July 2003 Board Adopts Yaroslavsky Call to Pursue Creation of “County Channel” for Programming and Public Service Information – On Tuesday, July 15, the Board of Supervisors adopted a motion by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky aimed at establishing a Countywide dedicated television channel for County-related programming and public service information. In the motion, Yaroslavsky noted that as commercial TV channels curtail their own news and public affairs commitment, dedicated channels for public access, educational and governmental programs are an increasingly important source of information about local government and civic life. Yaroslavsky’s motion directs County officials to communicate to the City of Los Angeles the County’s interest in gaining access to a potential County channel on City-franchised cable systems, and to begin working with the County’s 87 other cities in furtherance of that aim, with a report due back in 90 days.
Yaroslavsky Announces Third District Recipients of L.A. Care Oral Health Care Initiative Grants – Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has announced the Third District recipients of L.A. Care’s Oral Health Care Initiative grant program, which is aimed at increasing access to oral health care for low-income, uninsured residents of Los Angeles County. They include Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, The Los Angeles Free Clinic, and Venice Family Clinic. For further details on additional recipients and grants, click release. Further information on L.A. Care’s programs may be found by clicking L.A. Care. Yaroslavsky Wins Board Approval to Transfer “Unfit” Juvenile Offenders to California Youth Authority – On Tuesday, July 8, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky’s motion to transfer out of Men’s Central Jail and into the custody of the California Youth Authority those unfit juveniles – young defendants charged as adults with serious crimes – who pose a danger to themselves or others. Yaroslavsky, who serves as an appointee of the Governor on California’s Board of Corrections, noted in his remarks that the County was risking federal or state legal sanctions in not addressing the harsh jail conditions under which the most dangerous minors are now held, saying County officials should get ahead of the curve and take care of the problem before somebody else does it first. Listen to an archived half-hour discussion of the issue with Supervisor Yaroslavsky and Chief Probation Officer Richard Shumsky on KPPC’s “Talk of the City” with Kitty Felde, by clicking TOTC” Jailed Juveniles.” Yaroslavsky Assumes Chairmanship of MTA, Announces New Committee Assignments – On Thursday, June 26, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky assumed the chairmanship of the MTA for the 2003-2004 term. "How to improve mobility in our region is our most daunting challenge," said Yaroslavsky in the MTA release announcing the move. "My top priorities will be figuring out the most effective transit solutions for Los Angeles County, increasing our available funding, and guiding MTA through what I hope will be a year of great promise and achievement." On July 15, Yaroslavsky announced in a release his MTA committee assignments for Mayor James Hahn’s three recently announced appointees, Councilmembers Antonio Villaraigosa, Martin Ludlow and Tom LaBonge. County Wins Round in
CRA Lawsuit – On Tuesday, June 25, 2003, Superior
Court Judge Marvin M. Lager upheld Los Angeles County’s claim
that approval by the City of Los Angeles of the City Center Redevelopment
Project Area earlier this year breached a 1977 court settlement
capping the amount of property taxes that the City’s Community
Redevelopment Agency could divert from County programs to subsidize
downtown redevelopment projects. The County challenged the plan,
successfully arguing that the new project was an illegal expansion
of a previous redevelopment project from the mid-1970s, which had
reached its funding capacity by the year 2000. The County also
argued that the City illegally included in the Project Area 30
acres of parking lots adjacent to the Staples Center which are
not blighted. Following the judge’s decision in the County’s
favor, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky commented to the Los Angeles
Times that the mayor and City Council should never have approved
the plan. "They ignored our pleas [to modify the plan] and
this is the result of their wooden-headedness," he said. "The
appropriate thing now is for the city to stop behaving as if it
is judge, jury and executioner when it comes to the raising and
spending of property tax money." Board Approves Yaroslavsky, Knabe Call to Convert OC’s El Toro Marine Base into Regional International Airport – On Tuesday, June 24, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Don Knabe calling on federal officials to consider seriously a proposal by the City of Los Angeles to lease El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Orange County, mothballed since 1999 under a federal base-closure program, for use as a regional international airport for passengers and cargo. In their motion, Yaroslavsky and Knabe noted that the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) estimates that in the next 25 years, air traffic demand in Southern California will more than double to at least 167 million annual passengers, and that despite its current expansion plans, LAX will still be facing an anticipated 28 percent shortfall in needed airport capacity. Yaroslavsky Named to Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission – Also on Tuesday, June 24, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was appointed by Board Chair Yvonne Brathwaite Burke to serve on the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission. Originally established in 1988 by the State of California and the US Environmental Protection Agency as the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project, a National Estuary Program, the effort was initiated to develop a plan to restore and protect the long-term ecological health of the 266 square-mile Bay and its 400 square-mile watershed. State and federal officials approved the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Plan in 1995, and since then the Project’s primary mission has been to oversee its implementation. In January 2003, the Project was formally reorganized under state law to carry out its responsibilities as an independent state organization known as the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission (SMBRC). Board Adopts County Budget – On Monday, June 23, the Board of Supervisors adopted a $16.9 billion County budget for FY 2003-4, which began on July 1, 2003. The Board’s action restored service cuts to libraries and lifeguard hours that had been recommended by the Chief Administrative Officer in this budget report. The budget as approved fills an $804 million shortfall in revenues, and will need to be revisited following final approval of a state budget because so many County programs depend on state funding support. 07/08/03 John M. Edelston+, Emergency Medical Services Commission 07/01/03 Howard Ross Jacobs+, Commission on HIV Health Services 07/01 |
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Yaroslavsky
Announces July Commission Appointments (+ designates reappointments)