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Yaroslavsky Joins Community Clinic
Association Panel at UCLA
Pictured here with Yaroslavsky, from the left, are fellow panelists Howard Kahn, Chief Executive Officer of L.A. Care, the nation’s largest public health plan serving some 800,000 members; Dr. Bruce Chernof, Director and Chief Medical Officer of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services; Abbe Land, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles Free Clinic; and Dr. Roderick Shaner, Medical Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. (6/22/07)
Board of Supervisors Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky was a featured participant at the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County’s 2nd Annual Health Care Policy Summit conference held on June 22, 2007 at UCLA. Addressing “The Challenges of Providing Health Care in Los Angeles,” Yaroslavsky discussed at length the future of Martin Luther King, Jr.-Harbor Hospital, which is facing a critical inspection later this summer that will ascertain whether it meets the standards for continued federal funding. The result will determine its ultimate fate as a functioning hospital or possibly as a reconfigured urgent care and clinical facility.
Yaroslavsky, Public Health Officials
Unveil STD Media Awareness Campaign
Joined by County Public Health Director Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Board of Supervisors Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky unveiled an innovative new media campaign aimed at reversing an increase in cases of syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia in the County. The new communication effort targets young, sexually active African-American women and Latinas, gay and bisexual men, groups which have seen alarming growth rates of new cases in recent years. For full details on the campaign and additional informational links, visit STD media campaign. (6/26/07)
At the County
Board Appoints Fujioka as New CEO
On Tuesday, July 10, 2007, the Board of Supervisors unanimously appointed William T Fujioka, former city administrative officer for the City of Los Angeles, to succeed the retiring David Janssen as the County’s new chief executive officer, effective July 23. “Bill Fujioka is a man of experience and integrity, who has a strong work ethic and a very independent mind. He is the right man for the job at a time when Los Angeles County faces some very difficult and critical decisions,” said Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky. Fujioka came to the County in 1978 as a vocational rehabilitation counselor and rose through the administrative ranks until he left in 1997 to head up the City’s Personnel Department. He later served eight years as CAO of the City until his retirement in February 2007.
County Launches Child Care Center Rating System
The County of Los Angeles is launching the Steps to Excellence Program (STEP), an innovative new child care rating system to help parents make informed child care choices for their children. STEP will be the first program of its kind in California, and much as the County’s successful restaurant grading system has empowered consumers with information, the goal of rating child care centers is to educate parents and improve the quality and services of the centers.
The STEP program will assess six key areas of particular interest to parents, among them safety, program quality, teacher qualifications, and whether or not they can accommodate kids with special needs. STEP will begin by assessing more than 200 child care centers and more than 400 family child care homes in nine communities across the County, including Pacoima/Arleta and the City of Santa Monica in the Third District.
Funds from the County of Los Angeles, the California Department of Education and the First 5 LA Commission support the program. For details on the program, read the STEP report presented to the Board of Supervisors by the Los Angeles County Policy Roundtable for Child Care.
County Taxpayers Save Millions
With Improved Credit Rating
County taxpayers will save millions of dollars in lower borrowing costs thanks to a recent upgrade in the County’s bond ratings. In June, Standard & Poor’s Rating Services raised the County’s overall credit rating to ‘AA-,’ and its rating on the County’s lease debt and pension obligation bonds to ‘A+.’ In its decision, Standard & Poor’s cited the County's improved long-term general creditworthiness, its healthy general fund reserves, an improved proportion of budgetary discretionary revenues, and strong economic performance. “This is really a tribute to the County’s fiscal responsibility and spending discipline,” Supervisor Yaroslavsky said, “and taxpayers are reaping the benefits.”
Board Adopts 2007-08 County Budget
On Monday, June 18, 2007, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the County’s $21.8 billion budget for fiscal 2007-08, which includes at the Supervisors’ request additional funding for more jail beds to ease overcrowding and reduce the resulting early release of inmates who have not served their full sentences. Read the full transcript here, or view a searchable video version of the budget deliberations meeting. The proposed 2007-08 budget may be found here, the appropriation adjustments here, and the CEO’s recommended final budget adjustments here.
