In a move months in the making, a frustrated and divided Board of Supervisors voted to retake direct authority over the operations of two chronically troubled departments managed by the county’s chief executive officer.

Voting 3-2, the board majority on Tuesday took the first step in removing the Department of Children and Family Services and the Probation Department from the CEO’s portfolio. In the process, the supervisors erased any doubt about their willingness to modify a governance structure they created in 2007 to reduce their day-to-day management of the county’s vast bureaucracy of departments.

Voting in favor of the new structure were Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky, Michael D. Antonovich and Gloria Molina. Opposing it were Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Don Knabe.

Because the board’s action requires a change to a county ordinance, a second vote is required next week to add children’s services and probation to several other departments that were exempted from CEO oversight and report directly to the supervisors.

For months, board members had been growing increasingly concerned and vocal about worsening problems within DCFS and probation.

The tragic deaths of a number of youngsters had ignited an uproar over issues of competency and oversight of DCFS at all levels. Last December, the agency’s embattled director, Trish Ploehn, was removed and reassigned by the CEO’s office, headed by William T Fujioka.

The Probation Department, meanwhile, was grappling with everything from sexual misconduct of employees to an inability to track nearly $80 million allocated by the supervisors to hire personnel. An internal review revealed, among other things, that management was so loose that too many employees had been hired for the department’s youth camps—a problem now being corrected by a new management team led by former Alameda County probation chief Donald Blevins.

In the case of both departments, some board members came to believe they were not being provided information necessary to understand the serious and recurring lapses for which they—as the county’s top executives—were being held accountable.

The turning point came last month when DCFS’s interim director, Antonia Jimenez, openly defied a motion by the supervisors to sign a “memorandum of understanding” with the board’s special counsel for investigating child deaths and offering possible policy reforms.

The document, signed by the top officials of eight other county departments, established protocols to ensure that the Children’s Special Investigations Unit was able to independently and efficiently review child deaths and serious cases of abuse and neglect of children under the care and/or supervision of the county.

The document also stated that the unit’s reports, prepared solely for the board, were deemed attorney/client privilege to maintain their confidentiality and thus could not be given to the departments—a provision Jimenez found unacceptable, even though she’d be allowed to read them and be given copies of any recommendations. (While earlier overseeing DCFS in the CEO’s office, Jimenez had argued that she needed copies of the reports there, too.)

Jimenez’ intransigence led to an April appearance before the supervisors that left several of them clearly exasperated.

“The other departments didn’t have a problem signing the [memorandum of understanding]. You should sign the darn thing,” Yaroslavsky told Jimenez. “Why this had to get to this point and raised to this level is beyond me. It’s really a mountain out of a molehill.”

Molina agreed, saying: “It’s shameful that we have to go through this kind of a process for something that this board has found very, very helpful.”

The board concluded by passing a motion directing Jimenez to sign the document by 5 p.m. Instead, she resigned, returning to the CEO’s team to oversee children’s services from there—a move that Antonovich later called “a blatant act of insubordination.”

Three weeks later, Yaroslavsky, Molina and Antonovich would form the three-vote majority needed to reassume authority over DCFS and probation.

“These are the two most troubled departments in the county today, and the board majority wants a more direct role in overseeing them,” Yaroslavsky said after the meeting. “The CEO will continue to partner with us, but the board will be primarily responsible.”

Ridley-Thomas, who joined with Knabe in voting against the measure, was visibly angry when his effort to have the vote delayed was rebuffed. When asked how he wanted to vote, he shouted “No!” and then added just as loudly: “Ridiculous.”

Ridley-Thomas argued that he needed more time to study a Yaroslavsky amendment to the ordinance aimed at ensuring that the new management structure would not impede the internal sharing of confidential information among departments.

Ridley-Thomas called the reluctance of the board majority to reschedule the vote “a rush to judgment” and urged his colleagues to side with him as “a point of courtesy to allow everybody to come up to speed.”

But Yaroslavsky and County Counsel Andrea Ordin both noted that the amendment had been suggested by Ordin as one of two options in a memo she sent to the supervisors last week.

Antonovich, meanwhile, noted that Tuesday’s vote was just the first of two, suggesting to Ridley-Thomas that if his concerns weren’t addressed this week’s meeting, then he’d have a chance to address them before next week’s vote.

Posted 5/10/11

Only in LA, we’re tempted to say. But why not host picnics and movie screenings in a cemetery? This year, Hollywood Forever memorial park’s film program Cinespia celebrates its 10^th anniversary with an upcoming tribute to the late Elizabeth Taylor. On Sunday, May 14, 2011, Liz can be seen in one of her most sultry roles as Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

The series was launched a decade ago with a one-off screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “criss-cross” murder thriller Strangers on a Train, and has since grown into a summertime institution that draws thousands of film fans to outdoor showings projected on the marble wall of the mausoleum where silver-screen legends like Rudolph Valentino found their final repose.

