Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel today issued an audit of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission.
The audit found numerous examples of questionable practices, including $870,000 in payments to overseas companies for events that never took place and nearly $1 million in untracked cash payments to technical workers.
The Controller also noted Commissioners “have not assured that adequate controls were in place and allowed a Tone-at-the-Top unsuitable for a government entity.” The audit concluded Commissioners delegated substantial control to the General Manager, requiring only “superficial reporting” in return.
The audit recommends the Coliseum Commission ensure timely internal audits and work with the General Manager to improve communications so Commissioners may be “fully informed” to “ensure its long term fiscal health and appropriate condition of its facilities.
Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, a member of the Coliseum Commission, said of the audit:
“The City Controller’s audit captures many of the major financial missteps that have put the Coliseum in its current predicament. Her recommendations for correcting past mismanagement, however, stop short of what is truly required: the Coliseum needs an entirely new governance and management model.
The Commission structure established in 1923, when Los Angeles County’s population was less than one-tenth its current size.
A nine-member commission composed of three representatives each from the city, county and state made sense when the entire state of California had a population roughly equal to Orange County today.
Now, the tripartite structure too often pits competing interests against common ones. The result has been the indecision and excessive compromise endemic to management by committee.
It’s unrealistic to expect such a body to provide the kind of hands-on oversight required at the Coliseum today. Part-time supervision by elected officials is an out-dated model.
It’s time to dissolve the Coliseum Commission and replace it with stewardship by one of the current public partners – the city, state or county. Los Angeles County has a strong track record in managing the Hollywood Bowl and the County’s Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. The county might very well have the experience and financial stability to take custody of the Coliseum.”
On the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, hosted an appreciation luncheon at the construction site of the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital for the men and women who are building the new 194,000-square-foot hospital — a hands on dedication to keeping the legendary civil right’s leader’s dream of equal opportunity alive.
“We recognize you for all the work you do each day to build a new hospital that is built on time and on budget,” said Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, before a crowd of more than 400 construction workers. “We are delighted to honor your contributions to this important project.
“Today we celebrate the progress being made and look forward to an extraordinary future,” he continued.
From pipefitters to electricians, workers of all trades took off their hard-hats for an hour to chat with colleagues, eat grilled hotdogs, hamburgers, and apple pie prepared by Earlez Grille, and hear gratitude expressed by representatives from the County of Los Angeles and the MLK Healthcare Corporation, board of directors.
“You are changing the lives of those who live in this community,” said Chief Executive Officer William T. “Bill” Fujioka. “Thank you for what you do.”
The same sentiment of was shared by Healthcare Corporation board Chairman Manny Abascal , who reiterated that the workers are making a profound investment into the community and building the foundation for a quality facility.
Of particular note throughout the day was the significant presence of workers who also are residents of the surrounding neighborhoods. Several said that building a hospital in their own community was a source of tremendous pride for them. Their participation, many pointed out, was not by accident. County employment policies enacted two years ago were essential to providing job opportunities for them with regard to the hospital’s construction.
In October 2010, the Board of Supervisors established a local working hiring policy for the MLK Medical Center campus. The policy requires that 30% of the total construction hours be reserved for workers who live within a five – mile radius and/or reside in zip codes experiencing 150% of the County’s average rate of unemployment. The investments on the campus are projected to create nearly 2,100 direct construction jobs for the community. To date, the MLK Inpatient Tower project has succeeded in hiring 38% of its employees from within a five mile radius and 31% of its employees from those zip codes experiencing higher rates of unemployment. When the MLK Multi-Service Ambulatory Care Center begins construction, it will be governed by an unprecedented project labor agreement to ensure compliance with the local hiring policy.
