Edgardo Flores - RIPE

Los Angeles, CA — After the discovery of tens of thousands of DDT-laced barrels off the coast of Catalina Island, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is calling on the US Environmental Protection Agency to assess the extent of the damage and expedite the necessary cleanup. She also asked her colleagues to put the County’s support behind Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell’s legislation currently being considered in Sacramento.

“We now have confirmation that there are at least 27,000 barrels of illegally dumped barrels of DDT off our coast,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “This is appalling and those responsible for this need to be held accountable. We need the EPA to step in to assess the damage this dumpsite has wreaked on the local ecosystem and expedite the necessary cleanup.”

From 1947 to 1983, Montrose Chemical Corporation, the nation’s largest manufacturer of DDT, was located in the Del Amo community near Torrance. For decades, Montrose dumped toxic chemicals into the soil, groundwater, and coastal waters right off the shore of Palos Verdes. In 1989, the EPA added the Montrose site and the Palos Verdes shelf to the Superfund National Priorities List. A settlement was reached between federal agencies, Montrose and other chemical companies to fund cleanup and recovery of the Palos Verdes shelf. Clean-up is still ongoing.

Recently, scientists have discovered what they estimate to be over 27,000 barrels of DDT along the ocean floor in the San Pedro Channel between Palos Verdes and Catalina Island. The Superfund cleanup effort does not include the recently discovered barrel dumpsite.

Today, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Supervisor Hahn doing two things:

1. Direct the County’s Sacramento Advocates to support Assembly Joint Resolution 2 introduced by Assemblyman Patrick O’Donnell
2. Send a letter, signed by the Board of Supervisors, to EPA Administrator Michael Regan urging the EPA to assess the DDT damage off the coast of Catalina Island and to expedite cleanup of the extensive dumpsite.

The motion passed with unanimous support.

Whittier, CA — Today, LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn joined Whittier Union High School District Board President Ralph Pacheco, Whittier Union High School District Board Member Jaime Lopez, Director of the LA County Department of Public Works Mark Pestrella, and Director of the LA County Department of Parks and Recreation Norma Garcia, for a ceremonial groundbreaking marking the beginning of construction of a new Aquatic Center in West Whittier.

“Public pools are important,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “They are where kids learn to swim, they are safe places for teens to hang out on summer afternoons, and they are affordable ways for families to spend quality time together. The West Whittier community deserves a great public pool and soon they will have a world class aquatic center.”

The Whittier Aquatic Center will include an Olympic-size swimming pool, a practice pool, a roughly 9,000 square foot pool building with offices, locker rooms, restrooms, and classrooms, and 10,000 square foot of public park space. It will be the first public pool to serve the unincorporated West Whittier area, with the closest County-run pool nearly eight miles away.

“Today’s groundbreaking of the Whittier Aquatics Center championed by Supervisor Janice Hahn continues the actionable phase of building an Olympic-size competition swimming pool and facility,” said Norma Edith García-González, Director of LA County Parks and Recreation. “This capital project will significantly benefit the West Whittier-Los Nietos community. We look forward to providing an array of swimming recreation and aquatic programs.”

Funding for the $29.9 million project comes from Supervisor Janice Hahn’s discretionary account. The site was previously used as a parking lot for neighboring Pioneer High School and is being provided by the Whittier Union High School District.

“Here today, we are celebrating a wonderful example of inter-agency collaboration, where different entities come together, share resources, and coalesce,” said Whittier Union High School District Board President Ralph Pacheco. “As a rule, it takes a normal course of 2 to 3 years to get to this point. We did it in a year. Congratulations to all of you, both on the County side and the District side, who were instrumental in expediting this project — not just for the purposes of expedition, but for the purpose of making a project happen for our community.”

The Department of Parks and Recreation will operate the facility through a contract with the School District, and has plans to incorporate a youth employment plan. Classes to be offered will include swim lessons, junior lifeguard training, synchronized swimming, water polo and diving. The Olympic-size competition pool will also provide a venue for local swim teams and will be certified to host swimming and water polo competitions.

“This project will provide South Whittier-Los Nietos, one of the County’s oldest communities, with much-needed economic stimulus. Investing in public infrastructure has been proven to bring jobs back quickly and support long-term economic recovery,” said Mark Pestrella, Director of the County’s Department of Public Works. “This is a nearly $30 million project that will be built through the Community Workforce Agreement, which provides a steady supply of skilled and trained craft workers and provides economic stimulus to local communities.”

The project is part of a Project Labor Agreement that mandates that at least 30% of the construction hours will be done by local workers.

