November Archives

November 2001

Yaroslavsky Welcomes "One Trial" Jury System to Santa Monica, Culver City and West Los Angeles Courthouses - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky hailed the arrival of the "one trial" jury system to three Westside courthouses, which should help minimize personal inconvenience and consequently expand the pool of willing and available jurors. Yaroslavsky said that under the new plan initiated in early November, randomly selected citizens would be summoned for jury duty and required to call in to the Court's on-call phone system for up to five days. If the Court instructs them to report for service, they will be directed to the appropriate courthouse for orientation. One out of four prospective jurors will be impaneled for a trial, with service averaging six days. If not selected, they will have successfully discharged their jury obligations that first day and won't be called again for service for at least one year. Yaroslavsky said that the "One Trial" jury system will be expanded beginning Dec. 17, 2001, to include the Airport and Malibu Courthouses. For information on the program in Westside courts, click Santa Monica; for a full explanation of how the "One Trial Term" program works, click One Trial; for additional general court information, click Superior Court.

Yaroslavsky Seeks Legal Opinion on Valley Compensation for City Assets - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has asked the Office of County Counsel - which represents the Local Agency Formation Commission, the state body on which Yaroslavsky serves and which is charged with overseeing the proposed secession of the San Fernando Valley from the rest of the City of Los Angeles - for a formal opinion on whether the City could be required to compensate the new Valley city for the value of public assets remaining under the control of the City of Los Angeles. Yaroslavsky's letter comes after the County Counsel's opinion of November 21, which found that the City of Los Angeles could not be compelled to transfer assets to the new Valley city without either compensation or consent. Click LAFCO asset transfer for the full text of the letter

Yaroslavsky Calls for Posting Local Campaign Contributions on the Web - In a recent motion, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky called for the County's Registrar-Recorder to begin posting all County campaign finance statements on its Website as soon as the statements are filed. "The public interest would be served by making such information as widely available as possible," Yaroslavsky said in the motion. In November 1996, Yaroslavsky spearheaded a successful effort to win ballot approval for Proposition B, a Countywide campaign finance reform measure that included fundraising, contribution and spending limits, as well as disclosure provisions.

Yaroslavsky Announces Family Saturdays at Music Center - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is urging parents to bring their children to experience Family Saturdays at the Music Center of Los Angeles County, a very special series of programs set to take place January through June 2002. "This series is a great way for parents to introduce their kids from a young age to the wonder, excitement and power of the performing arts. Thanks to my own parents, I know from personal experience that this is how a lifelong love affair with the arts can begin." Click Family Saturdays for more information on these fun-filled, low-cost programs. Click Music Center to learn more about the Center's many other programs and events.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (second from right) chats with Secretary for Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi and Los Angeles City Councilmember Cindy Miscikowski during a break in a recent community meeting held at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System,

formally known as the VA's West Los Angeles Medical Center. The meeting was convened to discuss future development and land-use proposals for the facility, located on 400 acres between Westwood and Brentwood. The site includes much undeveloped open space, long a concern of neighboring communities. Operating more than 1000 beds with an annual budget of nearly $400 million, it is the largest and most complex healthcare facility in the VA system. (11/20/01)

Yaroslavsky To Conduct Town Hall Meetings on Bioterrorism, Emergency Preparedness - To address ongoing public interest and concerns surrounding the potential threat of bioterrorism and the County's emergency response capabilities, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky will be conducting Town Hall meetings in the Third District. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 4 in the Main Hall Community Room at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. For further information, click County bioterrorism preparedness on the County's Department of Health Services' Public Health Website.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky takes a question from the audience during the second of a series of Town Hall Meetings on bioterrorism preparedness and emergency response, held on Tuesday, November 6 at San Fernando High School Auditorium. (11/6/01).

