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JCOD to Host Father’s Day CARE Event

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JCOD to Host Father’s Day CARE Event

LOS ANGELES – The Justice, Care and Opportunities Department’s or JCOD is hosting Father’s Day CARE: Celebrating Advocacy, Resiliency and Empathy.

The event aims to create a welcoming and inclusive space for families affected by incarceration. It will provide an opportunity for the community to come together to honor and celebrate fathers (and mothers) while fostering connections and strengthening community bonds. JCOD has planned a day filled with food, activities, entertainment, resources, and moments for reflection and gratitude.

  • Judge Songhai Armstead, (Ret.), Director of JCOD
  • Judge Greg Mathis and more

For more information, please contact pio@jcod.lacounty.gov

Time: 12 to 4 p.m., June 9

Details: To RSVP for the event, click here.

Venue: Earvin “Magic” Johnson Community Center, 905 E. El Segundo Blvd., Los Angeles

City Council Passes McOsker’s Ordinance to Protect Communities from Trucking

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City Council Passes McOsker’s Ordinance to Protect Communities from Trucking

 

LOS ANGELES — In response to concerns over the impact of trucking-related activities in the Wilmington and Harbor City communities, the Los Angeles City Council passed an ordinance called for by Councilmember Tim McOsker, the representative of these areas, aimed at regulating new or expanded trucking-related uses within the Wilmington-Harbor City community plan area.

With the emergency ordinance currently in place set to expire in July 2024, this ordinance establishes comprehensive regulations governing trucking-related uses, including truck parking, storage, terminals, yards, and electric vehicle charging facilities for large vehicles. The ordinance passed June 6 ensures permanent measures are in place while the general plan update is in the process of adoption.

“The adoption of the trucking-related uses ordinance is necessary to protect the Wilmington and Harbor City communities that have been disproportionately burdened by exposure to truck traffic and pollutants,” Councilmember Tim McOsker. “Operations at the Port of Los Angeles severely impact Wilmington and Harbor City and with an interim ordinance set to expire soon, this ordinance will address environmental concerns while larger planning issues in the Wilmington-Harbor City community plan are tackled. From the residents of the community to my office we have worked diligently on this legislation, which will remain effective until comprehensive regulations are established, safeguarding our environment and our future.”

The ordinance defines and prohibits trucking-related around sensitive use zones including any use containing residential, medical centers, schools, or any open space and recreational uses. The ordinance prohibits truck parking for freight trucks and associated equipment relating to the operation, service, or storage of freight trucks.

“This ordinance is invaluable as it prevents the further over-saturation of trucking facilities that operate within our community, many of which operate without proper licensure,” said Gina Martinez, Executive Board Chair of the Wilmington Neighborhood Council. “We commend our Councilmember for hearing our concerns and taking the appropriate action to protect this often forgotten and overlooked community. Listening to your constituents and taking proper action is the way government is supposed to work. We applaud Councilmember Tim McOsker for taking this position.”

McOsker and Bass Raise Progress Pride Flag at City Hall in Gesture of Inclusivity

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McOsker and Bass Raise Progress Pride Flag at City Hall in Gesture of Inclusivity

 

LOS ANGELES — Councilmember Tim McOsker will be joined by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass at 2 p.m., June 6 to raise the Progress Pride Flag to fly for the first time over City Hall for the month of June.

On May 31, the city council approved an ordinance, signed by Mayor Karen Bass that day, allowing the city to raise the Progress Pride Flag in the civic center, which includes City Hall and other city-owned facilities where the U.S., state and city flags are flown.

The first known Pride flag debuted at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade in June 1978. At the encouragement of gay activist Harvey Milk, Gilbert Baker sewed the flag to symbolize the value and dignity of the gay community. In June 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom requested that the Pride flag be flown on the main flagpole at the State Capitol building in commemoration of LGBTQ Pride Month, marking the first time in state history that occurred. Last June, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors raised the Progress Pride Flag over the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration — the first time a Pride flag has flown over a county building.

Pier B Rail Facility Project Meeting Set for June 20

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Pier B Rail Facility Project Meeting Set for June 20

 

The Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility project team will update the public on the status of the Port of Long Beach project during a virtual community meeting June 20.

You can join this virtual meeting from a computer, phone and other mobile device. A recording of the meeting will be posted at www.polb.com/PierB for those unable to participate. Requests for translation must be received by June 14. Contact Veronica Morales at 562-233-7980 or veronica.morales@polb.com for translation or assistance registering for the event. Comuníquese con Veronica Morales al 562-283-7722 o veronica.morales@polb.com antes del viernes 14 de junio para obtener servicios de interpretación o asistencia con el registro.

