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San Pedro, CA — Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is celebrating the appointment of Laura Trejo, who will lead the launch of the County’s first department dedicated to serving older adults and residents with disabilities. The new department, which will start up by Fall 2022, will unite the services and resources the County offers for older adults and those with disabilities under one department and be able to proactively address the needs of these growing populations.

“The County could not ask for a better leader to usher in the new aging and disabilities department,” said Supervisor Hahn who championed the creation of the new department. “In Laura Trejo, we have someone who already has a long and successful career making a difference in the lives of older adults and people with disabilities. She understands the challenges many families are facing: she grew up in a multigenerational household and, after her grandmother suffered a stroke, Laura helped care and translate for her. This work is personal to Laura. I am looking forward to working with her to create this new and needed department and make LA County a place where our older residents and residents with disabilities can thrive.”

Until the new department’s creation, Laura Trejo will serve as the Executive Director for Aging and Community Services under the Workforce Development Aging and Community Services (WDACS) Department. This new branch will be responsible for the administration of older adult services, Adult Protective Services, and management of the County’s Community and Senior Centers. As Executive Director, Ms. Trejo will play a central leadership role in the County’s proactive efforts to establish a coordinated strategy and service delivery system for older adults and adults with disabilities.

“I look forward to working with Supervisor Hahn and the Board of Supervisors to implement their vision for services that support the independence and dignity of older adults and adults with disabilities,” said Laura Trejo, new Executive Director for Aging and Community Services. “Housing the Commission on Disabilities within a new Department of Aging will ensure more unified, inclusive, and impactful community-informed programs and services. I am excited about the possibilities that await the communities we serve and our new department.”

Ms. Trejo has over 36 years of experience serving the older residents of the County of Los Angeles. Prior to joining LA County, she served as the General Manager for the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Aging. In this capacity, she partnered with the County to establish and lead Purposeful Aging L.A. (PALA), an initiative to make our region the most age-friendly in the world. From 1985 to 2002, Ms. Trejo was the District Chief for the LA County Department of Mental Health where she led Countywide Older Adult Programs. A respected expert and peer-reviewed author on aging, mental health, Alzheimer’s Disease, and rehabilitation, Ms. Trejo brings a wealth of administrative and programmatic experience to LA County.

Supervisor Hahn has championed the creation of the new department so that LA County can proactively meet the needs of residents with disabilities and the skyrocketing older adult population. Los Angeles County’s population of older adults over the age of 60 is already larger than the older adult population of 41 states and is expected to double between 2010 and 2030, from roughly 1.8 million to nearly 3.6 million.

“Mario is an exceptional leader who has been part of the Downey community for decades,”  said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “He knows that the Downey Cemetery is a beloved symbol of the City’s history and its commitment to fallen service members. I am certain he will be a great asset to the Cemetery Commission.”

Mario A. Guerra immigrated to the United States as a Cuban refugee at the age of six. He was the two-time Mayor of his hometown of Downey from 2006 to 2014 and is also an ordained Deacon in the Catholic Church. Guerra was appointed by Army Secretary Eric Fanning and currently serves as Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army. He also currently serves as Chaplain of the Downey Police Department and as a member of the International Conference of Police Chaplains. Guerra and his wife Ann live in Downey, where they raised their five children and are proud of their three grandchildren.

“I want to thank Supervisor Hahn for appointing me to this Board. As a former Mayor of Downey and Chaplain of the Downey Police Department I know the special relationship our community has with Downey Cemetery” said Guerra. “This appointment is important to me for many reasons. I am honored to serve and continue the work done by former Mayor and my council colleague David Gafin. Our community has a deep history with Downey Cemetery and I look forward to the opportunity to help its future success. “

The Downey Cemetery Commission is a three-member board that oversees the Downey Cemetery District, which operates the Downey Cemetery. The Cemetery traces its roots back to 1868 and has served as the final resting site for over 9,000 souls, including Veterans from the Civil War through the Gulf War.

Los Angeles, CA — Today the LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proposal by Supervisor Janice Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl aimed at addressing the ongoing issue of food insecurity in LA County by bringing together County, city, nonprofit, and philanthropic partners.

Food insecurity in LA County has skyrocketed due to the economic fallout of the pandemic and government safety net programs designed to reduce food insecurity have experienced challenges in reaching and enrolling participants quickly due to overwhelming demand. In April, Calfresh alone saw its LA County enrollments triple from the same time last year.