Far from morbid, Cinespia’s screenings are celebrations of life, where friends and families gather to picnic, sharing food, drink, blankets and a common passion for one of our region’s top exports.

And let’s not forget the music: Cinespia features DJ/performers to entertain you before and after the films, including Andy Votel, Cut Chemist, Gaslamp Killer, DâM-FunK, Carlos Nino, and the Numero Group.

For this month’s offering, the cemetery gates swing open at 7 p.m., and the screening gets underway at 8:30 p.m. Hollywood Forever Cemetery is located at 6000 Santa Monica Blvd. in Los Angeles. There’s a $10 donation per person, and parking is $10. All the info you’ll need to know is right here.

Posted 5/10/11

Los Angeles County fire officials once again are on the prowl, inspecting some 40,000 parcels across the region to make sure owners have complied with brush clearance laws.

“It’s a tremendously huge job,” said Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Johnson, who oversees the department’s forestry program. The goal, he said, is to create “a defensible space” for firefighters to try to stop flames before they reach structures.

The brush clearance ordinance targets areas where there’s a “wildland/urban interface” and requires, among other things, the removal of brush within 50 feet of homes and businesses, Johnson said. Notices were sent to property owners in these areas earlier this year. The compliance deadline for most county residents was last Sunday, with June 1 being the deadline in coastal areas.

Johnston said property owners essentially are given two warnings. After that, the county steps in to clear the brush, charging the costs to the property owners. Last year, 93% of property owners complied, Johnson said, with the county being forced to clear only 32 parcels.

For full details on the Fire Department’s brush clearance program, including a list of private vendors, click here. If you live in the Santa Monica Mountains, check out the “Road Map to Fire Safety,” produced by the Santa Monica Mountains Fire Safe Alliance.

Posted 5/5/11

Still looking for the perfect Mother’s Day excursion? This weekend, Los Angeles County venues will host some events almost as unique and colorful as the women we’re celebrating. Here are some highlights:

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Does your mother incessantly feed you (and anyone else in her path) every time you visit? If the answer is “yes,” Los Angeles County Museum of Art may be the perfect destination this Mother’s Day.

Find out how to best integrate trips to the farmer’s market with cooking plans as culinary author Amelia Saltsman hosts a show-and-tell. You and Mom will learn how to use the season’s best ingredients to make simple, healthy meals and snacks. Author of many foodie articles and books, most notably The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook, Saltsman received the Santa Monica Library 2008 Green Prize for Sustainable Literature for her Earth-friendly publications.

The free presentation begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at LACMA’s Plaza Store. A book signing will be held following the event. Make a day of it by visiting the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market in the morning, and, if you play your cards right, you could be enjoying a locally-grown, sustainable meal together by dinnertime.

Walt Disney Concert Hall

If Mom is a music-lover, a matinee performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic may be just the ticket. The exciting Gustavo Dudamel will conduct a program of Brahms and Dutilleaux at the Walt Disney Concert Hall at 2 p.m. this Sunday. Reserve seats by calling (323) 850-2000.

You might also plan a pre-performance brunch in Disney Hall’s Blue Ribbon Garden or one of several other downtown locations. The brunch takes place from 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (213) 972-3058.

There is a lot happening downtown this Mother’s Day, so you may want to plan your trip with Metro to avoid the traffic.

John Anson Ford Amphitheatre

If your mother’s musical taste is a little funkier, swing by the Ford Amphitheatre for the 8^th Annual Jazz & Blues Extravaganza.

The show is Sunday from 3 to 8 p.m., and promises lots of dancing, singing, and laughing with their lineup of musical acts. Advance tickets are available online, $25 for general admission and $35 for VIP admission. All seats are within 96 feet of the stage at the famous Hollywood venue, which is accessible by car or Metro.  On-site parking costs up to $10 per vehicle.

Descanso Gardens

Green-thumbed mothers might appreciate a peaceful day in Descanso Gardens, a quiet 160-acre site that is home to over a million plants, a 5.5-acre rose garden, a Japanese garden, and North America’s largest camellia collection.

This Mother’s Day, Descanso will have a brass quintet and a guided “Stroll through the Roses” at 1 p.m. Other attractions include the Boddy House, a “green” tram, and a kid-friendly Enchanted Railroad. Admission prices, park hours, and directions are available online.

Reservations for the brunch have been snapped up, but bring a picnic, enjoy barbecue offerings from the Spring Tailgate, or lunch at the Descanso Café.

LA County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens

Want to give your mother more than just a bouquet of flowers? This weekend the LA County Arboretum and Botanical Garden will present their annual Mother’s Day Geranium Show, free with the price of admission to the Arboretum. The show, presented by the International Geranium Society, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday. Geraniums displayed will also be available for purchase.

