RL NEWS Briefs: April 23, 2015

Mayor Garcetti Breaks Ground on Water Recycling Project
TERMINAL ISLAND – On April 22, Mayor Garcetti broke ground on the Terminal Island Advanced Water Purification Facility Expansion project.

Once completed in 2017, the expanded plant will produce 12 million gallons of purified recycled water daily, more than doubling the current production. Twelve million gallons is equivalent to the amount used by 67,000 Angelenos every day.
The expansion will provide the Dominguez Gap Barrier with 100 percent of its total needs and will provide various Harbor Area industrial users with recycled water.
This past fall, Mayor Garcetti issued an executive directive calling for a 20 percent reduction in water use by 2017. Among its actions was an increase in the lawn replacement rebate to $3.75 per square foot and eliminating the need for permits to replace grass on parkways. Fifty percent of Los Angeles’ fresh water is used outdoors, which is why these actions are especially significant. Los Angeles imports more than 80 percent of its water, making recycling and protecting local groundwater, as this project does, especially important.
Details: SaveTheDropLA.org

New Comprehensive Child Development Executive Director Named

SAN PEDRO — On April 22, Comprehensive Child Development board of directors announced that Peter Bostic will become the next executive director to lead the organization.

The nonprofit provides child care and supports parental growth to homeless, unemployed, low-income and student families.

Bostic is a human rights nonprofit advocate. He brings more than 30 years of nonprofit management experience, having spent 20 years with the YMCA, a decade of raising charitable gifts for higher education and years as the executive director of both Leadership Long Beach and the Long Beach Public Library Foundation.

Bostic attended UC Santa Barbara where he earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in physical education.

Peter and his wife Hiedy reside in Long Beach with their daughter Ashleigh, a recent graduate of CSU Long Beach.

Hahn Testifies on Veteran Homelessness, Domestic Violence

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On April 23, Rep. Janice Hahn (CA-44) testified in front of the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health at a legislative hearing on House Resolution 627, her bill to make services available to homeless veterans fleeing domestic violence.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed a number of programs to assist homeless veterans. However, the outdated definition of “homelessness” can cause problems for victims of domestic violence.  H.R. 627 would correct and expand the Department of Veterans Affairs’ definition of “homeless veteran” to include veterans fleeing domestic violence and other life threatening situations.  Expanding the definition brings it to the same standard as the rest of the law and will allow those veterans to access the benefits available to all other homeless veterans.

Hahn was successful in establishing a temporary fix to help veterans displaced by domestic violence through the House Appropriations process this past year. Her legislation aims to permanently fix this tragic oversight in federal law.

This legislation has already garnered the support of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, AMVETS, the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the Service Women’s Action Network, the Association of the U.S. Navy, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, Veterans for Common Sense, Blinded Veterans Association, the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.