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Supervisors Declare Downey’s City of STEM as Official Science Festival of LA County 150 150 Hayley Munguia

Supervisors Declare Downey’s City of STEM as Official Science Festival of LA County

Hahn welcomed City of STEM and Downey leaders to Board of Supervisors meeting on the occasion of the declaration. L to R: Roger Bradley (Downey City Manager); Benjamin Dickow (Columbia Memorial Space Center); Supervisor Hahn; Daphne Bradford (founder, Mother of Many); Hector Sosa (Mayor of Downey).

Los Angeles, CA – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Janice Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell to officially declare the City of STEM + Los Angeles Maker Faire as the Official Science Festival of Los Angeles County. The annual event is co-hosted by the Columbia Memorial Space Center, located in the City of Downey, and the Los Angeles Public Library. This year’s event takes place on April 12th and will be held in Exposition Park for the first time.

“Some of the greatest accomplishments in the fields of science, math, and engineering in our nation’s history happened right here in Los Angeles County. City of STEM is helping us ensure that we remain the home of its bright future too,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Thousands of future scientists, engineers, creators, and innovators from across LA County are going to find the inspiration and guidance they need at our new Official Science Festival.”

City of STEM brings together over 200 organizations and vendors and over 20,000 attendees from across Los Angeles County for expert panel discussions, workshops, mainstage entertainment, VIPs, special guests, and live music. The event, launched in 2015, was previously held at the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey. In 2023, City of STEM was combined with the Los Angeles Maker Faire, where inventors and creators gather to showcase their projects and gadgets.

“We are excited to welcome The City of STEM + Los Angeles Maker Faire to the 2nd District’s Exposition Park for the first time. Exposition Park is a central location easily accessible by public transit and at the nexus of science, culture, and the arts. I look forward to more young people from diverse communities accessing STEM education and resources at the Official Science Fair of Los Angeles County” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell.

“We want to thank the County of Los Angeles for recognizing City of STEM as the official celebration of science and innovation in the County. LA County has a long legacy of leading the county in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), from building the spaceships that went to the moon to the early development the internet at UCLA,” said Benjamin Dickow, President and Executive Director of the Columbia Memorial Space Center. “That leadership continues and City of STEM, with its month of events and programs and its huge festival City of STEM + LA Maker Faire on April 12, brings awareness of this regional leadership to tens of thousands of Southern Californians.”

The Columbia Memorial Space Center, opened in 2009, is owned and operated by the City of Downey and was built on the site of the former NASA Downey facility where the Apollo modules were built.

Hahn Urges Fix for Critical Emergency Alert System 150 150 Hayley Munguia

Hahn Urges Fix for Critical Emergency Alert System

Residents in areas not under evacuation orders have received multiple erroneous alerts

Los Angeles, CA – Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn issued the following statement regarding the ongoing issues with erroneous emergency alerts received by residents in areas of Los Angeles County not under evacuation orders related to the ongoing fires:

“Now more than ever we need to know that we can depend on our public information systems to keep people safe. That hasn’t been the case last night and this morning, and I’m frustrated too.

I believe we need to disable the emergency alert system until we get to the bottom of this issue. We need people to be able to trust us, and at this time of extraordinary fear and devastation, anything less than a fully operational, dependable alert system is unacceptable. I urge our Office of Emergency Management to find a solution to this by the end of today.”

Hahn Warns Residents About FasTrak Scam Text Messages 150 150 Hayley Munguia

Hahn Warns Residents About FasTrak Scam Text Messages

Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles County residents have reported receiving text messages claiming they owe FasTrak toll fees and offering a link to a payment portal. These messages have been identified as a phishing scam by state and toll road agencies. Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who received the text herself, issued the following statement:

“While our attention is on the unprecedented devastation from this week’s wildfires, there are criminals out there looking to take advantage and rip people off.

I urge anyone who receives one of these texts to not click on the link and to delete the message. If you think you might owe toll fees, you can check safely by visiting fastrak.org.”

