A Letter from Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis
Dear Friends,
Gloria Molina, a trailblazing Chicana activist, and former elected official, passed away peacefully at her home in Mt. Washington, surrounded by her family and close friends. She was 74 years old.
Gloria had been battling terminal cancer for three years, a fight that she faced with courage and resilience. She spent her last few weeks embraced by the love and support of her family, community, friends, and former colleagues. Gloria expressed deep gratitude for the life she lived and the opportunity to make a difference in the world.
Gloria will be remembered in history as the first Latina elected as California State Assemblymember, Los Angeles City Councilmember, and Los Angeles County Supervisor, making a significant impact on Los Angeles, the state, and the nation. Gloria was a champion for social justice and dedicated her life to public service, fighting tirelessly for our most vulnerable. From fighting back against a plan to build a prison in the Eastside to helping to grow our public transportation system by successfully delivering the extension of the Gold Line (now L Line) light rail into East Los Angeles, and ending the forced sterilizations of women at General Hospital, Gloria demonstrated great determination and persistence in representing our most vulnerable.
But she will also be remembered for uplifting arts and culture. Gloria was an artist who shared her passion for depicting her Mexican roots through her beautiful quilts and by teaching others.
To honor her legacy and work, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes invites members of the community to contribute to a participatory Community Quilt of Hope. The quilt will be formed by fabric squares with messages and decorations expressing gratitude to Gloria for how she has bettered the lives of Angelenos. The squares are available on the first floor of LA Plaza at the entrance of LA Starts Here! as part of a temporary exhibition that includes photographs, as well as artwork, made or inspired by her.
The fabric squares will be gathered by members of TELAS (The East Los Angeles Stitchers), an organization Gloria co-founded and has participated in for many years, and sewn together to make a Community Quilt of Hope for her loved ones.
Gloria was the person most responsible for bringing LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes to fruition—the only museum and cultural center in Los Angeles dedicated to telling the story of the city from a Mexican American and Latino perspective.
Instead of flowers, Gloria’s family requests that donations be made to Casa 0101 and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes in her memory to inspire and empower future generations through the arts.
I will miss Gloria's presence and send my prayers to all those mourning her loss.
May her soul rest in power.
Sincerely,
Hilda L. Solis
Supervisor, First District
 Earlier this month, LA County proclaimed May as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month through a motion I was proud to author. Today, I gathered our AAPI communities to honor 18 leaders and organizations for their service to residents of the First District.
Congratulations to:
- Dr. Lisa Wong, Director, LA County Department of Mental Health
- Connie Chung Joe, Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice SoCal
- Aquilina Soriano Versoza, Executive Director, Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California
- Charlie Woo; Founder and Chair, CAUSE (Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment)
- Eddie Yen, President, LA County Asian American Employees Association
- Esther Young Lim, Creator, Hate Crime Books
- Frances Teves, Interim Vice President for University Advancement, Cal Poly Pomona
- Kerry Doi, Founder, President and CEO, PACE (Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment)
- Mika Yamamoto, Regional Operations Manager, LA County Department of Parks and Recreation
- Robin Toma, Director, Human Relations Commission
- Sissy Trinh, Founder and Executive Director, Southeast Asian Community Alliance
- Dr. Stanley Toy, CEO, Greater El Monte Community Hospital
- Teresa Padua, Executive Director, Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic
- Vince Wong, Director of Collective Impact, Michelson Found Animals Foundation
I’m proud of your commitment to empowering AAPIs and creating a more just county and country for all.
This week, the LA County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA) Board of Directors met for the first time.
LACAHSA is a countywide agency with the authority necessary to organize and execute a housing plan to support renters and create housing that is affordable to low-income Angelenos. It is a new approach to tackling the homelessness and housing challenges our residents are experiencing.
I'm grateful to all those who joined us at our first meeting. I look forward to continuing to build on the work LA County is leading.
 The former Motel 6 in Hacienda Heights will be converted into housing for 142 people as part of the State of California's Homekey program.
Homekey allows local jurisdictions to quickly build permanent and interim housing by rehabilitating hotels and motels. It is a game changer that has transformed blight proprieties into attractive housing communities much more efficiently than ground-up construction projects.
Opening the Homekey site in Hacienda Heights is not just about providing a place for someone to call home. Rather, it is about offering hope, dignity, and a chance. I am grateful for those residents who have supported this project and am committed to engaging with those who have expressed reservations. Their compassion will help us turn the tide on the homeless crisis facing our region.
 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health update this week about ongoing community transmission of monkeypox (mpox) and the potential for new clusters and outbreaks as people gather for festivals and other events.
The LA County Department of Public Health would like to highlight the following:
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Healthcare providers (HCP) are urged to remain diligent for possible mpox cases and should refamiliarize themselves with mpox presentation, specimen collection, testing procedures, treatment options, and reporting. Provider resources, including vaccination information, can be found at: ph.lacounty.gov/monkeypoxhcp.
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While vaccine effectiveness is high, it is not complete, and we expect to see cases among vaccinated people. Testing and treatment should be offered to those with possible mpox, even if fully vaccinated. Vaccine boosters are not recommended at this time.
We encourage you to complete the two-dose mpox vaccine series for maximal protection.
 The LA County Department of Economic Opportunity, in partnership with Bet Tzedek Legal Services and Public Counsel, is providing free legal assistance to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 There is still funding available for the Metrolink low-income discount program!
Metrolink's low-income fare discount program offers riders a 50% discount on any Metrolink ticket or passes available with a valid California Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. Tickets are only available for purchase at Metrolink ticket machines.
Note: The EBT card only validates that riders qualify for the discount and an alternate form of payment is needed to complete the ticket purchase.
May is Bike Month and a special time to celebrate all things biking across LA County. Bikes are a sustainable, healthy, and integral part of making our county greener and less polluted. To that end, for the whole month of May, you can purchase a Metro 30-Day Bike Pass for just $1 by using the code: BIKEMONTH23.
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