The new Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital
Forty years after the Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Hospital initially opened its doors the MLK Medical Center is experiencing a renaissance. A new state-of-the-art , independently governed hospital is being developed to replace the old Los Angeles County-run facility. Steady progress is being made in an effort to transform the MLK Medical Center campus into a center of excellence for health care delivery, a medical home for the underserved, urban health promotion, health workforce development, research and teaching, and economic development. The County of Los Angeles has earmarked nearly $400 million in public funds to promote quality health and wellness services on the Watts-Willowbrook campus.
Since the closure of MLK-Harbor Hospital in August 2007, the County has been diligently working to restore inpatient services at the MLK site. In 2009, the County of Los Angeles partnered with the University of California to form a new non-profit corporation with its own independent governing board to open and operate the 120-bed MLK Hospital. This innovative public-private partnership will leverage the County’s resources, the University of California’s medical expertise and the leadership of an independent governing board to deliver high quality services in the new facility. Construction of the inpatient tower is scheduled to be substantially completed in March of 2013.
For more than a decade, residents of the affluent View Park, Windsor Hills and Ladera Heights communities have been at odds with the Jet Inn Motel, asserting the small facility was a source of blight to the area; to that end, they sought to have the building shut down during the summer 2010.
Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved a compromise that allows the 53-year-old business to remain open, as long as it completes significant aesthetic improvements to the property and engages in ongoing discussions with neighbors.
Among improvements required by the permit, the owners must paint the façade, install new carpeting, renovate the lobby and room interiors, and erect new street signage in order to continue operating for another 20 years.
The motel’s swimming pool also will be removed and replaced with new landscaping; damaged security cameras must be fixed within 24 hours, and additional parking spaces and an elevator must be installed in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. All improvements are to be completed within six months.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who represents the Second District where the motel is located, said approving the permit was an important first step towards revitalizing the Slauson Corridor.
“These improvements to this motel are long overdue and necessary for the Jet Inn to keep pace with the comprehensive strategy underway for the corridor” the Supervisor said.
”More importantly,” he continued, “We’ve laid the foundation for better communication and cooperation with the surrounding community.”
Thirty-year resident and long time advocate for the Windsor Hills-View Park community Sally Hampton said she is looking forward to the motel renovations.
“The Jet Inn has created a significant blight on Slauson for many years, so I am happy to see the county imposing conditions that will improve the property and its operation,” Hampton said.
Hampton, who is also a member of the grassroots organization, the Empowerment Congress, said she would like to see the property become a resource for nearby residents as the entire corridor undergoes a substantial redevelopment.
“Starting east of Fairfax, Slauson is not what one would expect in a community of beautiful homes – some sections are a downright embarrassment,” she said. “Hopefully, this will change in the next few years as Slauson is developed and residents can enjoy shopping and doing business close to home.”
Three task forces convened by the Supervisor and comprised of business owners and residents, are currently devising plans to make Slauson Avenue a greater asset to the surrounding communities, with retail shops and restaurants, instead of merely a transit corridor and throughway.
The beginning of the modern environmental movement, some say, can be pinpointed to one day: April 22, 1970. That’s when former Washington Sen. Gaylord Nelson called on Americans to observe a national “teach-in” to celebrate grassroots environmental education and remind Americans to tread lightly on the earth. Nelson’s idea appealed to Americans across political parties, economic classes, races and ethnicities, and millions participated in coast-to-coast demonstrations and rallies.
Forty-two years after that first Earth Day, the movement to encourage environmental stewardship has become a worldwide phenomenon. Here in Los Angeles County, residents, community organizations, private businesses and government come together to work on a variety of issues, ranging from neighborhood cleanups and restoring native habitat, to effectively advocating for the expansion of our public transit system along Crenshaw Boulevard in South Los Angeles.
Over the years new challenges have emerged, and land use strategies of the past no longer are suitable to manage our growing population. For example, cars continue to clog our roads, and despite a generation of progress, air quality does not meet acceptable levels. The scarcity of bike lanes and safe sidewalks has made exercising more challenging in many neighborhoods, and weight-related illnesses are on the rise.
