Solis seeks $15 million federal grant for Puente Hills Park
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis (D-Downtown LA, East LA, Boyle Heights, El Monte, West Covina, Pomona) will ask the Board today to accept a $15 million National Park Service grant for the Puente Hills Landfill Park, the planned transformation of a closed landfill into the county’s first new regional park in more than 30 years.
The Puente Hills Landfill near the 605 and 60 freeways took trash from more than 60 cities from the 1950s until it closed in 2013 and at its peak was the nation’s second-largest landfill. Trash rose about 500 feet over roughly 700 acres of the 1,365-acre site, and nearby residents in Hacienda Heights and Whittier lived beside it for nearly 60 years.
Under a master plan the Board approved in 2016, 142 acres will become parkland with trails, scenic overlooks, restored native habitat and an environmental justice center telling the landfill’s story. As an Assemblymember, Solis wrote the law requiring the site to be turned over for a park after the landfill closed.
Her motion would also authorize the county to sign a ground lease with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts for the park site, with final terms tied to the federal grant still being worked out. It would return about $1.47 million in leftover community program funds from a substantially completed park project to her First District.
Solis is also asking for $600,000 more for a new perimeter fence at the Hilda L. Solis Aquatic Center, bringing that project’s budget to $36.56 million.
Barger seeks stopgap authority to keep sheriff’s fleet running
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger (R-Palmdale, Lancaster, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, La Cañada Flintridge) will ask the Board of Supervisors today to give the sheriff temporary authority to sign contracts and purchase orders to keep the Sheriff’s Department’s vehicles maintained until a new contract or long-term solution is in place.
The department has contracted out maintenance of its fleet, which includes patrol cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks and boats, for nearly two decades. Penske Truck Leasing won a three-year, roughly $47 million contract in 2007, and the county extended Penske’s agreement in 2017, when the fleet numbered about 6,266 vehicles.
In March, the department put a new fleet management and maintenance contract out to bid, with proposals due May 29, according to department records. The Board has not yet considered a new contract.
The stopgap authority would last up to nine months and couldn’t exceed the department’s already-approved budget for this fiscal year, unless the CEO signs off. The sheriff could also issue as-needed purchase orders through other county departments. The sheriff and CEO would report to the Board every four months on spending, contingency plans and a long-term fix until the issue is resolved.
The request comes as the department works to replace an aging fleet. In its budget request for this fiscal year, it sought $44.9 million to replace 641 vehicles.
Rubio, Denise Richards push for stronger domestic violence laws
State Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park, West Covina, El Monte, Covina, Azusa, Pomona), herself a domestic violence survivor, convened a roundtable last week in West Covina with survivors including actress Denise Richards and Terra Newell, whose family’s ordeal inspired the “Dirty John” story, to push for stronger protections for victims.
Karen Chun, who lost her mother and sister to domestic violence, and Jazmine Villanueva, who lost her sister, also spoke. A panel of advocates and officials, including representatives of the LA City Attorney’s Office, the YWCA and House of Ruth, examined gaps in police response, barriers to getting and enforcing restraining orders, coercive control and abusers’ use of the courts to harass survivors.
“For far too many victims, the system does not respond until the violence has escalated or a life has already been lost. As a survivor with three restraining orders, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to seek protection and still live in fear. I have dedicated my legislative career to changing these laws because no victim should have to wait until tragedy strikes to be taken seriously. These survivors are sharing some of the most painful experiences of their lives, and it is our responsibility to listen and turn their stories into meaningful action,” said Rubio.
Rubio has authored more than 30 domestic violence bills, including laws recognizing coercive control as abuse, extending the statute of limitations for domestic violence prosecutions from three years to seven, and expanding remote access to restraining order hearings. Her SB 1192, signed this year, targets abusers’ misuse of litigation. She plans to introduce more legislation next session.
“Changing the law is not easy. Some of these protections have taken me three years or longer to get across the finish line. But when I hear from families who have lost their daughters, mothers, and sisters, I am reminded of why we cannot stop fighting. We cannot bring back the lives that have been lost, but we can work to prevent another family from experiencing that same heartbreak,” said Rubio.
Horvath seeks retroactive $62,831 fee waiver for Malibu race
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath (D-Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Calabasas, Malibu, Pacoima) will ask the Board today to waive $62,831.85 in gross receipts fees for the Malibu Moves half marathon, 10K, 5K, dash and kids run, and to cut parking fees to $5, for an event that already took place.
The race weekend, held Oct. 24 and 25 at Zuma Beach and presented by UCLA Health, bills itself as Malibu’s only running and walking event, with proceeds benefiting the local community. The half marathon runs out and back along Pacific Coast Highway, with gentle rolling hills and about 345 feet of total climbing, according to race organizers.
Will Gravelle won the half marathon in 1 hour, 13 minutes and 16 seconds, and Mckaylie Caesar was the top woman in 1:18:29, according to official results. More than 2,000 runners and walkers finished the four timed races.
The waiver first appeared on the Board’s Oct. 20 agenda, before the race, but was continued for a week. Horvath’s revised motion now makes both the fee waiver and the parking discount retroactive.