The Whittier Aquatic Center is expected to be completed in Fall 2022.

San Pedro, CA — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Sheila Kuehl to create an LA County Zero Emission Infrastructure Plan. The plan will identify gaps in the County’s current electric vehicle charging infrastructure and create a strategy to close them, especially in the County’s low-income areas.

“It is not surprising that the vast majority of the electric vehicles in LA County and the charging stations they depend on are in high-income neighborhoods,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn “But if we are serious about getting more electric vehicles on the road, we need to dramatically expand our charging station infrastructure and make these cars practical for every driver, no matter where they live or where they work.”

“This is a terrific time to put our pedal to the metal,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. “GM is ending its manufacture of gas-powered cars; The President is investing in electric vehicle charging stations; The Governor’s plan wants all new cars to be zero emission. It’s time for LA County to build a Zero Emission Infrastructure Plan to meet our ambitious goals of installing 60,000 zero emission charging stations in the next four years as called for in the County’s Sustainability Plan. This motion makes sure that we can meet that goal.”

The LA County Sustainability Plan set the goal of installing 60,000 new zero-emission vehicle charging stations by 2025, 70,000 by 2035 and achieving 100% of all new light-duty private vehicles are zero emission vehicles by 2045. According to the California Energy Commission, there are less than 20,000 public and shared-private chargers in LA County today. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have committed to transitioning terminal equipment to zero emissions by 2030 and on-road trucks by 2035.

The motion being voted on tomorrow would direct the development of the County’s first Zero Emission Infrastructure Plan. The plan, which is due back to the board in 120 days, would include:

• a GIS analysis of current charging stations across the County, not limited to county property;
• a list of possible locations including county facilities, housing developments, county road right-of-way, parks, libraries, etc. where infrastructure can be placed, including county-owned lands along the I-710 corridor that can be used for the charging of medium and heavy duty vehicles;
• Ways to partner with private, government and non-governmental entities in low-income communities to ensure equitable access to infrastructure and address issues of EV adoption disparity;
• Possible funding strategies for the installation, operations, and maintenance of electric vehicle equipment;
• A plan to provide technical assistance to cities to support streamlining of codes for electric vehicle charging equipment using the County’s code as a model;
• A partnership with the Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services, California Conservation Corp/LA Conservation Corp and other apprenticeship organizations to create green job workforce training opportunities for future electric vehicle infrastructure installations and maintenance.
  The motion also would direct LA County’s legislative advocates to support any proposals that provide resources and funding for electric vehicles and electric vehicle infrastructure in Los Angeles County.

Manhattan Beach, CA — Today, the members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to take the first steps toward returning the Bruce’s Beach property to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce.

“This was an injustice inflicted upon not just Willa and Charles Bruce– but generations of their descendants who almost certainly would have been millionaires if they had been able to keep this property and their successful business,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn who has led the effort in the County to return the property. “We will never be able to erase the harm that was done to the Bruces, but today my colleagues voted to do what is in our power to get justice for this family and return the property that was stolen from them nearly a century ago.”

“I am honored to join Supervisor Hahn in this important first step that will allow the County to return this property to its rightful owners, the Bruce Family,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell who coauthored both motions today. “The Bruce Family is only one example of countless others where systemic racism took away access to the American Dream for Black families and families of color. In our mission to be an equitable and inclusive LA County, when faced with the opportunity to correct historic injustices, we took action to do so.”

In 1912, a young Black couple named Willa and Charles Bruce purchased beachfront property in Manhattan Beach and built a resort that served Black residents. It was one of the few beaches where Black residents could go because so many other local beaches did not permit Black beachgoers. The Bruce’s and their customers were harassed and threatened by white neighbors including the KKK. Eventually, the Manhattan Beach City Council moved to seize the property using eminent domain in 1924, purportedly to create a park. The City took the property in 1929 and it remained vacant for decades.

Part of the property taken by the City, including the two parcels of beachfront property (totaling 7,000 square feet) that the Bruce family once owned, was years later transferred to the State and in 1995 that property was transferred to Los Angeles County. It is now the site of the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Training Headquarters. Earlier this year, Supervisor Hahn announced her intention to return that property to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce.

Today, the Board voted unanimously to support two items regarding Bruce’s Beach, both authored by Supervisor Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Holly Mitchell:

Item 8: Returning Bruce’s Beach to its Rightful Owners– Instructs the County CEO’s Office to report back in 60 days with a plan for how to return the property to the Bruce family including a timeline, options for how to address property tax issues after the transfer, and plans for the County to either lease the property from the Bruce family or relocate the County Lifeguard facility currently at the property.