In addition to the geranium show, the site is home to plant collections from across the globe, historical buildings and artifacts, and plenty of other attractions you can check out on their online site map.

Posted 5/5/11

I arrived in Washington D.C. just hours after news broke that Osama Bin Laden was found and killed in Pakistan. The stunning revelation instantly transported me back nearly a decade, to another lobbying trip I’d made to the capital with Los Angeles County officials.

The date was September, 10, 2001. The next morning all hell broke loose in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pa.

To this day, I can still hear the wail of sirens racing towards the Pentagon. Washington was shut down, with military personnel stationed at key intersections and in front of important government buildings. We were essentially quarantined in or around our hotel.

I vividly remember wondering who would have hatched this murderous conspiracy and why?

The “why” it was done may be a subject for debate and analysis for years. And although the “who” was known to the world pretty quickly, it took nearly 10 long years to find and rid the world of this menace who perpetrated the acts of 9/11.

When I arrived in Washington this week, the mood was not one of elation but rather one of satisfaction that this piece of unfinished business was now suddenly and unexpectedly erased from our national agenda. Frankly, that’s how I felt. I didn’t celebrate, but I was deeply proud of our nation, its leaders and the men and women in uniform who put their lives at considerable risk for us.

Although the news media understandably continues to be dominated by the killing of Bin Laden, the truth is that a sense of normality returned to Washington only hours after the Navy SEALS had returned to their base. Our trip, in fact, turned out to be one of the most productive I can remember.

A relatively small group of county leaders from throughout the nation, myself included,  spent five hours at the White House on Tuesday, meeting with the President, the Vice President, five cabinet secretaries and several key administration officials. The subjects included preservation of Medicare/Medicaid, funding for the subway extension and other transit projects, and how to break the cycle of jails and poverty.

We also spent considerable time meeting with California’s congressional delegation, including our two senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Our federal representatives have always been attuned to our county’s needs and accessible to us, and it was no different this time.

I’m often asked what we accomplish on these lobbying visits. I like to think of us as salesmen working our territory. Our product, so to speak, is the County of Los Angeles. It may take some time to know whether we were able to close the deal for the vital resources we need, especially for those individuals marginalized because of poverty, health or other reasons. One thing I can say for sure: failure to work our turf is a guarantee that we will not make the sale. This visit will be a success.

One last thought as I prepare to board my plane home: God bless our service men and women, and God bless our nation.

Posted 5/5/11

There may no longer be a village smithy under a spreading chestnut tree, but we still have our mighty oaks. Cherished for their beauty, and nowhere more important than here in California, these magnificent trees are the stuff of legend—and an integral part of our fragile ecosystem.

On Saturday, May 7, you’ll have an opportunity to meet some of these arboreal giants.

Beginning at 5 pm, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy will host an evening nature walk, starting at the Victory Boulevard entrance trailhead in the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve. The moderate two-hour, 1.5 mile hike is free but parking costs $3. Wear sturdy shoes, don’t leave the trail, and remember your water, flashlight and jacket.

The Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly the Ahmanson Ranch) is located at the northern end of Las Virgenes Canyon Road in the City of Calabasas north of US-101 and West of Valley Circle; the website provides directions and full details.

 Posted 5/5/11

Mother’s Day means flowers, candy, hugs and a full court press at Hallmark. But for many new moms in Los Angeles, becoming a mother is no brunch at the Ritz.

Data from the latest “Los Angeles Mommy and Baby Survey,” published by the county Department of Public Health earlier this year, show that despite some positive news on breast-feeding, prenatal care and post-delivery checkups, there’s trouble in Momville.

From depression to dental woes, unplanned pregnancies to prenatal obesity, the survey offers what can only be termed a mother lode of insights into new motherhood in L.A.

First, the good news. “Over 90% of the women in L.A. County receive prenatal care, which is spectacular compared to other parts of the country,” said Dr. Diana Ramos, the county’s director of reproductive health, who noted that Medi-Cal has helped to ensure that low-income women in California are covered during pregnancy. Also, 85.2% of the mothers surveyed had breastfed their babies and 98.3% took their newborn in for a well-baby check-up.

Now for the not-so-good.

The countywide survey, which canvassed 6,264 new mothers who gave birth in 2007, found that 58.1% of new mothers surveyed said they were at least a little depressed after giving birth, and 19.9% said they had been depressed for a period of two weeks or more during their pregnancies.

“One of the things that is quite startling is the number of women who experience depression,” said Cynthia Harding, director of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Programs for the public health department, which produced the survey.

“It says that we need to provide more social support,” Harding said. “Pregnancy is a time of joy, and if you’re not feeling the joy, you might feel ‘What’s wrong with me?’”