Arts & Culture
Yaroslavsky Announces $2 Million County Contribution to Cal State Northridge Performing Arts Center
Pictured here with Supervisor Yaroslavsky to receive the symbolic $2 million check, from the left, are Dr. Jolene Koester, President, Cal State Northridge; David Fleming, Vice Chair of the Cal State Northridge Performing Arts Center Fundraising Committee; and John Emerson, Chairman, Music Center Board of Directors. (6/14/07)
Board of Supervisors Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky announced a $2 million County contribution toward a new Performing Arts Center planned for the campus of California State University, Northridge. The 1,700-seat, $100 million performing arts center project is due to begin construction later this year with completion scheduled by late 2009. Yaroslavsky hailed the arrangement as part of a unique new initiative to explore arts partnerships between the university and the County’s Music Center, with the goal of expanding arts opportunities for the two million Valley residents. Officials from the university and the Music Center downtown also signed a formal agreement to begin exploring joint programming and other collaborations.
Getty Interns Welcome Yaroslavsky
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky paid a call to the Getty Center to welcome the Center’s Summer 2007 graduate interns. As noted on the Getty Center website, the Graduate Internship program supports full-time positions for students who intend to pursue careers in fields related to the visual arts. Programs and departments throughout the Getty provide training and work experience in areas such as curatorial, education, conservation, research, information management, public programs, and grantmaking. (6/21/07)
Public Safety
Brush Clearance Update: 200 Feet of
Defensible Space in Los Angeles County
Our June newsletter highlighted a state law that took effect in January 2005 that extended the defensible space clearance around homes and structures from 30 feet to 100 feet. Proper clearance can dramatically increase the chance of your house surviving a wildfire, and provides for greater firefighter safety when protecting homes during a wildland fire. While 100 feet of defensible space is the state minimum, residents of designated "Very High Fire Severity Hazard Zones" in the County of Los Angeles actually enjoy a higher standard of fire protection because the County’s requirements are more stringent, doubling the “defensible space” radius to 200 feet. The 200' brush clearance requirement is enforced for Third District private property owners in the following areas:
In Los Angeles County Fire Department jurisdiction:
In Los Angeles City Fire Department jurisdiction, comprising most of the hilly and mountainous regions of the City, portions of the following communities:
For further information about fire zone requirements within the City of Los Angeles, please visit City brush clearance.
Topanga Updates Disaster Survival Guide
The Topanga Disaster Survival Guide – a unique and comprehensive manual for emergency preparedness and response available in on-line and hard copy form – has just been upgraded with a new supplement offering three new chapters that build and expand on the original manual. Both are available here, easily accessibly chapter by chapter: http://www.topangasurvival.org/.
Operation Safe Canyons Aims to Improve
Mountain Road Safety
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was joined by representatives from the California Highway Patrol, Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the office of the District Attorney and community members to introduce “Operation Safe Canyons,” a comprehensive traffic safety program for the Santa Monica Mountains region. The program utilizes Designated Enforcement Teams in order to confront the growing problem of illegal racing and other unsafe driving practices on the canyon roads winding through the mountains. Yaroslavsky said that Sheriff’s deputies participating in the program will provide focused enforcement in the various incorporated gateway cities bordering the region. (6/25/07)
Transportation
Topanga Summer Beach Bus Kicks Off
at Orange Line Warner Center Station
Pictured here, from the left, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and Councilmembers Wendy Greuel and Dennis Zine were on hand to help kick off the Topanga Canyon Summer Beach Bus service on Monday, June 25. Running from the Warner Center Transit Station through Topanga Canyon, the beach bus offers canyon and Valley residents a convenient and inexpensive way to enjoy the surf, sand, and surroundings at Topanga State Beach, Will Rogers State Beach and Santa Monica State Beach. Fares are 50 cents one way for children and adults, and 25 cents for seniors and people with disabilities.