The planned Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility is the centerpiece of the Port of Long Beach’s rail capital improvement program. It will shift more cargo to “on-dock rail,” where containers are taken to and from marine terminals by trains. Moving cargo by on-dock rail is cleaner and more efficient, as it reduces truck traffic. No cargo trucks would visit the facility.

The facility will be built in phases and as each is completed, they will enhance capacity and operations. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2024 and completion of the entire project is expected in 2032. View the project fact sheet and more information at the project page.

Time:10 a.m. June 20.

Details: Click here to register. https://tinyurl.com/Pier-B-Stakeholder-mtg

Venue: Online

California Expands Summer Meal Access for Children

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California Expands Summer Meal Access for Children

 

California Expands Summer Meal Access for Children

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Newsom June 4 announced that the California Department of Social Services or CDSS is launching SUN Bucks in California, a federal food program designed to ensure that children in families with low incomes have adequate nutrition while school is out for the summer.

SUN Bucks will provide $120 per child, which is equivalent to $40 per month, during the three months schools are typically closed during the summer – to help reduce food insecurity and making nutrition more reliably available to families and kids who need support.

Children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals through a school meal application or an alternative income form, or who receive CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal, are automatically enrolled. California is one of the first states in the nation to launch this new food program and get money to families.

In December 2022, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which created a new, permanent Summer EBT program for states to provide food benefits to families with school-age children and low-incomes, beginning in 2024. In July 2023, California passed Assembly Bill 120, establishing the CDSS as the lead implementing agency, in partnership with the CDE, to maximize Summer EBT program participation for summer 2024.

In addition, families can locate summer meal sites in their communities using the CA Meals for Kids App or by visiting the Summer Meal Service Sites webpage.

Supervisor Hilda L. Solis Declares Arts and Health Week, Advocates for Integrating Arts and Culture into Health, Wellbeing and Recovery

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Supervisor Hilda L. Solis Declares Arts and Health Week, Advocates for Integrating Arts and Culture into Health, Wellbeing and Recovery

 

In a motion authored by Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared the week of June 10, 2024 as Arts and Health Week.

There is growing research that demonstrates the arts have a positive impact across physical, mental and public health. Recognizing that the benefits of the arts are many, and that everyone deserves to have equal access to them, the motion highlights the collaborative efforts of LA Opera, the LA County Department of Arts and Culture and County health departments already underway.

The motion encourages continued growth of this work and the county’s strategies and services at the intersection of arts and health.

The motion asserts the importance that the arts, when implemented into service through cross-sector collaboration, are integral to equity and to healthy communities across aspects of civic life, from education, youth development, justice reform and prevention, health, infrastructure, aging and more. It also highlights that the arts can have a positive influence across social determinants of health, which are the conditions in the environments where people live, work, and play, to promote health equity for all. The five social determinants of health domains include economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment and social and community context.

Recognition of the role of the arts in health continues to grow, yet there is still more work to do to maximize this momentum and integrate arts and culture into our health, civic, and community infrastructure. LA County must ensure everyone has access to the arts, continue to utilize the arts in cross-sector strategies, and increase awareness of the power of arts for health. These cross-sector efforts also actualize the goals of the Countywide Cultural Policy, which was adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2020 and directs county departments to integrate arts and culture into their strategies and services.

For the third year, LA Opera will host the Arts and Health Week Summit on June 14. Its goal is to encourage greater understanding of the connection between arts, health, and wellbeing, and build collaborative practices. The event is advised by renowned soprano and arts and health advocate Renée Fleming, in collaboration with Supervisor Solis, the Department of Arts and Culture, Healing Arts — an initiative of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, and the World Health Organization.

In addition to convening the summit, there are several cross-sector collaborations underway. The Department of Arts and Culture has initiated a growing body of work at the intersection of arts and health, working across its various divisions and in collaborations with a wide range of county departments including Public Health, Mental Health, Health Services, Aging and Disabilities, Children and Family Services, Public Works, the Justice, Care, and Opportunities Department or JCOD, and others. This work includes commissioning civic art at county hospitals and facilities; providing healing-centered arts education and Creative Wellbeing programs to support young people and adults who care for them in schools, foster care facilities, residential treatment programs and temporary shelter care facilities. Further, it awards grants to community-based organizations delivering access to arts and culture activities for communities; providing referrals to arts programs for adults released from incarceration, and their families, as part of reentry services; and placing artists with county departments in its Creative Strategist Artist in Residence program.