Item 9: Los Angeles County Sponsor (SB) 796– Would make Los Angeles County an official sponsor of CA Senate Bill 796 introduced last week by Senator Steven Bradford. The legislation is necessary because when the State transferred the property to the County in 1995, the deal restricted the County’s ability to transfer the property. SB 796 would lift these restrictions and allow the County to transfer the property to the Bruce family.

Hahn hopes this work will be a model for other governments to follow.

“With this we have the opportunity not only to right a wrong that happened in our own backyards, but also to be an example of to the rest of the nation on how governments can begin to act now to correct historic injustices,” said Hahn.

During Black History Month, we have a responsibility to take a critical eye to our own history locally. Racism and discrimination are not just legacies left behind from other places in the country — they have happened right here in our own backyard.

One example: Bruce’s Beach in Manhattan Beach. The land it stood on was bought in 1912 by Willa and Charles Bruce, a young Black couple who turned it into the West Coast’s first beach resort owned by and meant for Black Americans. Many other Black families followed suit and for twelve years, this beach and the surrounding area served as a chance for Black people in and around the community to enjoy the surf and sand in a place they could call their very own.

But in 1924, following years of complaints from white neighbors and even attacks on the resort by the KKK, the City of Manhattan Beach took over the resort using eminent domain under the pretense of building a city park. The Black property owners and beachgoers were forced off the property and the land stayed empty for decades.

A century later, we still haven’t properly dealt with this dark history and the impact it has had on generations of Black families in LA County. The City of Manhattan Beach has created a task force that will be making recommendations to the City Council for next steps, including rewriting a historically inaccurate plaque that credits the white property developer. I think this is a good start and means there is an important and long-overdue conversation happening in Manhattan Beach.

I think we can and should go further. The LA County Lifeguard Headquarters sits on the land that was once Bruce’s Beach. I take this very seriously and I want the County to be part of an eventual solution. The Bruce family and the other Black landowners had their property and livelihoods taken from them. We need to think long and hard about what real justice looks like for their descendants.

Los Angeles, CA — Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Holly Mitchell to address an increase in incidents of anti-Asian hate and violence through the County’s existing Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative and explore creating an LA County Equity and Diversity Fund.

“The escalation of attacks against AAPI Americans has been a heartbreaking reminder of how far we have to go toward building a society where everyone can feel safe, accepted, and equal,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “LA County’s Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative was a response to the racism targeted at the Black community, but this is a framework we need to use to help the AAPI community now,”

On July 21, 2020, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors adopted the Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative that guides the County’s ongoing commitment to fighting racism in all its forms. The initiative was created at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement and is especially geared toward the racism that systematically affects Black residents. The proposal to be considered tomorrow directs ARDI to convene a workgroup including AAPI community leaders to consider ways to address the rise in Anti-AAPI hate and incorporate those strategies into the County’s anti-racist agenda.

“I’m proud to join Supervisor Hahn on this important motion,” said Supervisor Holly Mitchell. “The rise in hate crimes against the Asian American community and long-standing injustices impacting the Black community and communities of color, require an sustained investment to ending all forms of hate and systemic racism. Today’s vote does this with the potential creation of a LA County Equity and Diversity Fund to support the necessary research, critical data collection and implementation of policies to help actualize the County’s bold anti-racist agenda.”

The motion would also explore the feasibility of launching the LA County Equity and Diversity Fund with an initial investment of $1 million. The Fund would aim to partner with research institutions to better understand, address, and end hate, bias, discrimination, and xenophobia against communities of color.

Read motion here: http://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/bos/supdocs/155178.pdf

Hawaiian Gardens, CA — Today, on the first day that all residents 50 and older are eligible for vaccinations in California, Supervisor Janice Hahn visited a four-day vaccine pop-up clinic at the New Hope Community Church in Hawaiian Gardens. The pop-up vaccine clinic is a partnership between the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), FEMA, Supervisor Hahn’s office, New Hope Community Church and the ABC Unified School District that aims to boost the vaccination rate of Hawaiian Gardens residents.

“We need to boost the vaccination rate in this community, so we brought the vaccines directly to the residents,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “This pop-up vaccine clinic is meeting people where they are, and making it easy and convenient to get vaccinated. The best part is that we are using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – so it’s one and done.”

The latest available data shows Hawaiian Gardens residents have a vaccination rate of 21%– a rate that is lower than most other cities in the County. This pop-up clinic is vaccinating 500 people per day for four days for a total of 2,000 vaccinations. The total population of Hawaiian Gardens is just above 14,000 residents.

