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Los Angeles, CA — LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn today appointed Ray Regalado to serve on the Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections, the 10-member body charged with inspecting the County’s jails and correctional facilities.

“As LA County continues to grapple with conditions in our jails, we need individuals like Ray Regalado to be our eyes and ears in these facilities,” said Supervisor Hahn. “Ray’s decades of experience will be beneficial to the Sybil Brand Commission’s work, and I am grateful that he stepped up to serve the County once again.”

Mr. Regalado recently retired from the LA County Committee on Human Relations, where he spent 21 years managing the dispute resolution programs at County-contracted agencies providing mediation services, community-based conflict resolution, and day-of-hearing conflict mediations as alternatives to more formal court proceedings. Prior to that, Mr. Regalado worked in hate crime victim support and assisted in the compilation of data for the annual LA County hate crime report. He also coordinated the activities of the Gang Reduction and Community Engagement project to address youth gang violence in the Harbor Gateway community.

The Sybil Brand Commission for Institutional Inspections was founded in 1959 by Sybil Brand to improve the overcrowded conditions of facilities housing incarcerated women, men, and juveniles. It consists of ten Commissioners appointed by the Board of Supervisors (two for each Supervisorial District). Commissioners conduct inspections of County jails at least once a year.

Los Angeles, CA — Today LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn appointed Cerritos resident Ricardo Mota to serve on the County’s Policy Roundtable for Child Care and Development, the 24-member body tasked with advising the Board of Supervisors on policy, systems, and infrastructure improvements for early care and education.

“As a leader and advocate for our communities, I am honored to be given the opportunity to improve access to quality childcare to families in Los Angeles County,” said Ricardo.

In 1994, Ricardo began his career with the Human Services Association, a non-profit care provider. He was appointed its Chief Executive Officer last summer. During his time with HSA, Ricardo has worked to strengthen the overall financial health of an organization that provides critical services to families across the County. He holds degrees from University of California, Los Angeles and California State University, Long Beach.

“Robust networks of care for LA County’s children are a top priority for me and for my colleagues on the Board,” said Supervisor Hahn. “Ricardo’s commitment to the wellbeing of families and children has been clear throughout his long career in the field. I’m glad to have him share his expertise with us.”

The Policy Roundtable for Child Care and Development brings together community leaders in the fields of early childhood, education, business, economics and research and County departments representing child welfare, mental health, probation, public health, and parks and recreation.

San Pedro, CA — Individuals who are over 50 years old or who are immunocompromised will be able to get their 2nd COVID-19 booster dose at First Thursday in downtown San Pedro. The vaccines will be available at the mobile vaccine clinic provided by Supervisor Janice Hahn at each of the First Thursday monthly events.

“The vaccines are powerful and effective, but their protection wanes overtime,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “These second booster doses can get you back to full protection and I want to make it as easy as possible for the people who need them to get them. If you live in San Pedro or nearby, come down to First Thursday, get your boost, and enjoy the rest of your evening eating great food, seeing art by local artists, and enjoying live entertainment.”

The mobile vaccine clinic will be set up from 5 pm to 8 pm at 398 W 6th street in the parking lot on the corner of 6th and Mesa. Walk-ups are welcome.

Los Angeles, CA — Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn appointed Pico Rivera resident Alexis Hernandez to serve on the County’s Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council, the 28-member body charged with assisting LA County in developing and implementing a continuum of responses to address and prevent juvenile crime.

“The Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council plays a key role in not only preventing crime and connecting vulnerable young people with the resources and diversion services they need,” said Supervisor Hahn. “I am proud to name an experienced leader like Alexis to help the Council continue its important work and I am thankful for his willingness to step up and serve.”