“We have long lived the credo that the arts are vital to the human experience, enabling us to commune with joy, wonder, fascination, curiosity, excitement—but most of all, to one another,” said Christopher Koelsch, LA Opera’s Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco President and CEO. “To have the enthusiastic support of Los Angeles County as a leading partner for the Arts and Health Week, amplifying this message, is incredibly gratifying. A great deal of groundbreaking research in arts and health research is taking place in our County and I’m so proud that this important annual event shines a much-deserved spotlight on the amazing work that has been accomplished. Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture deserve a standing ovation for everything that they have done to make Arts and Health Week a truly transformational event.”

Kristin Sakoda, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture said arts and cultural practices have been utilized for healing since time immemorial.

“Now, there is growing research that the arts positively contribute to wellbeing across our lifespans, prevention of illness, promotion of health, recovery from trauma, and bettering the conditions in which we live, work, learn, and play, also known as the social determinants of health, said Sakoda. “This is a moment of opportunity—artists, arts and health organizations, public sector leaders, funders, and County partners can make strides by coming together with a cross-sector approach to weaving arts interventions into policies, programs, and services.”

Details: An overview of arts and health at the Departments of Arts and Culture and Public Health can be found here.

lacountyarts.org

State Funds Student Access to Careers and Higher Ed.

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State Funds Student Access to Careers and Higher Ed.

 

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond May 31 announced the awarding of $470 million to 302 local educational agencies or LEAs from the Golden State Pathways program. The program integrates college preparatory coursework meeting the A–G course requirements for admission to state universities and the opportunity to earn 12 college credits with career exploration, career technical education courses, and work-based learning. The program also helps students identify high-need opportunities in their regions and aligns their higher education and career goals with the jobs needed in their communities.

The Golden State Pathways Program provides LEAs with resources to promote pathways for students in high-wage, high-skill, high-growth areas including technology, health care, education, and climate-related fields, which allows students to advance seamlessly from high school to college and career and provides the workforce needed for economic growth.

Of the $470 million awarded, $422 million was awarded to LEAs in the form of implementation grants slated to support the grant recipient’s ability to offer participating pupils college and career pathways opportunities. The program integrates college preparatory coursework meeting the A-G course requirements for admission to state universities and the opportunity to earn 12 college credits with career exploration, CTE courses and work-based learning.

The remaining nearly $48 million went to LEAs in the form of consortium development and planning grants. These grants are to support collaborative planning between a grant recipient and their program partners in the development of high-quality college and career pathways opportunities.

Golden State Pathways Program was established to do all of the following:
  • Promote pathways in high-wage, high-skill, high-growth areas, including (but not limited to) technology, health care, education (including early education and child development), and climate-related fields.
  • Encourage collaboration between LEAs, institutions of higher education, local and regional employers, and other relevant community interest holders to develop or expand the availability of innovative college and career pathways that simultaneously align with an LEA’s local or regional labor market needs.
  • Enable more pupils to access postsecondary education opportunities and workforce training opportunities or to obtain gainful employment in an industry that simultaneously aligns with local, regional, or state labor market needs.
  • Support the continued development of a skilled and educated workforce with an emphasis on addressing areas of acute statewide need, such as developing a diverse workforce to meet the need for professional and learning support positions in child care settings; preschools; and schools maintaining prekindergarten, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive.

This program is in alignment with the Governor’s Master Plan for Career Education

Gov. Newsom Announces Appointments

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Gov. Newsom Announces Appointments

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom June 4 announced the following appointments:

Brandie Devall, of Long Beach, has been appointed chief counsel at the California Department of Aging, where she has been an attorney III since 2022. Devall was an attorney III at the California Department of Industrial Relations from 2020 to 2022. She was an attorney at the California Department of State Hospitals from 2019 to 2020. Devall was a senior attorney at Fleming, Greenwald and Associates from 2014 to 2019. She was an attorney manager at the Law Office of Brandie Devall from 2008 to 2017. Devall was an attorney at the Law Office of Benjamin P. Wasserman from 2006 to 2008. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology from Loyola Marymount University. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $179,508. Devall is registered to the Green Party.

Adriene “Alex” Davis, of Carson, has been appointed to the California Commission on Aging. Davis has been assistant vice chancellor of Economic & Workforce Development in Educational Services for the Rancho Santiago Community College District since 2018. She was acting vice chancellor of Educational Services for the Rancho Santiago Community College District in 2022. Davis was dean of Academic Affairs and for the Office of Economic Development and Workforce Education for the Los Angeles City College District from 2008 to 2018. She was director of the El Camino College Small Business Development Center from 2006 to 2008. Davis earned a Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Leadership from California State University, Long Beach, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Davis is a Democrat.