Yet the County continues to move forward. In 2012, the Board of Supervisors…
Furthermore, each of the Supervisors has worked to preserve the County’s natural resources. Supervisor Gloria Molina has led the effort to ban the use of Styrofoam in County facilities, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky has helped preserve hundreds of acres of land in the Santa Monica Mountains, Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has drastically expanded the number of horse trails in the northern communities of the County, Supervisor Don Knabe has granted funding to 24 cities to enhance recreation and open space projects, and Supervisor Ridley-Thomas has launched the ambitious Park to Playa project, which will create the a 13-mile regional pedestrian trail and bike path from the Baldwin Hills to the Santa Monica Bay.
Below is an abbreviated list of events celebrating Earth Day throughout the month of April. Please vote on your favorite below to let us know how you will be marking Earth Day 2012.
April 14
Eat Local and Celebrate the Ground Breaking for the Lennox Community Garden.
On April 14th, join the non-profit From Lot to Spot, the Los Angeles Conservation Corps and other members of the Lennox Community from 11am – 2pm to celebrate the opening of the first community garden on Lennox at 112th Street and Inglewood Ave.
Create a Recycled Art Project at the Earth Day South LA Festival.
Join Community Services Unlimited and the Normandie Avenue Elementary School on Saturday, April 14, 2012
from 11am to 4pm and participate in service projects for all ages, cooking demos and workshops including gardening with natives, recycled art and yoga.
April 19
Get informed at the Labor, Social, and Environmental Justice Fair at California State University Dominguez Hills.
Join The Labor Studies Club and the Labor Studies Department of California State University Dominguez Hills on April 19, 2012 from 11:00AM — 4:00PM at the Loker Student Union and network with over 50 social and environmental justice organizations. For more information visit http://cah.csudh.edu/labor/events.htm.
April 22
Get Dirty Restoring Habitat at Kenneth Hahn Park.
Join the County Parks and Recreation Department, Generation Water, Mujeres de la Tierra and other community stakeholders on April 22nd from 9am – 1pm and help replace exotic pests with native plants. All ages and levels of expertise are welcome. For more info click here.
April 28/29
Ride the new Exposition Line.
Take advantage of a free ride on April 28th and 29th along the new Exposition Transit Line. Metro will be celebrating their new public transit service that runs from Downtown at the 7th and Metro Station to La Cienega Boulevard. For more info, visit metro.net/expo.
Anytime
Learn how to earn $8,000 for making energy efficiency upgrades to your home!
Visit www.energyupgradeca.org. or join experts from Energy Upgrade California at a series of workshops to get a step-by-step tutorial on the program, as well as receive tips from residents who have undergone the process themselves. For more information about a workshop, click here. While you are at it, visit the LA County Solar Map at www.solarmap.lacounty.gov to check out your homes’ solar potential.
Did you know that a wide range of quality women’s health services are available at Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Ambulatory Care Center (MLK-MACC)? The Women’s Health Clinic is staffed by highly trained physicians and mid-level practitioners who provide both preventive and therapeutic obstetrics and gynecology services. Preventive services include the following: well woman check ups, pap smear testing, bone density screening, vaccinations, mammograms, family planning services, nutritional counseling, genetic counseling, and access to social services.
Therapeutic services include treatment of both high and low risk pregnancies with support from the perinatal diagnostic center. MLK-MACC medical staff perform amniocentesis, genetic counseling, fetal surveillance ultrasonography, and treatment of expectant mothers with chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Gynecologic services are extensive and include routine gynecology, gynecology-oncology and urology-gynecologic services.
The MLK-MACC medical staff also performs outpatient surgery on women requiring surgical intervention for their gynecologic issues. In some instances, patients are treated in the Martin Luther King Jr. Ambulatory Surgery Center located on the MLK-MACC campus and return home the same day.
MLK-MACC is committed to providing quality healthcare services to women throughout South Los Angeles and surrounding communities. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:30 pm. To schedule an appointment, call (310) 668 – 5011.