In response, LA County’s Emergency Operations Center in March launched the Food Security Branch within the Department of Public Social Services and named the County’s Chief Sustainability Officer to lead this effort. In the months and weeks since, the Food Security Branch has facilitated the distribution of food to thousands of LA County households, provided more opportunities for CalFresh enrollment, and developed new approaches for meeting the food-related needs of vulnerable populations.

Moreover, dozens of new charitable efforts have sprung up to provide food during the pandemic; community-based organizations, municipalities and school districts providing other vital services have pivoted to become food pantries, Grab & Go sites and food delivery services. However, there are limited means for collecting and compiling information about these various responses to food insecurity, limiting collective understanding of which needs are or are not being met, and what additional initiatives or changes within the food system would best address the remaining unmet need.

“Food insecurity was a problem in LA County long before the pandemic hit but now we are seeing how badly we need a long-term system that quickly gets food to the people who need it most,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “We were able to make this happen when the COVID-19 crisis started by working closely with our County, city, nonprofit, and philanthropic partners. Now, we need to keep working together to make our food distribution system smarter, more effective and more resilient – so that we don’t face the same issues during the next crisis as we did during this one.”

Today’s motion asks the County’s Chief Sustainability Officer to collaborate with the Department of Public Health, Department of Health Services, Department of Public Social Services, Department of Workforce Development Aging and Community Services, Office of Education, the Center for Strategic Partnerships, other cities and municipal agencies, and representatives from the non-profit and philanthropic sectors to use lessons learned during COVID-19 to develop a plan post-COVID for ensuring ongoing and effective cross-sector food system coordination and collaboration – with the goal of reducing and eventually eradicating food insecurity in LA County.

The motion asks for a report back within 90 days or within 30 days of the deactivation of the Food Security Branch, whichever is sooner, with a strategy that includes:

1. Exploring existing best practices, elevating current efforts, and including recommendations to ensure ongoing cross-sector food system coordination and collaboration that will continue to address food insecurity while preparing for future disasters or economic shocks that will increase food system resiliency. This report back should be developed with a philanthropic co-lead and contain:
   a. A plan that includes a cross-sector and a regional coordinating committee consisting of representatives from major cities (working with Los Angeles County’s Disaster Management Area Coordinators to help coordinate and identify representatives), foundations, non-profits and community-based organizations – and proposed activities aimed at addressing food insecurity both immediately and in the long-term;
   b. A strategy of coordination and engagement with food system stakeholders, which also captures the existing work that has taken place within Los Angeles County;
   c. A list of shared short-term goals that food system stakeholders will work toward during the County’s/region’s economic recovery period; and
2. Developing a plan for continuing to engage cross-sector food system stakeholders on regular basis after the County has recovered from COVID-19;
3. Identifying shared long-term goals, potentially including but not limited to elimination of food insecurity, and for developing data-driven methods to achieve those goals, such as changes in practice and/or in policy; and
4. Helping determine the long-term placement of this food security work within Los Angeles County.

“According to a USC tracking poll, more than 10% of our County residents are worried that they will run out of food,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. “Three months ago, the County worked quickly to organize a food system to meet immediate needs as the spread of COVID-19 led to job loss and a related increase in food insecurity. This motion recognizes that food insecurity will continue to be a challenge for many months and calls for the establishment of a coordinated system that includes County departments, local nonprofits and philanthropic institutions to ensure that anyone who needs food in the months to come will be able to access it.”

“Food insecurity in Los Angeles is at an all-time high and, like so many injustices, it is our Black and Latinx communities that are disproportionately affected,” said Gary Gero, LA County’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “We encourage everyone who is hungry to reach out to the County to sign up for food assistance.”

“Food insecurity has increased with the current economic conditions and is projected to stay at an elevated level for the next several months,” said California Community Foundation President and CEO Antonia Hernandez. “CCF is currently funding the expansion of food security programs to help alleviate the effects of the crisis but the County needs a multi-sector effort to ensure systemic changes leading to lasting and scalable impact.” In a joint effort with the Weingart Foundation and Annenberg Foundation, the CCF has been a leading partner to LA County in the fight agains

San Pedro, CA — Today, LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced that the County will operate a new drive-up COVID-19 testing site starting Wednesday April 15 in the City of Bellflower.  Any resident of Los Angeles County who is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 is eligible for testing and can make an appointment through the website.