A lifelong resident of Pico Rivera, Alexis began his work in juvenile justice in 2014 when he became a member of the El Rancho Teen Court, which hears cases for first-time juvenile offenders, connects them to diversion programs, and then clears their records upon completion of the program. As the Teen Court Coordinator, Alexis leads a team consisting of 68 students who serve as jury members for their teen peers convicted of first-time misdemeanors using restorative justice practices. Alexis graduated from California State University Los Angeles with a degree in business administration and has plans to pursue a legal career in public interest.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to represent Supervisor Hahn on the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council and I look forward to working with everyone,” said Alexis.

The Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council consists of 28 members, including five nominated by LA County Supervisors, one for each Supervisorial District. All members are chosen based on their direct experiences with the juvenile justice system, by either work or personal/family experience.

Cerritos, CA – Today, the Metro Board advanced a motion by Supervisor Hahn to create new access to career opportunities at Metro specifically for communities in Southeast LA County and the Gateway Cities. Hahn’s motion seeks to bring trainings that right now are only available at one school in downtown Los Angeles to communities like those along the proposed route for the West Santa Ana Branch rail line at schools like Cerritos College and Rio Hondo College.

“When it is complete, the West Santa Ana Branch rail line will serve Southeast LA and Gateway Cities residents – and I think the project’s good-paying jobs should go to them too,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “The problem is many Metro jobs require training that is only available in downtown LA. That means these jobs are inaccessible for many Southeast LA and Gateway Cities residents because we do not yet have high-quality transit to serve them. That needs to change and that is why I am going to bring training opportunities to schools along the rail line like Cerritos College and Rio Hondo College.”

“The West Santa Ana Branch project provides unprecedented opportunities to grow our local economy through job creation. Our communities have waited decades for this project, and we stand ready to work with Metro to provide a trained and motivated workforce that will make the West Santa Ana Branch project a reality,” said Senator Bob Archuleta.

The motion, which was spearheaded by Supervisor Janice Hahn and Senator Bob Archuleta and co-authored by Metro Directors Solis, Dutra, Dupont-Walker, and Krekorian, was unanimously approved by Metro’s Operations, Safety, and Customer Experience committee.
The motion now heads to the full Board for approval next week. If it is approved, Metro staff will update the Board on their progress toward program objectives in June 2022.

Los Angeles, CA – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors threw their support behind Governor Newsom’s recently unveiled CARE Court proposal, a new framework to address the growing mental health and homelessness crisis in California.

The Board unanimously approved a motion authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn and coauthored by Supervisor Kathryn Barger which directs the LA County CEO’s office to send a letter of support to the Governor from the Board, directs County departments to assist in the development of the CARE Court program, and advocates for the necessary ongoing funding to successfully implement the program.

“Some of the most vulnerable people suffering on our streets are also suffering from severe mental illness or addiction and we have not had the tools to help them,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “The CARE Court proposal is that missing link. My colleagues and I are not only throwing our support behind the Governor’s effort, but we are also ready to help design this program and make it as effective as possible.”

On March 3, 2022, Governor Newsom announced a new proposal called the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Court which would use the judicial system to compel people suffering from severe mental illness and/or addiction into treatment and, for those who are unhoused, into housing. Although the full details of the plan are still being worked out, the proposed CARE Court appears to offer a much-needed tool to provide mental health treatment, substance use treatment, and housing to those individuals who are most vulnerable and in need.

“The new CARE Court model fills a critical gap,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “For years, our hands have been tied when it comes to helping people experiencing homelessness that can’t care for themselves. We need to remove barriers so we can serve the mentally ill individuals who are abandoned on our streets. CARE Court is a step in the right direction.”

Individuals with untreated severe mental illness or substance use disorders too often end up on the streets in Los Angeles County, in the County jails, or in the County hospitals with ailments that have been exacerbated by neglect.

Here in LA County, Supervisor Hahn has championed local Homeless Courts which use a similar model to the CARE Court to effectively connect people with the care and services they need. She has supported a Homeless Court program launched by Redondo Beach in 2020, funded a new Homeless Court in Long Beach, and is helping the City of Torrance start their own Homeless Court this year.