Monday, September 19, 2022

Supervisor Barger Allocates Discretionary Funds For Homeless Outreach

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger announced today that she has allocated $2.3M from her discretionary funds to increase homeless outreach services across the Fifth District communities she represents.

The services will be provided by the Sheriff’s Department Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST), and Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA) Homeless Engagement Team professionals who specialize in engaging people experiencing homelessness.

“Lifting people out of homelessness requires both expertise and perseverance,” stated Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “I’ve heard loud and clear from my constituents that more needs to be done to address homelessness in their communities. These funds will procure the services of additional deputies and outreach professionals who know how to compassionately engage people experiencing homelessness. Their model and approach works.”

With this funding, four new outreach teams will offer services exclusively in the Fifth Supervisorial District, with a special focus on the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, portions of the San Fernando Valley, and the San Gabriel Valley. A fourth team will rove between these regions,

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Settlement of LA Homelessness Lawsuit Against County Announced

By FRED SHUSTER, City News Service

A coalition of downtown Los Angeles business owners and sheltered and unsheltered residents announced a preliminary settlement Monday with the county aimed at providing services for thousands of unhoused people — a pact that would effectively end the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights’ often-contentious court battle over the local government response to the homelessness crisis.

Under the agreement, the county would commit $236 million to fund increased services, outreach and interim housing for the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. That amount will be on top of the $532 million in Measure H and state funds the county has committed this year to prevent and address homelessness, officials said.

The settlement would also provide county operational and service support in every shelter and housing project established by the city; give access to unlicensed beds for homeless people suffering from mental illness within the city; add 300 licensed mental health/substance use disorder beds; and increase the number of outreach teams to help the unhoused in areas with the highest need.

Friday, September 2, 2022

Flex Alert in Effect for 2nd Day; Another Conservation Alert Called for Friday

CITY NEWS SERVICE

A Flex Alert calling for voluntary power conservation to reduce strain on the state’s electricity grid took effect for a second consecutive day Thursday, and the high heat prompted yet another alert that’ll be in effect Friday afternoon.

Responding to the heat wave that has driven up temperatures and demand for air conditioning, the California Independent System Operator — which manages the state’s power grid — issued the first Flex Alert of the week on Wednesday, urging residents to reduce electricity use from 4 to 9 p.m. The alert worked, and the state avoided any involuntary blackouts.

Another Flex Alert took effect at 4 p.m. Thursday, again continuing until 9 p.m. And with the forecast still calling for high heat, Cal-ISO issued yet another Flex Alert for Friday.

“Flex Alerts have been resulting in some helpful conservation and grid operators and an emergency proclamation from Gov. Gavin Newsom, requested by the ISO, has also freed up some additional resources,”

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Heat Wave Prompts Flex Alert Calling for Voluntary Power Conservation

CITY NEWS SERVICE

With searing heat expected to drive up air- conditioner use across California, the manager of the state’s power grid issued a Flex Alert Wednesday calling on residents to conserve as much electricity as possible from 4 to 9 p.m.

The California Independent System Operator issued the Flex Alert “due to high temperatures pushing up energy demand and tightening available power supplies.”

“With excessive heat in the forecast across much of the state and Western U.S., the grid operator is expecting high electricity demand, primarily from air conditioning use, and is calling for voluntary conservation steps to help balance supply and demand,” according to Cal-ISO.

The power system operators warned that more Flex Alerts are likely to be posted in the coming week and through the Labor Day weekend.

During the alerts, residents are urged to take power-saving steps such as

— setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher;

—

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Poor Air Quality Likely to Accompany Heat Wave

CITY NEWS SERVICE

If the heat wasn’t bad enough, Southland residents were being warned Tuesday about the likelihood of poor air quality over the next week that could reach unhealthy levels in some areas.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued an ozone advisory, warning of potentially unhealthy air quality most afternoons, exacerbated by the rising temperatures, through at least Sunday.

“Elevated temperatures increase emissions of chemicals leading to ozone formation and enhance ozone formation rates,” according to the AQMD advisory. “This long duration and intense heat wave will likely cause unusually high and persistent levels of ozone pollution.”

The AQMD noted that ozone, or smog, pollution can lead to problems such as difficulty breathing, asthma attacks and lung damage.

