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Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas, candidate for Second District Supervisor, told a packed room of SEIU 721 members that the time has come for change in Los Angeles.
Eighteen member panelists asked for Ridley-Thomas’ partnership once he is elected to the Board in improving the quality of county services, the resources available to county workers who serve the public and respect for the county workforce. Ridley-Thomas agreed to partner with L.A. County workers in all 15 areas.
Lexis Rosen, a public health nurse with the LA County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), asked for Ridley-Thomas’ commitment that the county will supplement state funding for foster care, so that we can continue to protect the health of children.
Rosen said Public Health Nurses assist Children’s Social Workers with the medical needs of the children in foster care. “We provide medical expertise to social workers; we provide preventive care so that illnesses don’t turn into chronic conditions; we visit children in their homes to assess their health needs and we act as the medical advocate for foster care kids. Without Public Health Nurses treatable illness and unseen abuse could cause fatalities and lead to huge liabilities for the county, but sometimes funding for these important programs has been inadequate.”
Ridley-Thomas said he would work with DCFS workers to improve the system and make it safer for children.
The forum, which was held Saturday, March 15 at Holman Methodist Church in the West Adams District of Los Angeles, attracted union members who live in the Second District and those in other parts of the county.
“It doesn’t matter where you live in Los Angeles,” Linda Dent told the crowd after Ridley Thomas spoke. “The Board’s decisions affect everyone. Every evening I call a few people in my department who are in the Second District and get them excited even though I live in Long Beach. But my daughter lives in the District so I’ve got her working on the election. She knows how important it is.”
There are five elected supervisors who are in charge of Los Angeles County. The position is non-partisan and the five Supervisors set the direction for the county. Each one represents a lot of constituents – all the way from the ocean out to Palmdale and Lancaster. This election is a big deal for union members. The Supervisors are ultimately our bosses and they sign off on any changes regarding staffing, money and services issues. It’s really important they respect the workers who keep the county running.
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Ridley-Thomas Will Partner with County Workers to:
Restore Libraries to the Community
Let community-based librarians have more of a voice in the purchase of books and other library materials.
Safeguard Nursing Home Standards
Expand staffing for nursing home inspections.
Effective Child Protection
Provide adequate facilities for social workers to do our jobs effectively – protecting children.
Keep Clinics OPEN
Enhance the public ambulatory care network and services. Oppose proposals to close more public clinics.
Prevent Gang Violence
Develop a County initiative to raise funds for gang prevention, including intervention, job training, and after school programs.
Make our Neighborhood Parks Safer
Open a Safety Police Sub-Station in 2nd District to allow for more parks patrols and to allow park programs to stay open as late as the rest of the County.
Provide Good Jobs, Expand the Living Wage, Reverse Contracting Out
Bring good jobs to the community, with health care, living wages. Expand Living Wage Ordinance to ALL County contractors. Bring contracted jobs back into the County.
Fair Share Funding for Child Support
Aggressively advocate for fair allotment of state funds (based on the number of cases) for LA County Child Support Services.
Protect the Health of Foster Children
Protect the Public Health Nurse program so that we can protect the health of foster children who are in the County’s care.
Humane Animal Control
Improve LA County Animal Shelters to enable staff to provide the most humane care possible.
Expand Affordable Housing
Support trust funds to develop new affordable housing units. Require developers to include low and moderate-income units. Defend and expand rent control.
Support County Mental Health
Support and enhance County-run mental health services. Don’t neglect the existing core County programs; Blend the new MHSA (Prop 63) programs with existing core programs.
Restore Health Services to South L.A.
Provide enhanced and expanded access to the full range of primary, specialty, acute, trauma, mental health, rehab and preventive health care services, and REOPEN KING HOSPITAL.
Respect and Reward Workers
Support wage & benefit standards to recruit, retain quality public employees in jobs that provide career development opportunities.
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