Dear Friends,
A growing number of unsheltered people are residing in remote areas that are especially dangerous during fire season. This week, our Board approved a motion to reduce the risk of wildfires from homeless encampments in areas with very high fire danger. Many unsheltered individuals require fire for survival to cook and keep warm, but unfortunately, this drastically increases the risk of brush catching fire and spreading rapidly.
The motion passed Tuesday will help us connect unhoused individuals with services. The Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Sheriff’s Department Homeless Outreach Services Team will notify impacted people experiencing homelessness currently living in these areas. In collaboration with partner departments and agencies, L.A. County’s Homeless Initiative will do outreach to provide resources and find stable housing.
Additionally, this will ensure fire-prone areas remain free of encampments and will prevent destructive and devastating brush fires from harming our communities and destroying life and property. This initiative ultimately ensures the well-being of those living without shelter and protects our entire region from potential fire danger. We're taking strides to ensure safety for all our residents and continue to encourage fire prevention and protection measures for our Fifth
District communities.
Best wishes,
Kathryn Barger
Supervisor, Fifth District
The size and complexity of workforce programs can often be a barrier for foster youth trying to pursue their career goals. Our Board approved my motion at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting to streamline the referral system so foster youth can more easily access early work experience. I am hopeful this effort will give youth a firm foundation for lifelong success.
Read the motion.
Our Altadena community celebrated the end of summer with outdoor concerts. I joined the Department of Parks and Recreation and Department of Arts and Culture at Loma Alta Park and the Altadena Rotary at Farnsworth Park for family fun and incredible music last Saturday.
Library Concerts If you missed those shows, there is still more fun in store! Our local libraries are hosting concerts during August for the community to enjoy. Head to La Crescenta Library on Tuesday, August 17 at 6:30 p.m. for Carol Bach-Y-Rita and Quartz Hill Library on Tuesday, August 31 at 5 p.m. for Flogging Seagulls. We're excited to introduce this program in collaboration with the Department of Arts and Culture to finish off the summer strong and in song!
Catch a concert.
Los Angeles County and the L.A. Regional Food Bank are still here to support residents who need food. Join us for a grocery giveaway on Wednesday, August 18 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Shepherd Church in Porter Ranch. Since we began hosting drive-thru food events last year, Los Angeles County has hosted 146 giveaways and distributed more than 12 million pounds of food to more than
218,000 households.
Find food or lend support.
Antelope Valley youth are incredibly committed to serving their community. Teens in the Department of Parks and Recreation's Our SPOT program worked alongside I Heart Lake LA, SBCC, and the Antelope Valley Illegal Dumping Task Force to host a countywide cleanup of their local parks. Youth put together cleanup kits that included shirts and masks they made, trash bags, gloves, hand sanitizer, and water bottles. The effort enabled youth to clean up their local park while educating residents about recycling and doing their part to keep their community safe and clean. After a little friendly competition, students at Stephen Sorensen Park won first place for picking up the most trash!
If your teen wants to get involved in their community, encourage them to join Our SPOT, a program tailormade for youth 12 to 18, at their local park. Students meet after school Monday through Friday between 3 and 7 p.m. Plus, don't miss the special Welcome Back Week from Aug. 16 to 20 for lots of fun back to school activities. Fifth District participating parks include Stephen Sorensen in Palmdale,
Pamela in Duarte, and Loma Alta in Altadena.
Participate in Our SPOT.
Want to boost your business? The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs' Office of Small Business is here to help. Connect to resources, find grant, loan, and contracting opportunities, get technical or legal assistance, attend informative workshops, or meet with a counselor.
Better your business.
The Department of Parks and Recreation wants to hear from you! Attend an upcoming meeting so you can provide input to inform future planning and funding to address regional and rural parks and recreation needs. Each workshop will include specific information about the area to allow for more focused discussions based on geography and the unique attributes of the community. Tune in: East San Gabriel Valley, 6 p.m., Tuesday, August 17 Antelope Valley, 9:30 a.m., Saturday, August 21 West San Gabriel Valley, 6 p.m., Wednesday, August 25 Santa Clarita Valley, 6 p.m., Thursday, August 26
San Fernando Valley, 9:30 a.m., Saturday, August 28
RSVP for a meeting.
Complete the rural survey.
Complete the countywide survey.
Are you getting bit by mosquitos? Join the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District for their Bite Back Tour to learn how to defend yourself against these pests. Get helpful tips about effective repellents and best practices for maintaining your pools and plants to prevent mosquitos.
Bite back against mosquitos.
Metro is working to improve rail service between Los Angeles and the Antelope Valley. There are two public meetings coming up on Wednesday, August 18 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, August 21 at 11 a.m. to garner community input. Tune in to learn about the upcoming project and the environmental review process and to share your comments. The Antelope Valley Line Capacity and Service Improvements Program aims to improve service frequency and reliability along the 76.6-mile passenger rail corridor between Lancaster and Downtown Los Angeles and serves all the communities in between.
Tune in Wednesday: bit.ly/35qFkcC Meeting ID: 948 3461 0205 Access Code: 509 148 549 Call-in: (213) 338-8477
Tune in Saturday: bit.ly/3wD1Sms Meeting ID: 998 8162 7606 Access Code: 320 266 021
Call-in: (213) 338-8477
Find out more about the project.
Downtown: 500 W. Temple St. #869 Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 974-5555
Antelope Valley: 42455 10th Street West, Suite 104 Lancaster, CA 93534 (661) 726-3600
East San Gabriel Valley: 615 E. Foothill Bl. Suite A San Dimas, CA 91773 (909) 394-2264
Santa Clarita Valley: 27441 Tourney Rd. Suite 120 Santa Clarita, CA 91355 (661) 287-3657
San Gabriel Valley: 215 N. Marengo Ave. Suite 120 Pasadena, CA 91101 (626) 356-5407
San Fernando Valley: 21943 Plummer St. Chatsworth, CA 91311 (818) 993-5170
You are receiving this email because you have previously communicated with Supervisor Kathryn Barger's office.