According to the agency, poor air quality is possible over the coming week in the entire San Gabriel Valley — as well as central Los Angeles, southeastern L.A. County, the east and west San Fernando Valley,

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Four Million in LA County Urged To Suspend Outdoor Watering Next Month

STAFF REPORT

More than four million residents in Los Angeles County were urged Tuesday to suspend outdoor watering for 15 days next month while the Metropolitan Water District repairs a leak in a water delivery pipeline.

The repairs will take place from Sept. 6 thru 20, and will impact the cities of Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Glendale, Long Beach, San Fernando and Torrance.

Pasadena Water and Power described the MWD’s request as “voluntary.” The City already has already moved ahead with its new 1-day-a-week watering restriction.

“During this two-week shutdown period, Metropolitan will not be disrupting deliveries to Pasadena. What is going to be happening is they’re going to have to switch to a more limited supply source — from Colorado River supplies to State Water Project supplies, which are even more limited,” Stacie Takeguchi of PWP said on Aug. 15. “It’s even more important for us to save water during that time, which is why we’re trying for this call for action during that time,

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

LA County Could Improve to ‘Low’ COVID Activity Level in Next Week

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Just weeks after moving from the federal government’s “high” COVID-19 activity category to the “medium” rating thanks to falling hospitalization rates, Los Angeles County could soon graduate into the “low” category as case numbers continue to fall, the public health director said Tuesday.

Barbara Ferrer told the Board of Supervisors that transmission of the virus still remains elevated, but based on official infection numbers, the county could move to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “low” virus-activity category within the next week.

The categorization change would have no practical effect for residents, other than sending a message of an overall slowing of virus transmission.

The county moved into the “high” virus level in mid-July, thanks to a new infection rate that topped 200 per 100,000 residents and an average daily virus-related hospitalization rate that topped 10 per 100,000 residents. On Aug. 12, however, the county moved back to the “medium” category when the hospitalization rate fell below 10 per 100,000 residents.

Thursday, August 18, 2022

Monkeypox Vax Eligibility Expands to Those Under 18, County Says It Got Less Than One Half the Doses It Expected

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Los Angeles County opened an additional monkeypox vaccination site Thursday — one day after officials announced the county this week had received less than half the number of new doses it originally anticipated.

Despite the unexpected shortfall, however, health officials said the county will still begin offering second doses of the two-shot regimen to those eligible for it. The county also announced Thursday an expansion of vaccine eligibility to include those under age 18 who are considered at high risk of infection.

County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis also said Thursday the county had confirmed its first known monkeypox case at a jail, and the first at a homeless shelter. Details of those patients were not released, but Davis said the county was performing contact tracing and vaccinating people who were exposed.

Meanwhile, Supervisor Hilda Solis announced the opening of the new vaccination site at the Jack Crippen Senior Center at 3120 Tyler Ave. in El Monte.

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Woman, 23, Reported Missing in Altadena

CITY NEWS SERVICE

Authorities sought the public’s help Wednesday to locate a 23-year-old woman who was last seen in Altadena.

Jai Rmanii Hicks was last seen on July 16 in the 200 block of West Woodbury Road, near the Foothill (210) Freeway, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Hicks is Black, 5-feet-10 inches tall and weighs 185 pounds, with red shoulder-length dreadlocks, brown eyes and tattoos of an ankh on her back, a tribal symbol on her torso and an image of a girl on her right thigh. She was last seen wearing a black shirt and black pants, and was carrying a brown backpack.

Anyone with information on Hicks’ whereabouts was asked to contact the LASD Missing Persons Unit at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tips can be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submitted online at lacrimestoppers.org.

Monday, August 15, 2022

Another Effort to Recall LA County DA George Gascón Fails

CITY NEWS SERVICE

An effort to recall Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón was rejected Monday, with the county clerk’s office announcing that organizers submitted only 520,050 valid petition signatures, well short of the required 566,857.

Organizers of the recall submitted a total of 715,833 petition signatures to the county Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s office in an effort to force Gascón into a recall election. County officials initially conducted a random sampling of the signatures to verify their validity. Based on that initial sampling, the county undertook an effort to verify all 715,833 signatures individually.

The county announced Monday that 195,783 of the signatures were invalid. In many cases, the person signing the petition was not a registered voter, and there were also more than 45,000 duplicate signatures, according to the county.

According to the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk’s Office, the signature-verification process “was conducted in compliance with the statutory and regulatory requirements of the California Government Code, Elections Code and Code of Regulations.