DECEMBER ARCHIVES
1998

Yaroslavsky Announces Travel Town Improvement Project - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has announced plans to improve and rehabilitate the Travel Town Locomotive Pavilion at Griffith Park. Funding for the project will be provided under a $1.9 million allocation recently approved by the Board of Supervisors from the "Safe Neighborhoods and Parks Act of 1996," a measure sponsored by Yaroslavsky and enacted by County voters as Prop. A in 1996. Yaroslavsky added that the Travel Town Transportation Museum, a perennial recreational favorite of the area’s children since it was established in 1952, has been in need of repair for some time, and recent news reports have identified potential lead-paint contamination problems on the facility’s railroad cars. Click here for further details.

Yaroslavsky Announces Federal Funding for Water Tank Repairs - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has announced a $2.8 million FEMA hazard mitigation grant to retrofit 60 County Waterworks District water tanks damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The project includes improvements to 27 tanks in Waterworks District No. 29, serving the Malibu area. Click here for further details.

Board Approves Yaroslavsky Motion to Fund Valley Cityhood Petition Verification - Calling it a clear constitutional issue of equal protection under the law, Yaroslavsky won Board approval for his joint motion with Supervisor Mike Antonovich under which Los Angeles County will fund the cost of full signature verification for San Fernando Valley cityhood study petitions, should that be necessary. Under the proposal, cityhood proponents agreed to pay the estimated $8,000-$10,000 for sample signature verification, but if more extensive verification of all signatures submitted becomes necessary, Los Angeles County will step in with the required additional funding, estimated at $275,000. A similar arrangement would pertain to signature verification for petitions that may be turned in by cityhood proponents in other parts of Los Angeles, with all costs capped at $350,000. Testimony and letters from constitutional experts noted that the people’s right to petition their government is meaningless if the cost of doing so is prohibitive.

Yaroslavsky Hails Moody’s Credit Upgrade - Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky hailed the announcement that Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded Los Angeles County’s credit ratings on four types of long-term debt: general obligation bonds, pension obligations, fixed asset lease obligations and equipment lease obligations. Yaroslavsky - who assumed County office in December, 1994 with a pledge to get the County’s financial house in order and reverse a fiscal course that saw Wall Street repeatedly lower County bond ratings in recent years - proudly noted that Moody’s attributed a "significant improvement in the County’s financial condition over the last three years" in large part to "consistent budget discipline exercised by the Board since 1995," and on "action by the County to reduce its reliance on excess pension system earnings to balance its budget." Click here for more details.

Board Adopts Yaroslavsky Proposal to Close-Caption Board Meeting Broadcasts for the Deaf - On December 15, the Board of Supervisors adopted unanimously Yaroslavsky’s proposal to begin closed-caption broadcasting of the Board of Supervisors weekly meetings to assist hearing-impaired people in understanding Board proceedings. Click here for the motion.

Board Approves $3.3 Billion Tobacco Lawsuit Settlement, Adopts Yaroslavsky Plan To Spend Proceeds to Improve Health Programs - On Tuesday, December 1, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a settlement of the County’s pending tobacco lawsuit, in return for sharing the proceeds of the national tobacco litigation settlement negotiated on behalf of California and 45 other states. Yaroslavsky, who sponsored the August, 1996 motion that prompted the suit and was a named plaintiff in the case, said that the settlement could mean as much as $3.3 billion to Los Angeles County through the year 2025, and roughly $100 million or more thereafter in perpetuity. After approving Yaroslavsky’s motion to settle, the Board quickly approved another Yaroslavsky motion to establish a "Tobacco Settlement Account." The account will receive and disburse the settlement proceeds, subject to Board approval, according to a health needs assessment and spending plan giving priority to outpatient care, indigent care, treatment of tobacco-related ailments, and tobacco-control programs.  Click here for release.

Yaroslavsky Red-Light Enforcement Project Advances - The Board has advanced Supervisor Yaroslavsky’s Countywide pilot red-light enforcement project by adopting his motion directing the County Department of Public Works to seek contracts for the program, which aims to reduce the number of motorists running red lights and causing accidents by photographing offenders at problem intersections and sending them traffic citations through the mail. Yaroslavsky noted that a recent report by the Department found that such programs typically reduced red-light violations by 20-40%, while a pilot program by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority at 17 railroad crossings reduced accidents by 80%. The contractor, not taxpayers, would bear the cost of the camera installations and photo processing, in return for a share of the resulting ticket revenues. The Department estimates that the program will more than pay for itself over three years, netting the County nearly $900,000.

Whiteman Airport Improvements Continue - Yaroslavsky has announced that improvements are continuing at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, with a bid opening scheduled January 5 for a project to construct two 20,000-gallon aviation fuel tanks, which will increase by 33% the fuel capacity of the existing obsolete tanks.

Yaroslavsky Announces Commission Appointments in December (+ designates reappointment)

12/01/98 Hilda Cohen, + Los Angeles County Law Enforcement Public Safety Facilities Corporation

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