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San Pedro, CA — Los Angeles County Supervisors Janice Hahn and Kathryn Barger have ordered a countywide assessment of county-run sewer infrastructure in the wake of a series of recent sewage spills.

“The sewer pipe that collapsed in Carson and spilled 8 million gallons of sewage into our ocean in late December was nearly 60 years old,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “We need to not only understand why that pipe wasn’t replaced sooner, but how our aging infrastructure in sewer systems across the County is holding up. If we have a much bigger problem on our hands, we need to get ahead of it and that’s what I hope we get from this assessment.”

“Recent sewage spills in Los Angeles County provide an important reminder that we must pay attention to sewer infrastructure that is often out of sight and out of mind,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “Today’s motion ensures our County proactively monitors projects needing repair and develops a clear picture of our long-term needs. We must keep systems functioning and evolving – we can’t afford to ignore them.”

At today’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors the board voted unanimously to support a motion authored by Supervisor Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Barger to direct the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works to report back to the board in 30 days with an assessment of the condition of the infrastructure of the Consolidated Sewer Maintenance District, a list of planned infrastructure upgrades and repairs, an assessment of long-term funding needs, and a plan to obtain Federal infrastructure funding. The motion also directs the Department of Public Works to conduct monthly assessments of infrastructure slated to be repaired in order to prevent potential failure.

The Consolidated Sewer Maintenance District maintains 4,600 miles of mainline sewer within the unincorporated areas and 37 cities across the County and is administered by the LA County Department of Public Works.

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.

Los Angeles, CA — Today, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to place a measure to raise much-needed revenue for the Los Angeles County Fire Department on the upcoming March ballot.  If approved by voters, the six-cent parcel tax measure will allow Los Angeles County Fire Department to hire more paramedics and firefighters, update lifesaving equipment, and meet the challenges presented by more frequent wildfires and rising 911 calls.

“Our residents have always been able to count on our LA County firefighters and paramedics in their moment of need, but now they need us,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Our firefighters are fighting bigger and more dangerous fires and our paramedics are responding to record numbers of 911 medical calls. Their budget has been stretched to the breaking point and we cannot take them for granted. This March, voters will have the opportunity to give these men and women the resources they need to do their jobs protecting communities and saving lives each and every day.”

The Los Angeles County Fire Department serves 58 of the county’s 88 cities and all of its unincorporated areas, including county beaches which make up the County’s Consolidated Fire Protection District. The LA County Fire Department is not funded through the County’s general fund. Instead, the Fire District is responsible for raising its own revenue via property taxes collected within the district. Unfortunately, the funding collected has not kept up with the Department’s growing resource needs.

“Today’s fast-moving, explosive wildfires and the rising numbers of 911 calls are really putting a strain on the hardworking men and women who are our local firefighter/paramedics,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby. “There’s a human impact on them as we stretch to ensure the safety of our neighbors and community. We desperately need more resources to meet today’s demands. I’m grateful to the Board for placing this much-needed ballot measure before our voters.”

Over the past decade, the demand on the Department for emergency medical services has grown exponentially. Since 2008, LA County has seen an over 50 percent increase in calls for assistance in medical emergencies, such as strokes, heart attacks and car accidents. Yet, in that same time period, there has been less than a 5 percent increase in paramedic units to respond to those calls.  The Fire District currently lacks the funding to meet national standard staffing levels as set by the National Fire Protection Association.

The “fire season” in LA County is growing longer and wildfires are becoming more frequent. Climate change has created drier, windier conditions which have fueled larger and more dangerous wildfires. We can no longer count on other fire departments sending firefighters to help battle our wildfires, since wildfires have been burning simultaneously up and down the state and drawing resources.

“With an extended fire season and a substantial increase in calls for emergency medical services, voters will have the opportunity to help the Fire Department address its structural deficit to ensure our first responders are fully equipped to continue providing the highest quality public safety services,” said Supervisor Kathryn Barger.

LA County firefighters and paramedics are using decades-old equipment that needs to be replaced. 20-year-old fire engines and rescue vehicles frequently break down and are costly to repair and maintain. The Fire District’s antiquated 30-year-old 9-1-1 communications system is incompatible with modern wireless and digital systems. This poses challenges for paramedics who need to communicate directly with emergency rooms while transporting patients and to firefighters on the ground coordinating fire response and evacuations. The system does not provide GPS mapping, a critical tool to reduce response times. The department is also in need of thermal image cameras used to locate and rescue children, the elderly, and people with disabilities who are particularly vulnerable during fires, floods and earthquakes.

“When you call 911, you know help is coming. For us, this is our 911,” said LA County Firefighter/Paramedic Erin Regan. “We are asking you for this measure because our firefighters and paramedics in the field need more resources”

The measure will be placed on the March 3, 2020 ballot for voters within the fire district. Should voters approve by a two-thirds vote, the resulting parcel tax of $0.06 per square foot would collect approximately $134 million a year from residents in the Consolidated Fire Protection District. Government parcels, non-profits, and low-income seniors would be exempt from the parcel tax. The funds will be used to hire and train additional firefighters and paramedics and replace aging safety gear, communications tools, and lifesaving rescue equipment.

A May 2018 needs assessment ordered by the Board of Supervisors for the Fire District demonstrated that additional funding is urgently needed to hire and train more firefighters and paramedics to accommodate the increasing need for life-saving emergency medical services and to maintain, upgrade, and replace its safety equipment, emergency communication systems, facilities, life-saving devices, and vehicles.

The Woolsey Fire After Action Review released in October 2019 showed that mutual aid agreements with fire departments across the state failed to bring the needed resources and firefighters to fight Woolsey. Both the Camp Fire and Hill Fire began shortly before the Woolsey Fire, exhausting the fire services mutual aid system up and down the state.

The LA County Consolidated Fire District includes the cities of Agoura Hills, Artesia, Azusa,  Baldwin Park,  Bell, Bellflower, Bell Gardens, Bradbury, Calabasas, Carson, Cerritos, Claremont, Commerce, Covina, Cudahy, Diamond Bar, Duarte, El Monte, Gardena, Glendora, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Hidden Hills, Huntington Park, Industry, Inglewood, Irwindale, La Canada Flintridge, Lakewood, La Mirada, Lancaster, La Puente, Lawndale, Lomita,  Malibu, Maywood, Norwalk, Palmdale, Paramount, Pico Rivera, Pomona, Rancho Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rosemead, San Dimas, Santa Clarita, Signal Hill, South El Monte, South Gate, Temple City, Walnut, West Hollywood, Westlake Village, and Whittier, and all those within the unincorporated areas of the County of Los Angeles.

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.