Yaroslavsky Calls on VA to Scrap West Los Angeles Development Plans - On July 3, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky won unanimous approval for his motion calling on officials at the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center to scrap a tentative proposal for developing a 25-year general land-use plan for the West LA VA site. Yaroslavsky, joined by community and environmental opponents, charged that the plan was hatched largely in secret without either local government or substantial community participation. The motion also authorized County attorneys to file suit aimed at ensuring federal compliance with all applicable environmental laws and regulations.
Board Approves Yaroslavsky Motion to Examine Juror Benefits - The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, 7/3 approved Supervisor Yaroslavsky's motion directing County officials to report back with a proposal to increase juror benefits for employees of companies who contract with the County. The purpose is to encourage wider jury participation without imposing undue financial hardship. Court officials have long complained that inadequate compensation by the state, coupled with the reluctance of many employers to compensate absent employees serving on juries, is draining the pool of qualified jurors who are willing and able to serve.
County SHLAC Scores with NACo - The National Association of Counties recently honored the County of Los Angeles with an "Achievement Award" for its Self-Help Legal Access Center. The program had been championed by Yaroslavsky and developed by the County's Department of Consumer Affairs. It opened for business in November 2000 at the Van Nuys Courthouse, and was established to assist civil litigants without lawyers to more effectively represent themselves in court proceedings. The Center currently assists more than 1,200 mostly low-income individuals monthly with family law matters, landlord-tenant disputes, and similar problems. The Center is located adjacent to the Van Nuys Civic Center at the intersection of Sylvan and Sylmar. For general information or directions to the Center, call (818) 896-5211. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. -12:00p, and 1:30 p.m - 4:30 p.m. daily. Click here for further details and directions. County of Los Angeles Applies for Federal Grant to Improve Dan Blocker Beach - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has announced Board approval to apply for a Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Grant of $746,880 to improve Dan Blocker County Beach in Malibu. Dan Blocker Beach is actually four non-contiguous County-operated beaches; the eastern portion has been open to the public since the late 1970's and annually hosts approximately 250,000 visitors, but lacks any facilities except for chemical toilets and portable lifeguard towers. The western portion was acquired by the state in 1978, but has not been open for public use and remains fenced off. Proposed improvements for low-intensity use include beach access stairs from Pacific Coast Highway, chemical toilets, lifeguard vehicle access ramps to the beach, a small parking lot, and picnic amenities. The total project budget is estimated at $1,946,880, comprising County capital project funds and an anticipated California Coastal Conservancy grant along with the state-administered federal LWCF grant. Click Dan Blocker Beach project for further details. Board Takes Up Yaroslavsky Call to Consider Establishment of County Health Authority - Adopting a motion by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and co-sponsored by Supervisor Don Knabe, the Board of Supervisors on July 10 agreed to examine the possibility of establishing a new Los Angeles County Health Authority to assume day-to-day management responsibilities for the County's extensive network of clinics, health centers, hospitals, and public/private health-care partnerships. The motion notes that the issue was reviewed in depth by the County's Health Crisis Task Force, formed in 1995 in response to financial problems that threatened to bankrupt the County's health system. At that time, the Task Force recommended that the Board consider such a health authority to address the special circumstances confronting the County, which operates the largest local health-care system in the nation. The matter will be taken up for a full discussion at the Board's weekly meeting on August 21 at 11:00 a.m. Board Adopts County Budget - On June 26, the Board of Supervisors adopted the County's final budget for FY 2001-2. The $16-billion spending plan closely tracks the proposed budget unveiled in April, with some minor augmentations in state funds to accommodate increased energy costs and additional court expenses flowing from the LAPD Rampart Division police corruption case. For further spending details, click 2001-2002 County Budget. Board Completes Redistricting Process - Concluding months of research, community meetings, public hearings and open debate, the Board of Supervisors unanimously gave final approval on July 10 to an ordinance formally adopting new boundaries for the County's five supervisorial districts, which take legal effect 30 days after the Board vote. The reapportionment process occurs once a decade following the release of the decennial census results by the federal government. The new lines, with minor population adjustments, hew closely to the court-ordered 1990 map approved by the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, and upheld on appeal as a remedy for past discrimination in former redistricting practices. For further details, click County redistricting.
07/31/01 Michael Jimenez, Los Angeles Capital Asset Leasing Corporation (LAC-CAL) 07/10/01 Brence Culp, Audit Committee
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Yaroslavsky Announces Commission Appointments in July (+
designates reappointments)