“I want to thank Governor Newsom and Secretary Mark Ghaly for making this happen and the New Hope Community Church for being such incredible hosts and partners,” continued Supervisor Hahn. “We have a big job ahead of us reaching all corners of our County and these community-based clinics are going to be an important tool to getting everyone vaccinated.”

Everyone vaccinated through this clinic must pre-register. The vaccine available at this site will be Johnson & Johnson which only requires one dose.

Los Angeles, CA – Five weeks after LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn asked the LA County Fire Department to explore how they could safely resume the Junior Lifeguard Program, Hahn is announcing the popular youth program will return this summer.

“This program means so much to so many families,” said Supervisor Hahn. “I knew if we could figure out a way to do it safely, we owed it to our kids to get the Junior Lifeguard Program back up and running this year.”

The Junior Lifeguard Program is offered to all children, ages 9 through 17, in Los Angeles County and is designed to teach participants beach and ocean skills. Every year, thousands of kids learn water safety, swimming, body surfing, surfing, physical conditioning, competition skills, first aid, lifesaving rescue techniques, CPR, and use of professional lifesaving equipment.

“This is one of those programs that really opens up doors for kids,” said Supervisor Hahn. “You would be surprised by how many of our LA County Lifeguards got their start as Junior Guards.”

“As the community slowly incorporates safety protocols and guidelines into how we will operate now and into the future, the Los Angeles County Fire Department is pleased to be able to allow more opportunities for residents, especially our youth, to return to activities that bring them joy, sharpen their skills, and restore a sense of normalcy,” said Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby.  “We thank our residents for their continued patience throughout this pandemic as we collectively worked to ensure a safe place for everyone – our Junior Lifeguard Program participants and lifeguards.”

The Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Fourth District Supervisor Janice Hahn on February 9, 2021, which requested a detailed report on the reopening of the program.  The completed report outlines how to safely resume the Junior Lifeguard Program and includes safety protocols that will be implemented to meet the current Department of Public Health Officer Order for COVID-19.

Those public health measures include:

• Reducing the student-to-instructor ratio of 20:1 which will allow for 3,100 program participants, compared to previous pre-pandemic programs which allowed for up to 4,300 participants with a 30:1 ratio.
• Requiring and enforcing instructors and students to wear face coverings at all times, except during swimming and eating/drinking.
• Maintaining physical distancing of a minimum of six feet as well reminding participants on best practices to prevent infection and promote proper hygiene.
• Performing health and temperature screenings of instructors and participants at the start of each day.

Returning participants can expect to receive an e-mail from the Junior Lifeguard Program to begin registration today, Tuesday, March 16, 2021.  New applications will be available through the LA County Fire Department website starting Thursday, April 1, 2021.  The Department will also be conducting outreach in untapped Los Angeles County communities that have been underrepresented in the past.

If you have any questions, please contact the LACoFD Lifeguard Division Junior Lifeguard administration at (310) 939-7214 or via e-mail at [email protected].

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Downey, CA — Today, LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Downey Mayor Claudia Frometa and Downey officials broke ground on the construction of the Downey Sports Complex at Rancho Los Amigos South Campus.

“I think a lot of us over this past year realized how much we took for granted when we weren’t allowed to do those things anymore and for many people – especially kids—that was sports,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Sports aren’t just about exercise. They build comradery, confidence, and leadership skills. Sports are an important part of childhood and this sports complex is going to be an asset to Downey residents.”

The five-acre site will include three multipurpose sports fields, lighting for nighttime play, restroom, a concession stand, an equipment storage room, office space for staff, and a surface parking lot. The parking lot will include 19 electric vehicle charging stations. When completed, the County will lease this facility for one dollar a year to the City of Downey which will operate it.

“This is an exciting day for our entire community, as we break ground on this brand new sports complex that will provide much needed recreational opportunities for our local youth,” said Downey Mayor Claudia M. Frometa. “This project would not be possible without the support of Supervisor Janice Hahn, who has been committed to this project and has worked with our City to articulate a vision and a design that reflects the needs of our community. This complex and sports fields will be a legacy to our younger generations that health matters to us. Our youth matter! Looking forward to its completion and the many years of use and recreation.”

The project is budgeted at $12.12 million. $10 million is from Supervisor Janice Hahn’s 4th District discretionary funding while the additional $2.12 million will come from the City of Downey and will cover the synthetic turf, office space, and a multi-sport scoreboard.

The project is estimated to be completed this November 2021.