The following is a recap of the 7/12/22 Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Meeting.

Items of interest

Set Item 1 – American Rescue Plan Funding Report

Libraries throughout the County have received millions of dollars of ARP money to offset the learning loss experienced in the pandemic. They have provided over 1,400 laptops & hot spots to residents who did not have internet but needed to complete school work. They have expanded the Wi-Fi range at 35 library locations to allow for internet usage in their parking lots. People can drive up to connect, or simply walk up and sit under a tree to get the internet they need.

This report was received and filed

Set Item 2 – Public Health Order

Updates from DPH and DHS on COVID-19. Cases and hospitalizations are on the rise and LA County may cross into the CDC High Community Level as early as this Thursday (when metrics are released). If the County is in the High Community Level for 2 consecutive weeks, indoor masking mandates will return.

This report was received and filed

Item A-10 – Discussion and consideration of necessary actions related to declared outbreaks (Monkeypox) of infectious disease threatening the public’s health in the County

Dr. Singhal provided an update on the current situation of monkeypox in LA County. DPH has vaccine distribution by “invite only” due to limited availability of the JYNNEOS vaccine. Public outreach and education is ongoing and DPH is increasing efforts through community clinics, organizations, and DPH networks.

This report was received and filed

Item 3 – Appointments 

Supervisor Hahn appointed the following individuals:

Audit Committee

  • Carlos Arreola Lopez

Commission on Human Relations

  • Lisa Michelle Dabbs
  • Dandy De Paula

Library Commission

  • Jonathan Beutler

This item was approved unanimously.

Item 4 (Hahn/Kuehl) – Five-Signature Letter to Support the Transportation Assistance for Olympic Cities Act of 2022 (House of Representatives 7642/Senate 4383)

Supervisors Hahn and Kuehl introduced this motion that directs the Chief Executive Officer, through the Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations Division, to send a five-signature letter to United States Representative Julia Brownley and Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla, in support of House of Representatives (H.R.) 7642 and Senate (S.) 4383, legislation which would allow the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to prioritize transportation grants for projects relating to international events, with a copy to the Los Angeles County Congressional Delegation; and support H.R. 7642 and S. 4383, or any similar legislation that would direct USDOT to prioritize innovative and strategic surface transportation projects, provide funding for temporary facilities, and provide planning assistance to United States cities hosting the Olympics, Paralympics and Special Olympics.

This item was approved unanimously.

Item 5 (Hahn) – Proclaiming August 2022 as “National Breastfeeding Month” and Increasing Los Angeles County Support for Breastfeeding or Chestfeeding

August is being proclaimed as National Breastfeeding Month and specific messages are planned for each week. Additionally, this calls for County departments to ensure that all County facilities are in alignment with the DHR Countywide Lactation Program. DPH and DHS will provide report backs in 60 days on ways to expand existing services.

This item was approved unanimously.

Item 11 (Solis/Mitchell) – Abortion is Legal: Countywide Communication Strategy

This collaborative effort will launch a communication strategy that aims to ensure County residents know that abortion is legal and where people can receive abortion and reproductive health services. There will be an emphasis on undocumented residents and people enrolled in MyHealthLA using ethnic and hyperlocal media sources as well as community organizations.

This item was approved unanimously.

Item 12 (Mitchell/Solis) – Promoting Accountability and Community Safety Through Checks and Balances of the Los Angeles County Sheriff

The Board voted to place a potential charter amendment on the November 8th ballot that would allow the Board of Supervisors to remove a Sheriff with a 4/5 vote for cause, like violation of law, neglect of duties, misuse of public funds, willful falsification, or obstruction of an investigation.  Today’s vote instructed County Counsel to draft the proposed charter amendment. The amendment will come before the Board for approval and then will be placed before the voters on the November 8 ballot for them to decide if they want to give the Board of Supervisors an additional check on the office of the Sheriff.

This item was approved 4-1, with Supervisor Barger voting no. 

Item 14 (Mitchell) – Aligning Marina del Rey with Los Angeles County Priorities for Equity and Inclusion

This approves a 60 day initial report back on implementing the County’s Equity goals in the Marina and provides a 180 day report back on long-term land uses. Any changes will have to be approved by Regional Planning, the Board of Supervisors, and finally the State Coastal Commission. 

This item was approved unanimously.

Item 15 (Mitchell) – Expanding the Life Sciences Industry While Creating Equitable, High-Road Career Opportunities for our Local Communities

This approves a 90-day Report back with a plan for a Life Sciences Cradle to Career employment pipeline from local communities consisting of populations under-represented in the life sciences industry.

This item was approved unanimously.

Item 22 (Kuehl/Solis) – Investing in Gun Violence Prevention

This motion is in response to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning New York’s concealed carry gun law. The motion instructs the Sheriff’s Department not to change their concealed carry permit system until the California Attorney General and our County Counsel have weighed in on the ruling and what it means for California. It also asks CEO to reassess the cost for a concealed carry permit to see if it should be increased.

This item was approved unanimously.

Item 80 (LASD) – Report on Compliance with the Rosas Agreement 

The Rosas Settlement Agreement has been in place since 2014; it requires that a federal monitor assess the Sheriff Department’s compliance with provisions relating to the use of force in the downtown jails. This is a presentation of the most recent report. This report is very different from previous reports because the monitors said that the Sheriff’s Department has stopped making progress towards compliance, especially in areas of force and force reporting. They requested a “status conference” with the Court, which has not been done before. 

The Supervisors questioned the Assistant Sheriff, Inspector General, and County Monitor extensively over this report and the plan to rectify the issues. The Sheriff’s Department will be presenting an implementation plan to the Court in their upcoming status conference.

This report was received and filed

Item 90-A (Hahn) – Proclaiming July 17 through 23, 2022 as “Probation Services Week”

Proclaims July 17 – 23 as “Probation Services Week” to recognize all the services and support that the Probation Department provides to its clients.

This item was approved unanimously.

Read-In Motion (Barger/Hahn) – Supporting Los Angeles County Teleworkers

Supervisors Barger and Hahn introduced this motion under specials that directs the Director of Personnel, along with the Chief Executive Office, County Counsel, and Executive Officer to review telework practices to ensure regular communication and engagement protocols are established between managers, supervisors, and staff in all settings, including telework, hoteling, remote work, distributed teams, and field work. 

This is also directs the Director of Personnel to review current supervision training courses to ensure content on instruction in communication in all work settings, including remote work, telework, hoteling, distributed teams, and field work, and confirm that the training discusses communication best practices by managers and supervisors about conducting wellness checks of their staff who have been absent from work without notice and report back to the Board with an assessment of the current telework practices, along with any recommendations to enhance and improve existing policies as needed. 

This item was approved unanimously.

Read-In Motion (Solis) – Reward Offer in the Robbery at the 99 Ranch Market in Rowland Heights

Supervisor Solis introduced this motion that establishes an $15,000.00 reward in exchange for information leading to the apprehension and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the heinous robbery that occurred outside the 99 Ranch Market in Rowland Heights.

This item was approved unanimously.

To view all the motions that went before the Board today, please visit: https://bos.lacounty.gov/Board-Meeting/Board-Agendas

Adjournments

Lastly, Supervisor Hahn adjourned in the memory of Antonia Buono, Debi Roman, Dominic Green, and Shinzo Abe.

The next Special Closed Session meeting will be on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. The next regular meeting of the Board will be held on Tuesday, July 26, 2022.