Screenshot of Knabe from Vimeo
A few days before New Year’s Eve, we had the chance to sit down and chat with Los Angeles County Fourth District Supervisor Don Knabe, who represents the city of Long Beach in County affairs. Knabe is one of the more popular elected officials in Southern California and he ran unopposed for his final term as Supervisor. His office has accomplished a great deal in so many different areas supporting communities in the Greater Long Beach area and as the year came to a close, we were interested to find out what accomplishments mean the most to someone who has done so much for so many. As he starts his final four-year term this year, Knabe reflected back on the last year and looked forward to 2013.
Here is what he had to say:
What were the County’s biggest accomplishments in 2012?
This might not sound very sexy, but one of our biggest accomplishments was the County’s credit rating was raised from AA- to AA, something virtually unheard of in government. The upgrade was due to our history of fiscal responsibility – the County didn’t go on a spending spree in the good times. So
while other levels of government are cutting people and programs, we have been able to provide the safety net services people need most, particularly in a tough economy. Our unions have been terrific partners and we couldn’t do it without them. I’m not saying it’s been easy, but we’re all in this together!
I’m also very proud that late in the year, we celebrated an incredible milestone: our 100th Safe Surrender. The program allows a parent or legal guardian to confidentially hand over an infant, three days old or younger, to any hospital emergency room or fire station in Los Angeles County. No shame. No blame. No names. To celebrate the lives saved by this program, we had a candle lighting ceremony at Grand Park with former Safe Surrender babies and their families. Sadly, not more than two weeks after the celebration, we learned that a newborn was found dead at a local trash facility. This was a heartbreaking and tragic realization that though 101 lives have now been saved by the program, we still have much more work to do. We will continue to expand our efforts to spread the word about Safe Surrender as we move into 2013 so that any mother in a desperate situation knows that she has a better option for her baby … and for herself.
What can we expect in 2013?
While I am proud of how we have prudently managed our budget here in L.A. County, the federal government’s repeated failure to come up with a long-term plan to deal with the budget gap has us in a very unstable economic situation. They must solve the “fiscal cliff” issue or we will face huge issues. Southern California is the heart of the aerospace and defense industry, which would be severely impacted. The $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts would absolutely cripple local businesses and social services. California would be the most severely impacted state, with a potential loss of 225,000 jobs. The cuts would touch the lives of nearly every resident of L.A. County – from community development efforts, to job training, early childhood development and health services programs. We already have a long-term sluggish economy and a stagnant job market putting pressure on our programs and services. We need relief, we need economic confidence and we need the federal government to work together for the American people – and our future.
Do you think Washington will find a compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff?
They absolutely have to. It’s way past the time to move beyond the partisan bickering. We have no more time for kicking the can down the road, for political posturing, for blame, finger pointing and politics. Washington must come up with a rational and responsible long-term solution. It’s time to make the tough choices or we are on a one-way street to another recession and higher unemployment.
What do you see as the biggest challenges LA County will face in the coming year?
Without doubt, the biggest challenge ahead is the January 2014 roll-out of the Affordable Care Act. It doesn’t matter whether you were for it or against it, it’s coming! While L.A. County faces many unknowns with this implementation, we are aggressively planning and preparing to ensure all of our residents receive the healthcare they need.