“This new drive-up site in Bellflower will improve access to testing for residents in southeast LA County and give us a better understanding of the spread of this virus in these communities,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “I want to thank Mayor Juan Garza for his leadership as well as the southeast city leaders who have been advocating for a local testing site and helped us get it done.  If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you can make an appointment online for this new site in Bellflower or at any of the 27 testing sites established across LA County.”

The testing site will be located at the parking structure of the Bellflower Civic Center located at 16600 Civic Center Drive, Bellflower, CA 90706.  The site was developed through a joint effort between the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, and the City of Bellflower.

“It’s crucial that our region and Bellflower get a clear picture of how many people are COVID-19 positive, and peace of mind for those that are not,” said Bellflower Mayor Juan Garza.  “Our City is proud to host this site in collaboration with Supervisor Janice Hahn, the LA County Fire Department and the LA County Department of Public Health in order to save lives.”

“Thank you to the City of Bellflower and the County of Los Angeles for partnering to open this much needed testing site in Southeast Los Angeles County.  The Southeast has some of the worst air quality and many environmental hazards like lead in the country. We know this is exacerbating the health problems associated with COVID-19. I’m happy that, together, we will be able to ensure that people in the Southeast have access to drive-through testing and that more facilities and resources will continue to be extending in this region,” said Assemblymember Cristina Garcia.

The Bellflower drive-up testing site is one of 27 testing sites launched by the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles in recent weeks.

See a list of FAQs about LA County/LA City testing sites here.

If you are experiencing symptoms, you can make an appointment for a test here.

The pilot project is part of a global effort to stem the flow of 80% of plastics into the world’s oceans

Marina del Rey, CA — Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced today a plan to partner with innovative tech nonprofit The Ocean Cleanup to place a new trash harvesting device in Ballona Creek.

“The buildup of plastics in our oceans is one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “We are announcing a plan to install a system that will not only stop trash flowing from Ballona Creek into the Santa Monica Bay, but will be part of a global project to prevent the flow of plastic pollution into our world’s oceans.”

>>Click here to watch the announcement video<<

Credit: The Ocean Cleanup

The device is called the Interceptor^TM, a solar-powered trash removal system that employs a floating barrier or barriers to concentrate and direct floating debris onto a conveyor belt that extracts the debris. The Ocean Cleanup will design an Interceptor^TM to specifically meet the conditions in Ballona Creek.

Recognizing that the best solution is to control trash at the source, the Interceptor^TM will be a complement to efforts by watershed cities to control trash at the source.

“The County of Los Angeles seeks to provide safe, clean water for all,” said Mark Pestrella, Director of Los Angeles County Public Works.  “We are focused on preventing litter, trash and other pollutants from entering our local rivers, lakes, streams and the ocean. The Interceptor would be the first of its kind deployed in the U.S., Canada, Central and South America, using solar-powered engineering to harvest floating waste and debris from within a river system.”

Credit: The Ocean Cleanup

Ballona Creek will be the sixth location in which an Interceptor^TM is deployed. Two systems are operational in Jakarta, Indonesia and Klang, Malaysia. Systems are also planned for Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, and Thailand.

“Millions of tons of plastic waste finds its way into our oceans every year, so it’s clear that, in addition to solving the legacy problem in the ocean gyres, we also need to address the issue of ocean plastic pollution at the source. The Interceptor is currently the only workable, scalable solution to this global problem,” said Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup. “We are delighted to be partnering with LA County, which shows this tool is a supplement not a replacement for good waste infrastructure or any other prevention activity.  Yet, out of all the possible things we could do, this to me seems the best way rapidly to reduce the amount of plastic flowing into our oceans”.

The 24-month pilot project will allow the County and The Ocean Cleanup to test the technology and evaluate its efficacy alongside the County’s comprehensive portfolio of institutional and structural solutions. Based on the results, the County will have the option of acquiring the system for free.

The Ocean Cleanup will be responsible for manufacturing and assembling the system and for installation in partnership with the LA County Public Works. Public Works will be responsible for operations, including the collection and recycling of waste. The Ocean Cleanup will provide technical advice and support throughout, including data generation.  The target date for deployment is the fall of 2020.