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Home > Good Government |
Don Knabe. Working for you. |
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TOP STORY - FEBRUARY 8, 2010
Renew A Federal Stimulus Program That's Creating Local Jobs Now |
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By Don Knabe & Gavin Newsom
Despite hopeful signs that the worst of our nation's economic crisis
is behind us, unemployment rates across the nation remain stubbornly
high.
In California, December payrolls were down another 40,000 jobs and
at 12.4%, our joblessness rate remains among the highest in the
country.
For the millions of Californians who seek the dignity of work and
pride of a paycheck, a jobless economic recovery is no recovery at
all. As local elected leaders, we see the human face of this
lingering recession every day - the families and small business
owners struggling to make ends meet.
That's why we're heartened by the renewed focus demonstrated by
President Obama and Congressional leaders from both parties in
Washington on helping local communities and our small and
medium-sized businesses create jobs. There's been much discussion
lately about how many jobs have actually been created since last
year's passage of the $787 billion stimulus package. And in his
State of the Union speech recently, President Obama called on
Congress to pass a new federal jobs bill to help put people back to
work. The new jobs bill is an enormous opportunity for lawmakers to
give a boost to a little-noticed program from last year's federal
stimulus package that Los Angeles and San Francisco Counties are
using right now to create thousands of private, nonprofit and public
sector jobs.
The 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) set aside $5
billion nationwide - and $1.8 billion for California alone - to
create what is called the "Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Emergency Contingency Fund (TANF-ECF)." That's federal stimulus
jargon for a work-subsidy program that provides federal funds to pay
80% of the wages for unemployed workers with a dependent child,
including subsidizing wages for private sector and non-profit
employers. By combining this program with funding for youth
employment, Los Angeles County has already placed more than 10,000
County residents in jobs. In San Francisco, we call the program
JobsNow, and we've put more than 1,650 people back to work for more
than 800 local companies and nonprofit organizations.
Sound too good to be true? Thousands of people now working under
this program in San Francisco and Los Angeles Counties and other
California counties prove otherwise. As a result of this federal
stimulus funding, thousands of Californians who would otherwise join
the unemployment rolls are supporting their families and local
businesses are continuing to thrive.
The JobsNow Program in San Francisco and the 10,000 Jobs Program in
Los Angeles County are exactly in line with the Obama Administration
and Congressional leaders of both parties' priorities when it comes
to incentivizing job creation. But our success locally in putting
people back to work could come to a screeching halt - and throw
thousands out of work again - when the program expires this year on
September 30.
Amidst a jobless recovery, it simply makes no sense to end this
program.
Fortunately, in his proposed Fiscal Year 2011 budget, President
Obama is supporting an extension of the program for one year, to
September 30, 2011. California's own Senators Barbara Boxer and
Dianne Feinstein are also supporting amendments to extend the
program in the federal jobs bill. Representatives Judy Chu and Pete
Stark are sponsoring a similar proposal in the House of
Representatives.
California is America's largest economy. Economic recovery and job
creation here will help drive economic and job growth across the
country. We strongly urge Congress to include an extension for this
program in the new federal jobs bill. Let's continue a federal
stimulus program that's working exactly as it was intended - putting
thousands of people back to work now.
Don Knabe is a Republican Los Angeles County Supervisor
Gavin Newsom is the Democratic Mayor of San Francisco
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The Board of Supervisors travelled to Washington, D.C. in May for their annual legislative meetings with federal leaders. Pictured here, Supervisors, plus Sheriff Lee Baca meet with Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard. The Supervisors were in Washington to discuss the importance of health care reform, climate change initiatives and improving interoperable communications equipment for public safety officers and first responders. |
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Don Knabe. Working for you. Good
Government Accomplishments |
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Reaching Contract Agreement with All Union Partners
 Supervisor
Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board
of Supervisors, announced a major agreement
regarding several months of negotiations with the
labor unions that represent County employees. Under
the agreement, every single County union and
bargaining unit has agreed to a two-year, no change
extension of their current contracts. The extensions
include no cost-of-living increases or salary
increases. The County’s union partners represent
nearly 90-percent of the approximately 101,000
County employees.