Wendy Mitchell, of Los Angeles, has been appointed to the Medical Board of California. Mitchell has been founder at Empower Her Mentoring since 2023 and principal at Wendy Mitchell Consulting Inc. since 2006. Mitchell was vice president of Government Affairs and Public Relations at Woodside Natural Gas from 2005 to 2006. She was Chief of Staff in the Office of California State Senator Denise Ducheny from 2003 to 2005. Mitchell was vice president of Communications and Government Relations at Cadiz Inc. from 1999 to 2003. She was senior budget consultant for the California State Assembly Budget Committee from 1997 to 1999. Mitchell has served on the California Horse Racing Board since 2019 and served on the California Coastal Commission from 2010 to 2016. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Journalism from California State University, Sacramento and a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Southern California. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Mitchell is a Democrat.

LA Animal Services Makes Urgent Call To Help Save Lives

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LA Animal Services Makes Urgent Call To Help Save Lives

 

LOS ANGELES – LA Animal Services shelters have been in crisis for more than two years and are working urgently to bring the department back on track. The crisis has put staff, volunteers and animals in harm’s way. Even as the department succeeds in adopting out dozens of animals each day, more animals flow into the shelter than leave each day, resulting in a growing population of animals, and especially of large dogs.

LA Animal Services has the capacity to safely and humanely care for approximately 800 lost and abandoned dogs at any one time. However, there are more than 1,500 dogs in its care and an average of nearly 50 more dogs enter the shelters everyday.

The shelters do not have the space and resources to properly care for this many animals. The department is asking the community to bring these pets home today. It is the only measure that can be taken in the short term to save animals and avoid euthanasia of animals who, through no fault of their own, are now suffering physically and mentally from either their excessively long shelter stays or the challenging conditions resulting from overcrowding in the city’s shelters.

The following are upcoming events in June for animal lovers to get involved to save lives:

California’s Adopt-a-Pet Day:

LA Animal Services is participating in California’s Adopt-a-Pet Day, an adoption event organized by the ASPCA, CalAnimals, and SFSPCA, three leading animal welfare organizations, to raise awareness and make pet adoptions affordable and accessible. Adopt a dog or cat from any LA Animal Services shelter to participate. Adoption fees are sponsored for dogs and cats only. Rabbits are not included. Get involved here.

Big Dog Walk for Life: On June 22nd, LA Animal Services is hosting its first Big Dog Walk for Life where the LA Animal Services goal is to walk every dog in our care available for adoption. Registration is required. Sign up today here

The following five things animal lovers can do every day to get involved to save lives:

  1. 1. Foster – either virtually or in real life!
  • Found a pet? Skip the shelter altogether and participate in our Shelter at Home program. Keep dogs and cats you find for a few days and try to find the owner before bringing them to a shelter.
  • Found orphaned kittens? Foster kittens that you find, first before removing kittens and taking them to a shelter.
  • Virtually foster a pet. Simply share the pet’s story frequently on social media and in your other social spaces until that pet is adopted, then foster another, and another, and another…
  1. Adopt a shelter pet – do not purchase animals from breeders or animals that rescues did not take from animal shelters: “Do not breed or buy while shelter animals die.”
  2. Volunteer – come exercise, train, and socialize animals.
  3. Spay/neuter your pet and stray cats in your community – we have vouchers that cover some or all of these costs, and instructions and assistance on trap/neuter/return for stray cats.
  4. Donate to our spay/neuter fund so we can help stop the overpopulation crisis.

LA Animal Services is doing the following to save lives:

  • EASIER VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP AND ONBOARDING: Volunteer process has been revamped and is now simple and easy to volunteer, including accepting one-time/one-day volunteers
  • VIRTUAL FOSTER PROGRAM: Virtual foster program that encourages people to highlight a dog on social media and in their workplace until the pet is adopted
  • BREEDING PERMIT MORATORIUM: The city council voted to implement a moratorium on breeding beginning May 27. The department is assembling a task force to begin a significant enforcement response to illegal breeding and illegal animal sales.
  • INTAKE LIAISONS: The department is identifying intake liaisons among the staff and volunteers to help community members find alternatives to surrendering animals to the shelter.
  • REDUCING FINANCIAL BARRIERS: Financial barriers to pet acquisition are often reduced or removed (low adoption fees, sponsored adoption fees, and subsidized reclaim fees to help people afford pet ownership)
  • MOBILE ADOPTIONS: Offsite adoption events to encourage adoption from the shelter
  • COMMUNITY EVENTS: LA Animal Services has increased its presence at community events to educate the community about foster, adoption, spay/neuter, and volunteering
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