To that end, a multifaceted push is on to increase awareness of maternal depression, reduce the stigma and train health care and other providers to better recognize the symptoms. This brochure is being distributed this month to new mothers in all hospitals across the county.

“It’s a very, very vulnerable time,” said Caron Post, director of the L.A. County Perinatal Mental Health Task Force, which is spearheading the “Speak Up When You’re Down” campaign with the Department of Public Health. “Mothers put on a happy face. It’s taboo to be depressed and be a mother.”

Obesity is also a big concern.

More than 38% of the mothers surveyed were overweight or obese before getting pregnant, and more than a quarter said they didn’t exercise during pregnancy.

“If there was any one call to action, it would be obesity. It’s one of the big risk factors in maternal mortality,” Dr. Ramos said. “Yes, we all know there’s an obesity issue. But I don’t think we’re doing enough to give directive advice [on keeping weight down] to reproductive age women.”

There’s also room for improvement when it comes to pre-pregnancy preparedness.

For instance, 53.4% of the new moms surveyed said their pregnancies had been unwanted or “mistimed,” and 34.1% said their husband or partner shared those views.

What’s more, 70.7% received no preconception health counseling and 54.4% didn’t know about the importance of taking folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy. And 9.6% smoked in the six months before becoming pregnant.

Not exercising during pregnancy was by far the most common “risk behavior,” reported by 28.6% of those surveyed. But other risks showed up, too, including drinking alcohol (10.5%), exposure to second-hand smoke (6.3%), smoking (2.6%) and using illegal drugs (2.4%).

In the 3^rd District, women who participated in the written survey reported high rates of breastfeeding and well-baby check-ups. They were the least likely to have been overweight prior to pregnancy—and the most likely to have received fertility treatment.

They also were the likeliest to drink alcohol during their pregnancies, 12.4% compared to 10.5% countywide. Any level of drinking during pregnancy is of concern to public health officials. “It may be two or three weeks before you realize you’re pregnant. If you want to get pregnant, stop drinking ahead of time,” said county maternal programs director Harding.

Another painful finding: dental distress.

Nearly 19% of those surveyed (21% in the 3^rd District) said they’d experienced periodontal disease during pregnancy. Many women can’t find a dentist who’ll treat them, especially during pregnancy, while others are fearful and put off going until the pain is unbearable, advocates said. In either case, tooth and gum infections can present a serious medical risk for mother and fetus when bacteria enter the bloodstream.

The survey is part of the Los Angeles Mommy and Baby Project, which was launched following an increase in infant deaths in the Antelope Valley, mostly among African Americans, from 1999 to 2002.  After an initial 2004 pilot survey in the Antelope Valley, the project was expanded countywide in 2005.

A new survey of women who gave birth in 2010 is currently underway, and is expected to capture stresses inflicted by the current economic downturn.

“We are seeing more and more patients who have lost their health insurance but don’t qualify for any low-income programs,” said Debra Farmer, president and CEO of the Westside Family Health Center in Santa Monica.

Even among the 2007 moms, 36.7% said they had no insurance, 22.4% reported stress over unpaid bills, 13.8% were stressed out over job loss experienced by their husband or partner, and 11.6% over losing their own job.

There are concerns that as California moves to implement health reform—and to cope with a drastic budget situation—that cutbacks will diminish the level of maternity services available to those who need them most.

“I think a lot of what has been there in the past is eroding because of the economic situation and the state cutbacks,” said Lynn Kersey, executive director of Los Angeles-based Maternal and Child Health Access. “What’s going to happen during health reform is of extreme interest.”

Posted 5/5/11

Get ready to dance, eat and shop—the 22^nd Annual Fiesta Broadway is coming to downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, May 8. Billed as the biggest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the world, this free event hosts more than a dozen performances simultaneously on two stages, including Carmen Jara, Diana Reyes, the Mexican Institute of Sound and Ozomatli.

Twelve square blocks will host food, dance, crafts, jewelry and all manner of merchandise and entertainment. And in addition to being the city’s largest and most popular Latin cultural festival, the event’s sponsorships generate thousands of dollars in charitable contributions to benefit many worthy local causes.

The festivities run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., With as many as half a million estimated attendance, allow plenty of time to arrive and park; here’s all the information you need about getting there.

Posted 5/5/11

If you just have to see Dolly Parton, Eddie Izzard or Gladys Knight at the Hollywood Bowl this summer, better set your alarm early Saturday.

Single-ticket sales for the coming season start Saturday, May 7. And if you get to the Bowl box office early enough, you might be able to snag one of the 500 wristbands being distributed at 8 a.m., thus ensuring a good spot in line when ticket sales start at 10 a.m. Don’t forget your water and sunscreen. Or sleep in and, for an added fee, purchase online, also starting at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Posted 5/5/11