Amid Power Outages, Hahn Authorizes Metro Fare Suspension 150 150 Hayley Munguia

Amid Power Outages, Hahn Authorizes Metro Fare Suspension

Los Angeles, CA — As wind and fires continue to call sporadic power outages, Chair of the Metro Board of Directors Janice Hahn has authorized the continued suspension of fare collection systemwide through today, January 9, 2025. She also provided information about Metro buses used for evacuations:

“As winds, fires, and sporadic power outages continue, I have authorized the suspension of fare collection systemwide to be extended through today. Metro continues to operate with some bus lines suspended or rerouted due to fires,” said Hahn. “Last night, Metro was able to provide buses to the LAPD to use for evacuations in the Sunset Fire. I am grateful to the first responders who are using every tool and resource at their disposal to protect residents and help them to safety.”

Hahn Wants County to Consider Purchasing Tax-Defaulted Properties Ahead of Auction 150 150 Hayley Munguia

Hahn Wants County to Consider Purchasing Tax-Defaulted Properties Ahead of Auction

Los Angeles, CA – At today’s meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Janice Hahn requested a review of 1,569 tax-defaulted properties ahead of their online auction set for this April for opportunities for the County to purchase lots for the good of the surrounding communities.

“We should always be looking for opportunities to better serve our communities and before these properties go to auction, our departments should check to see whether there are empty lots that could be used for pocket parks or dog runs, or whether there are buildings we could use for supportive housing or mental health treatment,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn.

The 1,569 tax-defaulted properties include residential and commercial property including vacant lots. The Treasurer Tax Collector will put these properties up for sale in an online auction beginning April 19, 2025 and ending April 22, 2025.

Today, Hahn offered an amendment which was unanimously approved directing the Treasure Tax Collector, in coordination with the CEO Homeless Initiative, the Department of Parks & Recreation, the Department of Mental Health, the Los Angeles County Development Agency, and Los Angeles Homeless Services Agency (LAHSA), in consultation with the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA) to report back to the Board in 45 days with a review of the tax-defaulted properties and recommendations for their potential purchase and use as, pocket parks, interim housing, mental health beds, access centers, or for the development of affordable housing.

During her time in office, Supervisor Hahn has focused on using vacant and underutilized county property to better serve her communities. In San Pedro, she transformed a vacant county office building into a 40-bed shelter for people experiencing homelessness. In Walnut Park, the Department of Parks and Recreation turned a long-vacant lot into a pocket park called Nogales Park.

Supervisor Hahn Issues Statement on Elimination of Burdensome Medical Examiner Fee 150 150 Hayley Munguia

Supervisor Hahn Issues Statement on Elimination of Burdensome Medical Examiner Fee

Los Angeles, CA – Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is applauding the passage of a motion she co-authored with Supervisor Hilda Solis to eliminate the Medical Examiner’s transportation and storage fees for LA County residents.

The $400 fee to transport the body of the deceased from the place of death to the location where bodies undergo an examination was often unexpected and burdensome for families, and a recent report showed that the fee disproportionately impacted low-income residents.

“I am grateful we have the flexibility in our budget to eliminate this fee that had burdened families during some of the most difficult days of their lives,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Los Angeles County is here for our residents from their births to their deaths. This is part of that commitment and taking care of our residents with dignity and compassion.”

With today’s vote, LA County becomes the first jurisdiction in California to eliminate this fee. During the meeting, Supervisor Hahn pointed out LA County is in a position to do this because it is unique in providing these services in-house rather than using a private contractor.

ADVISORY: Hahn to Ask Colleagues to Adjourn Board Meeting for President Carter 150 150 Hayley Munguia

ADVISORY: Hahn to Ask Colleagues to Adjourn Board Meeting for President Carter

Hahn also asks members of the public to sign Memorial Book in Board Room

Los Angeles, CA — Tomorrow, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn will ask her colleagues to adjourn their board meeting in honor of the late President Jimmy Carter. Hahn will also provide a memorial book for members of the public in attendance to sign in the Board Meeting Room with their own memories and messages about President Carter.

“Jimmy Carter was a great president and a great man and he changed lives in around the world during his presidency and for decades after,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “I know he meant so much to so many here in LA County. I will ask my colleagues to adjourn our Board Meeting in his honor and I invite members of the public to join us tomorrow and sign our President Carter Memorial Book with their own tributes.”

When: January 7, 2025 | Meeting begins at 9:30 am
Where: Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration Board Room |500 W Temple St, Los Angeles
Who: Supervisor Janice Hahn and LA County Board of Supervisors

Media inquiries should be sent to Lodendahl@bos.lacounty.gov.

