May Archives

May 2002

Yaroslavsky Hits Sheriff “Early-Release” Proposal, Calls on Sheriff to Address Chronic Overspending – Challenging a proposal by Sheriff Lee Baca to begin releasing incarcerated defendants held on up to $25,000 bail unless the Board of Supervisors increases his budget, Board of Supervisors Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky called on Baca instead to better manage his budget and live within his means. “The problem in the Sheriff’s budget is not underfunding; it’s overspending,” Yaroslavsky said in a prepared statement. “Public safety should not be held hostage to a County department’s wish list.” Click Zev statement for the full text.

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Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (third from left), is joined by, from the left, Assemblymember Fran Pavley, donor Alma Meier, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Executive Director Joe Edmiston, and Mountains Restoration Trust Board Member and General Counsel Mark Lamken to celebrate the acquisition of Zuniga Pond at Red Rock Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains southeast of Calabasas. (4/26/02)

Yaroslavsky Praises State High Court Gun Show Ruling – Board of Supervisors Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky has praised a California Supreme Court decision upholding Los Angeles County’s right to restrict commercial gun activity on County-owned property. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by Great Western Shows, longtime operator of gun shows at the Los Angeles County fairgrounds in the City of Pomona. In a pair of 6-1 rulings involving Los Angeles and Alameda counties, the state high court decided that state gun laws allow cities and counties to enact tougher local laws to restrict gun shows and related commercial activities on publicly-owned property. Yaroslavsky said that County officials expect the ruling to result in lifting a federal trial-court injunction against the County’s 1999 ban on commercial gun sales on Los Angeles County property. Yaroslavsky characterized gun shows as a "veritable bazaar for all kinds of weapons, legal and illegal,” and a “venue of choice for people who want to traffic in guns, who don't want to be held accountable, who don't want to be known." Yaroslavsky noted that the County prohibits only gun-related commercial activity, not gun shows themselves, and therefore presents no First Amendment violations of free speech rights. The case has been remanded to federal trial court for further disposition. Click Great Western Decision to read the entire opinion.

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Board of Supervisors Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky (center, holding ribbon) joins Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich (holding scissors), Public Defender Michael Judge (second from left), District Attorney Steve Cooley (third from left), and other officials to dedicate the County’s newest court facility, the Chatsworth courthouse, located at 9425 Penfield Ave. Dubbed by admiring court officials as "The Jewel of the Valley," the $96 million, 300,000 sq. ft. polished granite-and-glass courthouse flanked by palms and public art officially opens on June 3 to handle an estimated 100,000 civil and misdemeanor cases a year in 10 courtrooms, with space to build out eight more. (5/14/02)

Yaroslavsky Notes County “Clean Water” Award from Heal the Bay – Supervisor Yaroslavsky noted with pride that the County’s Department of Public Works and its environmental organization partner Heal the Bay have received an Award for Public Education in Water Quality from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board of the Los Angeles Region for their Bay Days Program. Bay Days is an annual two-day family festival held at Venice Beach to help the public better understand water quality issues. Drawing an estimated 100,000 participants, the event provides information to area residents about how to enjoy the beach while respecting the ocean and protecting California's precious coastal resources. Click Bay Days award to read a related motion and learn more about the event.

	Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky (right) presents a plaque to Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) Director Bryce Yokomizo at the dedication of the Department’s new Rancho Park District Office at Pico and Sepulveda Boulevards in West Los Angeles. The state-of-the-art four-story, 240,000 sq. ft. facility has been nominated for Westside Urban Forum’s Westside Prize for its striking architectural design, which features an exterior of imported Conquistador Dorado polished granite from San Sebastian, Spain, and an interior of Bahia Blue polished granite imported from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The office houses more than 300 DPSS employees, and serves more than 32,000 public-assistance clients in need of welfare-to-work programs, cash grants, food stamps, Medi-Cal and in-home care.(5/2/02)
Exterior view of Rancho Park DPSS office.
Interior of Rancho Park DPSS office.