The county board of supervisors approved several motions this week, including:

Board Takes Steps to Provide Volunteer Aid to Displaced Armenians  

The Board passed a motion to provide humanitarian aid to displaced Armenians resulting from the Azerbaijan/Artsakh War. Submitted by Supervisors Horvath and Barger, the motion condemns the war and encourages humanitarian aid by instructing the Director of Health Services to collaborate with Traveling Doctors in providing volunteer opportunities and educational materials, including participating in telehealth services specific to treating burn wounds and skin grafting techniques for current victims.

“We must raise awareness about the ongoing atrocities being committed against Armenians in Armenia and Artsakh, as it is our duty to intervene and eliminate the threat of another genocide of Armenian people,” said Supervisor Horvath. “Los Angeles is home to a large Armenian-American diaspora, and today’s motion makes clear that L.A. County stands in solidarity with the Armenian people today and every day, and that we will continue to raise awareness and step up to provide aid wherever we can.” 

Plan to Replace Beach Sand, Build ‘Living Shorelines’ Adopted by L.A. County Supervisors

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to create a coastal resiliency plan on Tuesday, Nov. 7 that protects L.A. County beaches from coastal erosion by deploying what are called “living shorelines.”

The plan calls for reusing sediment that is scooped out of flood control channels, mountain river dams, and harbors to make larger some of the 18 L.A. County beaches that have grown narrower due to loss of sand.

It also calls for creating hybrid shoreline devices that combine manmade materials with natural elements to lessen the impact of waves that cause erosion.

Hybrid shorelines are devices that create a berm with cobble rocks as a base and are filled in and topped with sand and native vegetation to secure the existing shoreline.

“L.A. County’s beaches are iconic. They define our region and our identity,” said Supervisor Horvath, who submitted the motion. “If we don’t act soon the public may lose access to these beaches forever.”

The motion instructs the Director of Beaches and Harbors, with the assistance of the Chief Sustainability Officer and the Director of Public Works, to report back to the Board within 90 days with an outreach and fundraising strategy.

Board of Supervisors Approves Temporary Cap on Rent Increases

In a motion authored by Supervisor Horvath and Hilda Solis, the board of supervisors set a temporary cap on rent increases of four percent for tenants living in unincorporated Los Angeles County communities who reside in housing subject to the county’s rent stabilization and tenant protection ordinance. Without the temporary cap, rent increases of up to eight percent would have gone up in January.

The motion will be effective for six months beginning in January 2024.

“Keeping people in their homes by stabilizing rent to keep it affordable is essential in preventing homelessness. Doing so is responsible, just, and necessary in the face of the homelessness crisis we face – anything less will undermine our ongoing emergency response,” said Supervisor Horvath. “This moment calls us to level the playing field and protect our most vulnerable while we gather better data on rent stabilization impacts throughout our unincorporated communities.”

There have been approximately 35,583 eviction cases filed from January to September of 2023.

Photo by Iryna Dobytchina from iStockphoto.com