Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors

Jerriel Xavier Biggles  |   OW High School Intern
Jun 23 2011

Stores give away recyclable bags

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a ban on the use of plastic bags in the unincorporated areas, and it begins July 1.

The ban affects all local supermarkets like Food 4 Less, Ralph’s, Albertsons, Sam’s Club as well as large retail stores with a pharmacy including CVS and Walgreens.

May 17 2011

Micromanaging and interference

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 today to take direct control of the child welfare and probation departments, which had been run on a temporary basis by county CEO William Fujioka.

Although it seemed a foregone conclusion after last week's 3-2 vote to approve the ordinance underlying the shift, Supervisor Don Knabe made another effort to postpone the decision today.

He argued that the CEO was given control of the departments in 2007 so they could be run more efficiently.

Apr 27 2011

Low-income families

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Citing a nearly hundred-fold increase in autism disorders since 1993, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to pursue funding for programs to help children with autism in low-income families.

The number of children in the U.S. with disorders along the autism spectrum has gone from 1 in 10,000 in 1993 to 1 in 110 in 2010, said Supervisor Don Knabe, referencing studies by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Apr 20 2011

Hensel Phelps Construction Co.

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the award of a $165.1 million contract for the design and construction of a planned 120-bed hospital for the Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center.

"After today, the shovel goes in the ground and the building commences for a cutting-edge healthcare facility,'' said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

Apr 8 2011

"This is a new beginning for Bell."

BELL, Calif.—An all-new Bell City Council was sworn into office last night, pledging to turn around the scandal-plagued and financially troubled city.

"This is a new beginning for Bell,'' Councilwoman Violeta Alvarez told the crowd at the Bell Community Center after taking the oath of office from Assemblyman Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens.

Councilman Ali Saleh told KCAL9 that he hopes the new council members will be able to "rebuild what has been damaged.''

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.