeles County Commission on Aging are urging seniors to start the New Year right by not missing the opportunity to have input in the countywide needs assessment of seniors’ unmet needs.

"About 12,000 have responded, but there are 1.3 million seniors aged 60 and over in Los Angeles City and County-our goal is to receive at least 20, 000," said Commissioner Bernard Weintraub, Chairman of the L.A. County Seniors Count! Needs Assessment project.

The City and County Area Agencies on Aging receive federal and State funds to provide services to those aged 60 and over in Los Angeles County and the services are, for the most part, of no cost to seniors. Services that are provided with these funds include in-home services, case management, nutrition counseling, congregated meals, home-delivered meals, legal services, employment services, and information and assistance. In order to determine the best way to allocate these resources, the area agency must know which services are of greatest need to the seniors they are serving. The results of the survey will have an impact on the type and degree of services to be offered in the future.

Senior Centers and Aging service providers are being asked to help get the word out to seniors that this is their last chance to participate through January 31, 2007 to have their "voices heard" and their views incorporated into the delivery of services they are eligible to receive. "We cannot plan services in a vacuum; we need to know directly from the seniors, from all segments of the community, what they desire so that we can prepare for the future," said Banks, Director, Community and Senior Services/Area Agency on Aging.

Seniors may complete the survey on-line in English or Spanish at
www.ladcss.org
at home, at the local public library and many senior centers. For surveys and locations of senior centers, call 213-738-2600 and leave a message with your name, address and number of surveys you are requesting.

Surveys are available and may be completed on-site at most local senior centers and public libraries throughout Los Angeles County. Mail the surveys directly to: Cheryl Scolaro, Community and Senior Services, 3175 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90020.

Go on-line at www.ladcss.org
for previous press releases and information concerning this project.

The Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) Torrance Office has partnered with the South Bay Community Partnership Council to coordinate and implement a community-based mentor program for foster youths called the South Bay Mentors Coalition. The program is now actively seeking adult volunteers in the South Bay community (from Inglewood down to Palos Verdes Peninsula) to become mentors as a means to help local foster youth become successful adults. Mentors provide the youth with exposure to a positive range of opportunities and life experiences along with serving as role models – validating and encouraging the youth’s abilities, talents and potential.

The minimum suggested commitment for volunteers is one year, with 8 hours of in-person contact and 1 to 2 hours of collateral contact (e-mail, phone calls, etc.) per month with the youth or on the youth’s behalf. "A little quality time can make a lasting impact," said Jan Springer, a Coalition mentor volunteer.

Torrance Regional Administrator Harvey Kawasaki said the program offers volunteer mentors a great avenue to give back to their community by providing foster youth with a connection to a caring adult.

"As these kids come of age and exit the foster system, this program will be invaluable for them to successfully transition to adult society. Most people who live here don’t realize the South Bay area is home to thousands of children who are living apart from their families because of abuse, neglect or other unfortunate circumstances," he said.

A foster child’s connection to an adult can make a big difference. Eighty-one percent of the youth feel that talking with adults helps reduce teen pregnancy. Fifty-three percent credit mentors with improving their ability to avoid drugs and 59 percent of mentees see their grades and/or attendance improve after they received help from their mentor.

Youth who participate in mentor programs are generally between the ages of 12 and 18. They may be academically lagging or high achievers. They many be in a stable placement or may have experienced a succession of caregivers. Most have little or no support system other than their social workers, foster parents or group home staff. All can benefit from some guidance and feedback from a respected and caring adult.

Mentor orientation meetings will be held on January 20th and on February 6th and 21th in the South Bay area for those who want to learn more about mentoring a foster youth. If you are interested in attending one of these orientations to learn about becoming a mentor, please contact Marsha Morton, DCFS Mentor Liaison, at (310) 972-3129. For more information, log onto:
www.Mentors4FosterYouth.org

The L.A. County Junior Golf Program is offering free golf lessons, after school, for the first 36 juniors to sign up for each program. Please fill out the application and either mail it in or fax it to (626) 447-8573. You will be notified by mail or by phone, one week prior, if your application is accepted or not.