New for the service this year is a connection to the Orange Line Busway, “the Valley’s shortcut;” further information at Orange Line beach bus connection. For a handy printable schedule, visit Topanga Beach Bus brochure. (6/25/07)
Yaroslavsky Tackles Westside Traffic
at UCLA Extension Conference
At UCLA Extension’s 2007 Annual Mid-Year Real Estate Forecast Conference, Board of Supervisors Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky was the featured speaker on a panel titled “Urban Sprawl & Traffic Snarls: Where Do We Go From Here?” Yaroslavsky, a member of the Metro (formerly MTA) Board of Directors widely recognized as a champion of transit projects like the Valley’s Orange Line Busway and Expo Line light rail program, discussed his proposal to create a one-way paired clockwise traffic scheme for Pico and Olympic Boulevards between downtown and the Westside, which a study estimated could increase traffic capacity by as much as 21%.
Pictured here with Supervisor Yaroslavsky (second from left), are partners in the law firm of Christensen, Glaser, Fink, Jacobs, Weil & Shapiro, LLP: L to R, Saul Breskal, Peter M. Weil and Jerry Katz. (6/29/07))
On the Westside
Phoenix House Celebrates 40th Anniversary
Pictured here, from the left, are George Handtmann III, Board Chairman for Phoenix Houses of California; Winnie Wechsler, Executive Director, Phoenix Houses of California; and Supervisor Yaroslavsky. (6/29/07)
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was among those on hand to wish Phoenix House well on its 40th anniversary of service to the community. Phoenix House is the nation's largest non profit substance abuse services organization, treating some 5,000 men, women (including women with children) and teens each day in nearly 100 drug and alcohol treatment programs, both residential and out-patient, at nearly 60 locations in nine states.
Phoenix House of California has served its communities since 1979, helping thousands to overcome the problems associated with drug and alcohol abuse and lead healthy, productive and rewarding lives. Some 2,200 adults and teenagers receive treatment each day through more than 20 Phoenix House programs in Southern and Central California.
Common Ground Honors Yaroslavsky
with Humanitarian Award
On Saturday, June 23, Common Ground - The Westside HIV Community Center, formerly known as Santa Monica AIDS Project, celebrated 15 years of providing vital HIV/AIDS services to the Westside community with a benefit to raise funds and awareness for its prevention and care services for persons at risk or impacted by HIV/AIDS.
Supervisor Yaroslavsky – pictured here with entertainer Paula Poundstone – was honored with a Humanitarian Award for his efforts and activism on behalf of people impacted and affected by HIV/AIDS. Common Ground was founded in 1992 and today concentrates on three core programs: peer education for high school-age youths, case management for people living with HIV/AIDS, and outreach services for homeless individuals.
Its other services include mental health, treatment advocacy, outreach to women and people of color, youth drop-in services and direct medical care linkage. (6/23/07)
Fourth of July in Pacific Palisades
Supervisor Yaroslavsky and wife Barbara were among those on hand to celebrate this year’s Independence Day the traditional way, with a good old-fashioned Fourth of July parade down the main streets of Pacific Palisades. (7/4/07)
In the Valley
Yaroslavsky Opens New San Fernando
Legal Access Center
Left to right, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky is joined by Yvonne Maria Jimenez, Deputy Director of Neighborhood Legal Services-LA, and North Valley District Supervising Judge Alice C. Hill at the official opening ceremony for the Self-Help Legal Access Center (SHLAC) at the San Fernando Courthouse, the latest addition to the County’s growing complement of offices to assist residents handling their own legal work in family and other minor matters.
Yaroslavsky pioneered the concept with a highly successful pilot SHLAC program launched at the Van Nuys Court in 2000. A joint project of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Los Angeles County Superior Court, San Fernando Valley Bar Association and NLS-LA, the drop-in legal centers teach people to access justice for themselves.
