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Dear Neighbor,
This week I supported a proposal to reform Los Angeles County’s government structure to make it more transparent, accountable, and representative to the people we serve.
Los Angeles County is the nation’s largest county with 4,084 square miles and nearly 10 million residents. As Los Angeles County’s population grows and diversifies, we must innovate and re-evaluate how we can best meet residents’ changing needs to ensure we deliver the support they need as inclusively, transparently, and equitably as possible.
This is especially critical for residents in communities who have historically been left out of these conversations and who deserve equal representation and can have confidence in our commitment to deliver it. As of the 2020 Census count, there are over 4.8 million Latinos and 1.5 million Asian American and Pacific Islanders in Los Angeles County, which combined make up over 60 percent of the County's total population of 10 million residents.
We need to make sure their diverse voices are not only given a wider platform but also better amplified so they are given the representation they deserve in the decisions we make to ensure we direct resources that positively impact all of the County’s residents.
This is about determining how we can most effectively represent the needs of voters in every zip code, in every demographic, and at every income level. The composition of the Board of Supervisors must reflect the increased diversity of Los Angeles County’s population.
Moreover, having an elected CEO, including a Director of Budget and County Legislative Analyst, will help us identify and address the specific needs of communities more adequately and ensure that we always direct County resources fairly while ensuring greater independence. And, the establishment of an independent Ethics Commission will guarantee the County continues to make decisions with the highest level of integrity and accountability.
Equal representation is the hallmark of American democracy, and we owe it to the people of Los Angeles County to evaluate whether an expanded Board of Supervisors and elected CEO will allow us to more effectively and efficiently serve the residents who elected us to make sure everyone gets a seat at the table.
Sincerely,
Hilda L. Solis
Supervisor, First District
Good news! The Environmental Protection Agency has placed the Exide lead battery smelting and recycling plant and surrounding areas on its eligibility list of National Priorities List of Superfund sites. That means the residents of East Los Angeles, Boyle Heights, Montebello, Commerce, Vernon, Bell, Maywood, and Huntington Park who have continued to suffer debilitating health effects of the toxins released by this site for decades are now one step closer to securing justice.
This is a victory. This decision clears a major hurdle, but we cannot take a victory lap. We now need to push the EPA to take the final step and formally place Exide on its Superfund site list.
Contact Senator Alex Padilla and Representative Jimmy Gomez and urge them to push the EPA to add Exide to the Superfund list. We must continue to fight to expedite the cleanup of Exide’s poisonous legacy.
EPA will be scheduling briefings for stakeholders to discuss the contents of its Site Inspection Report. Contact Stephanie Steinbrecher, Community Involvement Coordinator, at (628) 299-0985 or via email at steinbrecher.stephanie@epa.gov with questions or comments.
You can find the EPA’s Site Inspection Report on Exide at https://epa.gov/superfund/exide on the Site Documents and Data tab.
  It was an honor to have Roy Twobears Delarosa lead the invocation for the Board of Supervisors’ meeting this week. Roy is the spiritual advisor for the Native American Veterans Association, which is based in the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall in the First District. Roy, from the Yaqui tribe, is a former U.S. Marine who continues to advocate for services to the Native American community and assistance to veterans and their families. My office is grateful for his dedicated service.
  I was so excited to see older adults from the Bassett Park Senior Program visit our recently opened San Gabriel River Park in Avocado Heights! Thank you to the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation volunteers for hosting and providing our visitors with a guided tour of the trails and identifying native plants. The group culminated their visit by creating vision boards for the rest of 2024.
This excursion is a result of my allocation of more than $500,000 to 11 senior programs across the First District. This funding will allow older adults to enjoy many more field trips, excursions, dances, resource fairs, arts and crafts, and more.
  Across Los Angeles County, unsheltered homelessness declined by approximately 5.1% compared to last year, while the number of people in interim housing increased by 12.7%, based on the 2024 Homeless Count.
Meanwhile, permanent housing placements rose 18% to an all-time high of 27,300 in 2023, bringing the total over the last seven years to more than 110,000.
  Landlords and mobilehome park owners in unincorporated Los Angeles County must register their rental units and mobilehome spaces each year with the LA County Rent Registry and pay the appropriate fees. The amount you pay depends on the type of rental property you own (rental unit or mobilehome space), and whether the rental unit is fully or partially covered by the County’s Rent Stabilization Ordinances.
How is your rental unit covered?
Fully Covered Units:
- Usually have two or more units on a single property (such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and apartment complexes with more than 4 units) and
- Have a “Certificate of Occupancy” issued on or before February 1, 1995.
These units are subject to rent restrictions and “Just Cause” eviction protections (also known as At-Fault or No-Fault eviction reasons).
Partially Covered Units:
Includes most of the remaining rental units in LA County including:
- Single-family homes with no other units on the lot, regardless of the year built
- Condos, apartments, or duplexes with a certificate of occupancy issued after February 1, 1995.
These units are only subject to “Just Cause” eviction protections.
Mobilehome Spaces:
- Spaces offered for rent, constructed on or before January 1, 1990.
Registration Fees:
- $90 per unit for fully covered units
- $30 per unit for partially covered units
- $30 per space for mobilehome parks
Watch the mail for your 2024-25 Annual Rent Registration letter!
Not a Landlord?
If you live in your property as your primary residence, you do not have to register. Email us at rentregistry@dcba.lacounty.gov to let us know and we’ll take you out of the system. But if you ever do rent, you’ll have to let us know (and register).
If you have questions about the status of your property, or need additional information, contact DCBA or visit dcba.lacounty.gov/rentregistry.
I'm excited to announce the launch of City Terrace’s first-ever Farmer's Market, opening July 18, 2024!
Through our new partnership with In the Making – a non-profit with a long history of empowering small businesses across East Los Angeles – we will be creating a fresh-food oasis in what was once fresh-food desert. City Terrace Farmer's Market will also help revitalize nearby small businesses resulting from increased foot traffic, which will open the door for new entrepreneurs to grow and thrive.
Opening of the City Terrace Farmer’s Market is a major step forward in our continuing commitment to make fresh, healthy food options accessible to as many of our community’s families as possible. Working together with In the Making, we'll provide City Terrace with access to a whole new menu of fresh food options they’ve never had.
Starting next week the Los Angeles County Office of Cannabis Management will be hosting two meetings in the First District to discuss the proposed regulations for commercial cannabis business to legally operate within unincorporated areas of the County.
Join in person or online to help the County develop robust standards that support well-regulated cannabis businesses and protect our communities.
Monday, July 15, 2024
Rowland Heights Library
1850 Nogales Street, Rowland Heights, 91748
Time: 5 pm- 6:30 pm
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
East Los Angeles Library
4837 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, 90022
Time: 5 pm- 6:30 pm
Topics will include:
* Permit requirements for commercial cannabis businesses
* Safety and security standards
* Strategic zoning and geographic locations where businesses may be allowed
* Strategies to enhance public safety
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