Click Here to Download Application

January 22-26, 2007
3:45pm to 5:00 pm

January 29-February 2, 2007 3:45 pm to 5:00 pm

You may only enroll in one program and spots will be filled on a first come basis. The first 15 minutes of each program will be used for check-in and clubs will be provided for those who need to borrow them.

The Los Angeles County Junior Golf Program is sponsored by the Department of Parks and Recreation and is geared to introducing youngsters (18 and under) to County facilities through a series of free golf lessons. Juniors will learn how to use the driving range, putting and chipping greens through professional instruction. They will also learn valuable life skills such as integrity, honor, dedication and commitment.

Space is limited. Please return application to:

L.A. County Junior Golf Program

Attention: Mike McMonegal, Program Director

301 North Baldwin Avenue

Arcadia, CA 91007

The Natural History Museum stays open late for its monthly First Fridays series of evening events featuring engaging original discussion, film, live performance and curator-led tours on January 5, February 2, March 2, April 6, May 4, and June 1.

Created to engage the public in an open, dynamic and thought-provoking dialogue, this Winter/Spring First Fridays series is entitled The Diversity of Life. The interactive series presents a cross-section of contemporary perspectives on aspects of biodiversity and how it relates to our cultural world and daily lives.

Upcoming First Fridays will treat biodiversity from six different perspectives, including shifting habitats, environmental hot spots, the economics of ecology, climate change, migration and the complex ocean environment.

Each themed evening features a curator-guided tour through one of NHM’s galleries, a moderator-led forum with today’s top thinkers, scientists, environmentalists and authors followed by live performances by acclaimed musicians and DJs.

Friday, January 5, 2007 (extended Museum hours to 10:00 p.m.) Your Place or Mine?

Explore the places we call habitats , our home, body, the natural landscape, cityscape, or places that may have existed yesterday, evolved to this day, or may occur tomorrow. Dr. John Harris, Chief Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits, leads a guided tour and presentation in the African Mammal Hall. Join moderator Hope Tschopik Schneider, host and science writer Margaret Wertheim, and ocean activist Wallace J. Nichols, director of the Pacific Ocean Region at the Blue Ocean Institute, as they discuss how shifting boundaries may stress or destroy places, species, or change the things we produce. This thought provoking dialogue precedes performances by experimental soul group The Life Force Trio and the creative, cosmic-percussion ensemble Hu Vibrational in their west coast debut.

Guided Tour/Presentation (5:30 p.m.): Dr. John Harris

Discussion (6:30 p.m.): Hope Tschopik Schneiderm, Margaret Wertheim, Wallace J. Nichols

Performances (8:00 p.m.): The Life Force Trio; Hu Vibrational

Eighth-, ninth- and 10th-graders with talent in the visual and performing arts are invited to apply for the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts’ fall 2007 semester. Arts High — a tuition-free public school located on the campus of Cal State Los Angeles — combines conservatory-style arts training with a college preparatory academic curriculum.

Ninety-five percent of Arts High graduates go on to higher education, and many are recruited by the world’s finest arts institutes, according to the Los Angeles County Office of Education, which runs the campus that was founded in 1985. Notable Arts High alumni include actress Jenna Elfman (“Dharma & Greg”), recording artist Josh Groban and writer Josefina Lopez (“Real Women Have Curves”).

Students who reside in Los Angeles County may apply to audition in one of the following areas: theater, dance, music (vocal and instrumental) and visual arts.

The deadline to apply for the theater department is Feb. 2, with auditions scheduled for Feb. 25.

The application deadline for the dance, music and visual arts departments is March 2, with auditions/portfolio screenings to be held on April 1.

For information and applications, go to www.lachsa.org or call (323) 343- 2565.

Applications also are available by sending a double-stamped (78-cent) self-addressed legal-size envelope to:

LA County High School for the Arts
Attn: Ben Fonseca
5151 State University Drive
Kennedy Library North 1034
Los Angeles, CA 90032