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Yaroslavsky Notes Property Tax Relief for Active Duty Military Personnel - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is reminding all active duty military personnel that under federal law, they qualify for a reduction in the interest charged on unpaid property taxes from the standard 18% down to a deeply discounted 6%. To obtain the relief, service members are required to submit a copy of their military orders and completed application, The form can be downloaded by clicking Treasurer-Tax Collector's home page by clicking T&TC home http://ttax.co.la.ca.us/main.htm, and then clicking "Property Tax Relief for Military Personnel."

Yaroslavsky Announces L.A. Free Clinic to Partner with County to Operate Hollywood-Wilshire Health Center - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has announced Board approval for a new Public/Private Partnership agreement with the Los Angeles Free Clinic to improve and expand County health care services in the Hollywood area. Under the plan, the Clinic will operate and provide primary health-care services at the County's Hollywood-Wilshire Health Center, located at 5205 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Yaroslavsky said that the contract would afford the Clinic the ability to expand primary care services to low-income uninsured clients, including high-risk youth. It will also serve those chronically ill with diabetes, asthma, and hypertension, improve access to specialty care, enhance case management and mental health services, provide better case follow-up and boost administrative efficiency through improved patient-record management. The Hollywood Wilshire Health Center is open Monday - Friday from 8:00am - 5:00pm; call 323-769-7800 for an appointment. Click County Clinic agreement for contract details. For further information on the Los Angeles Free Clinic itself, click contact LA Free Clinic.

Yaroslavsky Notes November as "Flood Control Safety Month" - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky notes that November is "Flood Control Safety Month" in the County of Los Angeles, an opportunity to reflect on the need for caution when walking or traveling in the vicinity of the County's 470 miles of open flood control channels. Click flood control safety for further information from the County's Department of Public Works, which operates and maintains the region's flood control system.

Yaroslavsky Named to Chair LAFCO Subcommittee on Findings, Terms and Conditions - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who serves on the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), has been designated to chair the Commission's Subcommittee on Findings, Terms and Conditions, which will help frame the City of Los Angeles ballot measure proposing to break off the San Fernando Valley into a separate city. To learn more about LAFCO itself, click LAFCO; for the most recent agenda of the Subcommittee, click Subcommittee agenda.

Yaroslavsky Notes December 31, 2001 Deadline for Quake Victim Lawsuits - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is reminding victims of the January 17, 1994 Northridge Earthquake that under state law, they have until December 31, 2001 to file lawsuits against their insurance companies for any unresolved claims arising from the quake. Yaroslavsky explained that under state law SB 1899, the deadline was extended for those claimants who had been barred from earlier filing suit only by the conventional one-year statute of limitations. Yaroslavsky urged claimants to contact the State Department of Insurance at (800) 927-4357 for further information. In addition, the Department administers a formal Earthquake Mediation Program for eligible Northridge Earthquake claims. Complaints can also be submitted via the Department's Website by clicking quake complaints. Yaroslavsky cautioned claimants, however, that filing an administrative complaint does not preclude, nor does it substitute for, filing a lawsuit.

Yaroslavsky Announces Board Approval of Community Anti-Gang Contracts - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has announced that the Board of Supervisors has awarded state-funded contracts to 13 community-based non-profit agencies for intervention services targeting at-risk youth in gang-infested neighborhoods around the County. The anti-gang services will employ community workers/gang intervention workers to assist the community and the Probation Department in mentoring and counseling gang involved youth, in providing supervised after-school and weekend activities for gang youth and in resolving disputes while discouraging and suppressing violence. The programs will also emphasize preventive measures including tattoo removal, law enforcement cooperation with identified gang leaders, "hot spots" and aggressive gang graffiti clean-up. In-home services will also be offered to youth participants and their families, including mentoring, counseling, tutoring and homework assistance. In Yaroslavsky's Third District, Project Heavy West will serve at-risk youth in the Venice area, while Communities in Schools will serve youth in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. A contract with a third community agency to serve Hollywood-area youth has yet to be finalized. Yaroslavsky said the contracts would run through June 30, 2002, with provisions to extend them up to four additional years, contingent on continued state funding. For further information, click probation anti-gang contracts.