July 31, 2006 -- Volume II, Issue IX

Calendar of Events

Tues., Aug. 1, 2006
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
500 W. Temple St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Wed., Aug. 2, 2006
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
La Alameda Shopping Center
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Intersection of S. Alameda St.
and E. Florence Ave.
Los Angeles CA 90001

Tues., Aug. 8, 2006
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
500 W. Temple St., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Thurs., Aug. 10, 2006
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Montebello Chamber of
Commerce Luncheon
Quiet Cannon
901 S. Via San Clemente
Montebello, CA 90640

Fri., Aug. 11, 2006
Starts at 6 p.m.
Lincoln Heights Chamber of
Commerce 90^th Anniversary
Celebration
3415 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA. 90089

Tues., Aug. 15, 2006
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
500 W. Temple St ., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA. 90012

Tues., Aug. 22, 2006
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
Public Hearing
500 W. Temple St., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA. 90012

Thurs, Aug. 24, 2006
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA) Board of
Directors Meeting
1 Gateway Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Mon., Aug. 28, 2006
2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Alameda Corridor East (ACE)
Board of Directors Meeting
Irwindale Council Chambers
5050 Irwindale Ave.
Irwindale, CA. 91706

Tues., Aug. 29, 2006
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
500 W. Temple St., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Mon., Sept. 4,2006
Labor Day
* County buildings closed *

Tues., Sept. 5, 2006
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
500 W. Temple St., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Fri., Sept. 8, 2006
Starts at 11 a.m.
* Info at (909) 623-3111 *
L.A. County Fair Opening Day
Pomona Fairplex
1101 W. McKinley Dr.
Pomona, CA 91768

Sun., Sept. 10, 2006
Starts at 11 a.m.
East Los Angeles Mexican
Independence Day Parade
(Parade route along Avenida
César Chávez beginning at
Lorena St. and ending at
Mednik Ave.)
Los Angeles, CA 90022

POMONA WELCOMES ANGELA CHANSLOR ‘RENACIMIENTO’

Six years ago, a group of highly motivated women living in the Angela Chanslor neighborhood in Pomona decided to take matters into their own hands and revitalize their community. It had fallen victim to gangs, crime, and domestic violence. Tackling these problems was no easy task but by working together these committed women began to make a difference. Recently, their efforts culminated in the grand opening of the Angela

Chanslor Renacimiento Community Center. (“Renacimiento” means “rebirth” in Spanish.) My office proudly joined the “Proyecto Renacimiento” women by sponsoring a $10,000 grant for computers and by ensuring access to county-funded services in the Pomona area.)

The facility is a dream come true for these fantastic women. They envisioned a family resource center situated directly in their neighborhood that offered residents a safe space in which to hold gang intervention sessions, obtain social services -- including help against domestic violence -- and host parenting classes. It also provided the Proyecto Renacimiento women with a place to centralize their volunteer efforts. However, well before groundbreaking on the center began, the Proyecto Renacimiento women already had made significant advances in their battle to revitalize the Angela Chaslor neighborhood. Because of them countless families have received vital social service assistance -- and crime has decreased in the area. But best of all, the Proyecto Renacimiento women have proven to themselves -- and their community -- that grassroots civic action works and that self-empowerment is both possible and gratifying.

The next step for the Proyecto Renacimiento women is to apply for non-profit status and, hopefully, use the new community center to host fundraisers so that they can secure the monies necessary to continue serving the community. I already promised to host a quilt-making seminar at the center, which should be fun. The Angela Chanslor Renacimiento Community Center is located at 2383 Chaslor Street, Pomona, California 91766. For more information, call (909) 627-3074.

MTA BOARD TO MAKE TOUGH FINANCIAL DECISIONS

Serving as this year’s Chair of the MTA Board of Directors is a tremendous honor. It also is a duty I take very seriously -- especially since, for several years now, our vision has outpaced our spending power. The MTA has put immeasurable energy into ensuring that our transportation projects -- such as the Gold Line Eastside Extension -- proceed forward. Now more than ever, the MTA offers a multiplicity of transportation options that allow residents to get to and from their destinations without using a car. But the reality is that we are facing a structural deficit of $120 million -- and it cannot be ignored. In other words, we don’t have enough money to operate what we’ve already built, let alone fund new projects. This means the MTA board has some difficult choices to make in the months ahead. But it is our duty not to procrastinate any longer.

Imagine a situation where a completed Eastside Extension was ready to begin operation -- and potential riders were anxious to utilize this new light rail line -- only for us to announce that the MTA didn’t have the funds to operate it! My main goal is to prevent this scenario from becoming reality. I hope to do this by engaging my colleagues on the MTA board in better budgetary planning. We must keep in mind that regional needs -- not individual ambitions -- should be the deciding factor when determining the worthiness of a particular transportation project. After all, a strong regional transportation network ultimately will benefit all Los Angeles County residents.

Sup. Molina addresses the public at the MTA's Wilshire-Western Red Line Station Joint Use Development Groundbreaking Ceremony.

L.A. COUNTY BUDGET REFLECTS INVESTMENT STRATEGY

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors recently approved a $20 billion budget. The county’s bright fiscal circumstances are due in large part to a hot real estate market, which translates into higher property tax revenues. But it is also because -- for the second year in a row -- the state can no longer balance its budget on the backs of counties. This change is thanks to a ballot initiative passed overwhelmingly by the California electorate. Because of it, we have the funding we need to fulfill our basic obligations to county residents -- and we can begin addressing areas that, in years past, fell victim to the state’s own fiscal mess. Some of our investments this year include:

· $3.2 million for the Sheriff’s Department specifically so that 58 Sheriff’s Deputies currently performing the work of Law Enforcement Technicians can be redeployed to perform unincorporated patrol duties.


· $2 million toward creating a Homeless Case Management Program for families living in Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles.


· $1.9 million one-time monies specifically to fund the county’s Public Private Partnership health care network.


· $600,000 specifically to preserve the Child Care Training Institute. This program strengthens child care service quality by improving the skills of child care providers on topics ranging from health and safety to business marketing to communicating effectively with parents.


· $8 million to address the County Coroner’s facility improvement issues. Specifically, we’ll study exactly what capital improvements the Coroner requires so that we can construct a Biological Annex that meets the county’s current (and projected) needs.