Hahn Opposes Part of Los Padrinos Emergency Declaration 150 150 Hayley Munguia

Hahn Opposes Part of Los Padrinos Emergency Declaration

Los Angeles CA – Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn has released the following statement on the Los Padrinos emergency declaration on today’s agenda:

“While I support the measures to improve staffing at Los Padrinos, I oppose a key directive in this proclamation which directs county counsel to take any measures necessary to prevent all young people detained from being released.

This approach is counter-productive and would only make the existing staffing challenges at Los Padrinos worse.

Not every young person in Los Padrinos is charged with a serious and violent crime. There are teenagers detained there for vandalism, buying a stolen good, and theft. There is no reason that many of them cannot be safely released from Los Padrinos and cared for in other settings. There is a collaborative process for releasing young people appropriately that we cannot walk away from, and in fact we should build on it during this crisis.

At today’s meeting, I will offer an amendment to the emergency proclamation to address this issue and I am hopeful that my colleagues will support it.”

Hahn issues Statement regarding Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall 150 150 Hayley Munguia

Hahn issues Statement regarding Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn has issued the following statement regarding the California Board of State and Community Corrections directive to vacate Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall:

“I care about the young people in Los Padrinos. Relocating them from Los Padrinos is not going to be better for them. We have done it in the past and it has only caused more chaos and harm. Now that we have no other juvenile facility licensed to house pre-disposition youth, closing Los Padrinos would mean many of them would likely be sent to county jail which is the worst case scenario.

What we are facing are staffing challenges, not facility challenges.

Contrary to what the union is claiming, we have adequate numbers of staff on payroll and we have been actively recruiting and hiring which we will continue to do. But the reality is that many probation officers are not showing up to work and that puts an unfair burden on those who do and undermines the rehabilitation of the youth.

While I understand that the Probation Department is appealing the unsuitability findings of the Board of State and Community Corrections, in the meantime I am calling on all of our probation officers to show up to work in their assigned shifts. This is an emergency. You are peace officers and we need you now more than ever.

We are facing uncharted territory. I know that some people will say it’s too late, but I hold out hope that we can resolve this crisis without making this situation worse for the young people in our care.”

Hahn Honors Longtime Executive Director of Boys and Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor 150 150 Hayley Munguia

Hahn Honors Longtime Executive Director of Boys and Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor

Mike Lansing has retired after 30 years at the helm, expanding the organization from one clubhouse to 25 sites

Los Angeles, CA – Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn honored Mike Lansing, the longtime Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor who has retired after 30 years at the helm. Under his leadership, the organization grew from a single club in San Pedro to 25 club houses and school sites across San Pedro, Wilmington, and Harbor City, serving 2,800 kids every day.

“There are many of us in San Pedro who can’t believe that this day has come,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “We have always seen Mike as the leader, the face, and the champion of our Boys and Girls Clubs. He has not only transformed the lives of generations of kids in our community, but Mike has also inspired others to follow in his footsteps. I am grateful for his decades of hard work, and I wish him well in his much-deserved retirement.”

Mike Lansing is a second-generation San Pedro resident who grew up playing sports at what was then known as the San Pedro Boys Club. When Mike stepped into the role of Executive Director in 1995, he brought a clear vision: serve teens, expand the reach of the Club, and prioritize comprehensive programming.

“One of the reasons we have been able to do more is the tremendous support that Supervisor Hahn has provided year in and year out,” said Lansing during today’s ceremony. “We all, in the communities, need grassroots, need to provide those services. I ask all the supervisors to continue their great support of all of our citizens because they deserve it.”

In addition to overseeing the organization’s expansion over the past three decades, Mike spearheaded, the College Bound program, a program that provides personalized guidance that helps students navigate the complex path to higher education. Each of the 550 teens enrolled annually receive support in building a belief that college is attainable, crafting a roadmap to achieve their dreams, and developing the skills to succeed. Of the students enrolled, 99% graduate high school and 97% enroll in college.

Mike also recognized that college is not right for every student and launched the Career Bound program, providing workforce skills and paid internships for those who want a promising career in construction, welding, plumbing, and other well paid, union strong jobs. Career Bound partners with Harbor Freight Tools for Schools to give students hands on training and certification and then works with local unions like, the ILWU and IBEW, to place students into jobs that will support themselves and their families.

Mike Lansing handed the reigns to his successor Peter Settelmayer in August and plans to stay on with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor through the end of the year.