Page 6 May 12, 2016 TORRANCE TRIBUNE Big Issues from page 3 TORRANCE BUSINESSES PROMOTE YOURSELF K E E P I N G I T L O C A L ! Special Ad Rate Offer for the Torrance Tribune 10% off 12X Rate 20% off 26X Rate Regular rates listed below. Discounts are not applied. size number of ad runs 1X 4X 8X 12X 26X FULL PAGE $900 $700 $650 $600 $550 1/2 $700 $550 $500 $450 $400 1/4 $550 $425 $375 $325 $250 3/16 $450 $350 $300 $250 $150 1/8 $250 $200 $175 $150 $125 1/16 $200 $150 $125 $100 $75 Prices based on black and white ads only. Color costs are an additional 50% the cost of the ad. For A Limited Time - Advertise Now! Interested parties email: marketing@heraldpublications.com or call (310) 322-1830 would reserve judgment on the latter and is not in favor of it until it is costed out. He noted that “no one can raise a family on minimum wage,” but also explained that with the raise also comes increased costs for goods in the County—and that as an example, the arts internship program is now at a deficit as a result. Pacheco proclaimed support for the wage increase--calling it an alternative to being on welfare--and reported that 26% of Torrance residents are at or below the poverty line. He also called for retraining programs. Hahn said she heard from businesses voicing concerns about the minimum wage increase--with worries that if one city (or county) adopts it and another doesn’t, companies could choose to leave for a neighboring area. Otherwise, she said she supports the increase, especially since two-thirds of those at that salary level are women. On paid sick leave, she asked to study it first—but spelled out the hardships for those who have to choose between staying home with a sick child or going to work when they themselves are sick and putting co-workers at risk. Returning to the topic of homelessness and what the County should be doing, Pacheco called the problem a “pandemic situation” and advised to utilize community-and faith-based organizations that can provide housing and revitalization, as well as personal management and life skills. He added that mental health issues are not being addressed, but need to be. Hahn said she has never seen 44,000 homeless in LA County (of which 4,000 are veterans) before, but that a Congressional bill would raise $13 billion in hopes of reducing the problem. She called on the County and City of Los Angeles to work together to coordinate efforts. “I believe in housing first,” Hahn said, explaining that conventional wisdom has been for the homeless to first get their lives together (e.g. get off drugs, find a job) and then get shelter. “I think that’s impossible. How can anyone living in a tent get their life together?” Hahn suggested providing rental subsidies and vouchers and to work with landlords/property owners. Napolitano said the number of homeless in the US is higher than in any other nation and “we need to fix it.” He mentioned work to help secure funding toward PATH (People Assisting the Homeless) and collaborating with faith-based organizations, but indicated those groups are overworked and can’t do it on their own. Napolitano noted that there is a spectrum of homelessness where those who are considered “chronic” need housing first. He touched upon the County’s approval to allocate $150 million to reduce homelessness and emphasized the need to find the most cost-effective ways to provide treatment and housing. Considering when to use the County’s rainy day fund, Hahn spoke of the importance of having reserves in the event of an emergency such as an earthquake or fire. She also thought the monies could be appropriate to address homelessness, which she characterized as a “crisis” that may need special resources. Emphasizing that homelessness is a longterm problem that won’t be solved tomorrow, Napolitano cautioned against ever using onetime money for ongoing funding. He said reserves in the past went towards “unfunded mandates” such as when the State or Federal governments required the County to provide services regardless of whether those dollars were in the budget or not. Pacheco talked of a 47-point plan to address the homeless problem and offering up a quarter-cent sales tax (with a sunset clause) to raise $1 billion. He asked the audience if that is worth our while, or should we consider a $26 million parks needs assessment. On how to educate a skilled workforce, Napolitano zeroed in on vocational education, career pathways and the need to train for skills such as plumbing and auto mechanics. He warned that the Southern California Regional Occupational Center lost State funding and has been surviving on a patchwork aid bill to keep it going for three years. He said we must find a way to keep it open to provide key training for high school and at-risk kids. Pacheco called for “innovative and creative ideas” on how to address the economic situation in our communities and spoke of serving on the ROP (Regional Occupational Program) Board in Whittier to retrain 20,000 adults in marketable skills. Hahn singled out the role of community colleges in providing an educated and trained workforce, but has heard business owners say they can’t find people to fill available jobs. She acknowledged that many kids will never go to college and that it is imperative to make sure they have “the skills to pay their bills.” She explained that even a slight change in State curriculum can be a one-and-a-half to two-year process—and suggested establishing a separate track for community colleges to approve changes more quickly to keep up with evolving technologies. Asked about economic development and to provide ideas to foster it, Pacheco called it one of his top priorities with a specific goal to expand international trade and to look at the issue systemically. He mentioned meetings with the Harbor and Arts groups. He thought dialogue with various labor markets would be a perfect start in looking to increase job opportunities and build the economic base. Pacheco also spoke of leveraging State and Federal resources to help promote education. Hahn said that economic development can’t thrive without safe communities, She identified strengthening the ports and the international airport as two major components, with a need to address traffic congestion and to use transportation dollars to ensure cargo moves in and out of the ports efficiently and quickly. Hahn called small businesses “the backbone of economic development,” stating that “when they thrive and grow, they hire.” She thought it important to give them access to investment capital and to ensure the County is businessfriendly. Napolitano agreed that public safety and transportation (especially 710 Freeway improvements) are vital factors, but added that he wants to hear directly from businesses as a way of governing from the “bottom up” as opposed to the “top down” so issues may be addressed on the County level. Noting that two-thirds of businesses are small, he said the County must offer better informational resources for them such as an improved website portal (which he said is currently difficult to find and went to a dead page when he searched for it) and an easier way to renew business licenses online. Other ideas mentioned included expanding the business concierge program, providing educational pathways, and pushing the State model film ordinance. Recognizing Supervisor Knabe’s role in championing the Safe Surrender Program and Successful Anti-Sex Trafficking Operation, Schmidt asked the candidates what their own legacy program might be. Hahn praised Knabe’s “brilliant effort” in saving unwanted babies so that they can be dropped off at fire stations. She reported that the Supervisor had saved 144 lives so far and thought her legacy would be to ensure that “after saving their life, we gave them a life worth saving” by providing good schools, affordable housing and a measure of dignity. Or, she offered, since her father (Kenneth Hahn) brought the Dodgers to LA, she would make sure everyone with cable TV can watch the team’s games. Napolitano said he wished to continue Knabe’s Safe Surrender and Anti-Sex Trafficking work, feeling he is part of that legacy. Also, he hoped that in 12 years we will no longer be talking about the issues of today—that problems such as homelessness and transportation congestion will be resolved before then. Pacheco remarked that “the best legacy is our children” and that the County must provide more creative and innovative ways to provide services. “The best legacy is there are still honest politicians serving the public office,” he added. The victor on June 7 will replace Supervisor Knabe, who first took the helm of the 4th District in 1996 and garnered reelection four times before terming out this year. •
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