The Center's professional staff and volunteers help people navigate through the court system, from filling out the appropriate forms, to how and what to say before a judge. The Centers provide assistance with small claims, evictions, family law and other civil litigation. Internet access, computerized court forms and Alternative Dispute Resolution are also available. (5/30/07)
Yaroslavsky Unveils Sun Valley
Flood Control and Water Reclamation Project
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was joined by Los Angeles Councilmember Tony Cardenas, community representatives and County Public Works engineering staff to celebrate the opening of an innovative joint use flood control and water reclamation project in Sun Valley. Situated at the corner of Tuxford St. and San Fernando Road in Sun Valley – a low-lying intersection notorious for its massive street flooding even in mild storms – the Tuxford Green Multiuse Project employs a system of catch basins and hydraulic pressure to push the stormwater through an underground storm drain.
Thousands of gallons of water that would otherwise flood the surface streets are diverted underground, channeling the flows through a filtration system and into a 45,000 gallon underground cistern, where it will be used to irrigate the site’s landscaping. Yaroslavsky noted that the Tuxford Green Project was only the latest in an ongoing series of projects aimed at addressing flooding problems in the Sun Valley Watershed.
Pictured here cutting the ribbon, from the left: Jerry Piro, Valley Neighborhood Improvement Organization; Supervisor Yaroslavsky; Councilmember Cardenas; Mike Bubalo, President, Mike Bubalo Construction Co., Inc.; Vicki Burch, Sun Valley Neighborhood Improvement Organization; Don Wolfe, Director, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. (5/31/07)
Canoga Park Community Celebrates 95th Birthday
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and his wife Barbara stopped by the Canoga Park/Owensmouth Historical Society headquarters to help celebrate the 95th birthday of the San Fernando Valley community of Canoga Park, originally founded in 1912 as the town of Owensmouth (due to its proximity to the Owens River Aqueduct).
Five years later, in 1917, the new town was formally annexed to the City of Los Angeles, and in 1930, local residents succeeded in officially changing its name to the more familiar one we know today, Canoga Park. For an interesting look at the area’s rich history, visit the Canoga Park Improvement Association website. (6/10/07)
Sun Valley Middle School Culmination
Supervisor Yaroslavsky offered congratulations to Sun Valley Middle School students on their successful “culmination” as they prepare to enter high school in the fall. (6/28/07)
In the Community
Langer’s Deli Celebrates 60th Anniversary
Pictured here with Yaroslavsky, from the left, are Al Langer, who passed away at the age of 94 only nine days later; and son Norm, current manager of his family’s restaurant (6/15/07).
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky was among the hundreds of guests on hand to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Langer’s Delicatessen, a cherished downtown dining establishment. Legendary for its pastrami sandwiches, the eatery was founded by Al Langer in 1947 and weathered numerous economic challenges to become one of the city’s beloved culinary institutions. The deli gained a new lease on life when the first phase of the Metro Red Line subway opened in 1993 – dubbed “the Langer’s lunch train” - with its MacArthur Park station located directly across the street from the restaurant.
Yaroslavsky Offers Commencement Thoughts
at Fairfax High School
Board of Supervisors Chairman Zev Yaroslavsky recently discovered that, Thomas Wolfe notwithstanding, sometimes you can go home again: this year, Yaroslavsky – pictured here at the podium - was pleased to pay a visit to his old alma mater Fairfax High School to deliver commencement remarks to the class of ’07. (6/21/07)
Commission Appointments:
6/19 - Kecia Brooke Weller+,
Los Angeles County Commission on Disabilities
6/12 - Barbara Meltzer,
Los Angeles County Commission on Aging
6/5 - Krishan Dev Bhalla+,
Los Angeles County Commission on Aging
5/29 - Steven Afriat+,
Business License Commission
Eugene C. Aronson+ and Hilda Cohen+ (Alternate),
Assessment Appeals Board
Jules N. Draznin+, Marilyn Fried+ and Bernard S. Weintraub+,
Los Angeles County Commission on Aging
(+ denotes reappointment)
Thank you for reading our newsletter. If you would like to send a comment or a message to Supervisor Yaroslavsky, please send your message to zev@bos.lacounty.gov or just simply click here
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