Increasing Use of Hybrid Vehicles
Supervisor
Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board
of Supervisors, lauded a recent report that shows a
dramatic increase in the County’s use of hybrid
vehicles. The report shows that hybrids now make up
over 20-percent of the County’s entire passenger car
fleet. The County currently has a total of 268
hybrids, which is an increase of over 1,400-percent
since the Board of Supervisors made acquiring
hybrids a priority four years ago. In November 2005,
the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to modify
the County Clean Fuels Policy to ensure that hybrid
vehicles become the standard for new non-emergency
passenger vehicles acquired for routine County
business.
Preparing Businesses for Shovel Ready Projects
Supervisor
Don Knabe has joined with the Los Angeles County
Department of Public Works to announce that six free
outreach events will be held this month to advise
interested business owners about available contract
opportunities in the following areas: roads,
bridges, buildings, airports, flood controls, energy
and consulting. The Department of Public Works will
also be providing an update on the Economic Stimulus
Package Funding.
Reaching Contract Agreement with Union Partners
Supervisor
Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board
of Supervisors, announced a major agreement
regarding recent negotiations with the public safety
unions representing over 17,000 County employees.
Under the agreement, all six of the County’s public
safety bargaining units, plus two other
justice-related unions, have agreed to a one-year,
no change extension of their current contracts. The
extensions include no cost-of-living increases or
salary increases for the next year. |
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Advocating for Infrastructure Funding
Supervisor
Don Knabe, Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board
of Supervisors traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet
with legislative leaders about local infrastructure
improvements as part of the federal stimulus debate
for a nationwide, multibillion dollar investment in
public works projects. Included in the Supervisor's
schedule were meetings with the Army Corps of
Engineers, the offices of Senator Dianne Feinstein
and Senator Barbara Boxer, and the Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee. In addition
to discussing County infrastructure projects, Knabe
was also advocating for projects that would benefit
Metro and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Looking at Permanent Rainy Day Fund
Supervisors
Don Knabe and Zev Yaroslavsky began the process of
creating a permanent Rainy Day Fund to combat
potential financial shortfalls the County may face
in the future. Their motion directed the County’s
Chief Executive Officer to examine how a Rainy Day
Fund would be structured, including transferring
three-percent of the County’s annual fund balance
into the Rainy Day Fund, how these new reserve funds
would be spent, and the maximum size the fund would
have to reach before any excesses could be spent for
one-time purposes.
Supporting Governor's Budget Priority Plan
Supervisor
Knabe announced his support for Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger's decision to make the budget the
State's highest priority. Not having a budget more
than a month into the new fiscal year is a
tremendous disservice to the people of our State.
Even though the Los Angeles County budget is
currently balanced, the State’s uncertain fiscal
condition could have a dramatic impact on the
County. The longer the Legislature waits to take
action, the worse shape the County could be in when
a budget is finally passed.
Opposing a Sales Tax Increase
Supervisor
Knabe announced his opposition to a proposed
half-cent sales tax increase to pay for transit
projects across Los Angeles County. Now is not the
time to burden the residents of Los Angeles County
with yet another tax increase. Taxpayers in our
County already pay the second-highest tax rate in
California, behind only Alameda County. Metro’s
proposed increase would unfairly push our local tax
rate even higher.
Calling for Conservation Efforts
Supervisor
Knabe responded to rising gas prices and the
statewide drought by directing County leaders to
begin reducing commuting times for County employees
and reducing water usage in County facilities. In
his first motion, he called for creative solutions
to rising gas prices by updating County polices on
telecommuting, offering flexible schedule options,
and offering incentives to employees to use public
transportation. A second motion was introduced in
response to Governor Schwarzenegger’s proclamation
of a statewide drought, and asks for recommendations
on how to immediately reduce water usage in hundreds
of County-owned facilities.
Responding to Clinic Closure Plan
Supervisor
Knabe was deeply concerned by the County’s Chief
Executive Officer’s recommendation to close and/or
reduce clinic services throughout the County, as a
means to balance the Department of Health Services
Fiscal Year 2008-09 Budget. The proposal failed to
address the effect that closing clinics would have
on the already overworked emergency rooms throughout
the County. The emergency care system at both
private and County hospitals is already in a fragile
state, and further increasing the workload of our
emergency rooms would create a time-bomb waiting to
explode. Supervisor Knabe introduced a motion that
asked the CEO to come up with a comprehensive list
of all possible options to balance the Health
Department’s budget. |
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Reforming the Sewage Spill Reporting Process
Supervisor Knabe unveiled a number of reforms to immediately address and reform the sewage spill reporting process, as well as the impact of the public health and health of the environment these inactions may have caused. An investigation revealed that since January 2002, over 11.6 million gallons of raw sewage have been spilled from wastewater treatment systems throughout the Santa Monica Bay Watershed in 208 separate sewage spills. Of those spills, over 90-percent were never properly recorded by health officials, nor were records kept as to what was done to protect the safety and health of the public impacted by the spills.
Going Green in Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County has adopted new building standards that will require all new County buildings over 10,000 square feet to meet strict sustainability guidelines set by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Among the sustainability rules adopted by the Board are requirements that buildings commissioned by the County include drought-resistant landscaping, water use efficiencies, natural indoor lighting and recycled construction materials. The new County Data Center in Downey was designed to meet the new standards and will be the County’s first Green Building.
Closing Down the Marijuana Dispensary in Hacienda Heights
The Hacienda Heights dispensary, which was the first medical marijuana dispensary in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, agreed to close. Supervisor Knabe led the effort to make sure that these dispensaries would be adequately regulated in order to keep neighborhoods safe, and the Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance that regulated marijuana dispensaries in the County.
Tracking Down Child Support Payment Evaders
Seeking to crackdown on the County’s most heinous child support payment evaders, Supervisor Knabe worked to create a partnership between the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department and the Office of the District Attorney. The primary goal of this program would be to increase enforcement against parents who are the most delinquent in their child support payments.
Protecting Senior Citizens from Fraud
Supervisor Knabe and the Department of Consumer Affairs presented the free "Smarter Seniors Forum" to assist seniors and their families learn how to protect themselves against elder financial frauds.
Taking Steps to Replace Long Beach Courthouse
Los Angeles County officially transferred the title and ownership of the Long Beach Superior Courthouse to the State of California, completing a critical step in the planned replacement of the building with a new Courthouse nearby. By expediting the title transfer of the Long Beach Courthouse, it accelerates the State’s ability to use construction funding to replace the building or to enter into a public/private partnership with a developer to build a new courthouse and lease it back to the State. In addition, Supervisor Knabe has worked with Judge Bradford Andrews and other state and local leaders over the course of several years to lobby for funds to construct a new courthouse in Long Beach.
Overhauling Education in the County Juvenile Justice System
Schools designed to teach children incarcerated in the Los Angeles County juvenile justice system may be seriously underserving students, according to a report by the Children’s Planning Council. As a result, Supervisor Knabe called for a top-to-bottom reform of the education system in the County’s juvenile halls and probation camps, including the possible use of charter schools.
Reforming Child Welfare System
The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the largest child welfare agency in the country, has begun a historic child welfare reform plan that will focus on preventative services to help families and keep children out of the foster care system. The plan will also broaden the search for more permanent homes for children already in the system and build on the Department’s core mandate of ensuring all children can grow up in safe, loving and permanent families.
Speeding Up Catalina Island Fire Recovery
Supervisor Knabe called for County agencies to expedite permits needed to begin repairs to critical infrastructure that was damaged or destroyed during the wildfire on Catalina Island. The fire destroyed several miles of fencing, nearly 100 utility poles, and caused extensive damage to roads used to access the unincorporated interior of the Island. Additionally, the fire left significant ecologic damage to the island habitat that could lead to flooding, mudslides and erosion.
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Developing Job Opportunities for Veterans
The County of Los Angeles plans to assist local military veterans with employment opportunities under a plan developed by Supervisors Don Knabe and Michael D. Antonovich. The program, approved by the Board of Supervisors, directs County departments to begin internship programs for Veterans including employment outreach, new hiring protocols and education opportunities. |
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