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Wildlife in Metropolitan Los Angeles now have an underpass designed and built exclusively for their safe passage under a busy boulevard. The underpass supports the longevity of the Puente-Chino Hills Wildlife Corridor (Corridor). The Corridor contains some of the last remaining stands of several habitat types that are declining in the Los Angeles Basin. The 31-mile Corridor connects vast open space areas and provides a rare opportunity to preserve functional wildland in southern California. The Harbor Boulevard Wildlife Underpass is the linkage point within this Corridor for approximately 4,600 acres of publicly protected habitat to the west and about 14,000 acres of publicly protected habitat to the east. It strengthens the biodiversity of all lands to the west and adds to the richness in the east. Harbor Boulevard was constructed in 1990 with oversight to wildlife movement in the area. Wildlife populations west of Harbor, especially the bobcat population, would have become completely isolated, and possibly extirpated, if safe passage across Harbor Boulevard was not created. A wildlife movement study, completed in 1999, identified mammalian movement up to and across Harbor Boulevard at the project location. While the purpose of the study was not to count wildlife killed by vehicles, researchers compiled significant roadkill data for Harbor Boulevard. They recommended a specific location for a wildlife underpass to strengthen the connectivity of wildlife habitat and movement. Armed with this scientific data and with support from elected officials, public agencies and local nonprofit organizations, the Habitat Authority, a local government park agency, together with the County of Los Angeles and the California Department of Parks and Recreation took on this project. They pursued and were successful in obtaining grant funding for construction costs. The underpass was designed to accommodate large-to medium-sized mammals. California State University, Fullerton Foundation was hired to monitor wildlife before, during, and after construction. Just nine days after the grand opening celebration of the underpass, deer were photographed using the tunnel. Coyotes and deer appear to regularly use the underpass and bobcat have been detected using the tunnel as well. The underpass project is unique in that it is the first wildlife underpass built by the County of Los Angeles. It is a multi-agency collaborative project that took over nine years to come about. It is a goodwill project that acts as a habitat linkage designed to reduce the amount of vehicle-caused wildlife mortality, and the risk of accidents that could cause harm for motorists.

This Factsheet summarizes the findings from a comparison of population counts for Los Angeles County from the 2020 data for political redistricting (P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data or PL94) and the 2015-19 American Community Survey (ACS). The Census Bureau conducts an enumeration of the population every decade and compiles the information to assist local officials to redraw political boundaries in response to population changes to ensure that electoral districts are equal in population size. While the goal for every decennial census is a complete and accurate count, it has never been perfect, both missing some individuals and double counting others.2 One serious problem with miscounting is a differential undercount, where the enumeration systematically undercounts some populations and overcounts other populations. That is, the inaccuracies are not proportionately the same across groups. This problem has profound implications within the redistricting process, essentially disenfranchising those missed by the census and undermining the "one person, one vote" principle. There are also economic consequences because governmental allocation formulas are based on population. Differential undercount is deeply embedded in and shaped by existing structures of inequality. It is, therefore, not surprising that historically low-income persons and people of color are disproportionately missed by the enumeration, thus disproportionately undercounted.

BackgroundNumerous studies have linked criteria air pollutants with adverse birth outcomes, but there is less information on the importance of specific emission sources, such as traffic, and air toxics.ObjectivesWe used three exposure data sources to examine odds of term low birth weight (LBW) in Los Angeles, California, women when exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollutants during pregnancy.MethodsWe identified term births during 1 June 2004 to 30 March 2006 to women residing within 5 miles of a South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study (MATES III) monitoring station. Pregnancy period average exposures were estimated for air toxics, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), source-specific particulate matter < 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) based on a chemical mass balance model, criteria air pollutants from government monitoring data, and land use regression (LUR) model estimates of nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Associations between these metrics and odds of term LBW (< 2,500 g) were examined using logistic regression.ResultsOdds of term LBW increased approximately 5% per interquartile range increase in entire pregnancy exposures to several correlated traffic pollutants: LUR measures of NO, NO2, and NOx, elemental carbon, and PM2.5 from diesel and gasoline combustion and paved road dust (geological PM2.5).ConclusionsThese analyses provide additional evidence of the potential impact of traffic-related air pollution on fetal growth. Particles from traffic sources should be a focus of future studies.

Presented to the California Legislature, Senate Fact Finding Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities, at their meeting in Los Angeles, December 8, 1959. ; Mode of access: Internet.

Abstract Background Numerous studies have associated air pollutant exposures with adverse birth outcomes, but there is still relatively little information to attribute effects to specific emission sources or air toxics. We used three exposure data sources to examine risks of preterm birth in Los Angeles women when exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollutants - including specific toxics - during pregnancy. Methods We identified births during 6/1/04-3/31/06 to women residing within five miles of a Southern California Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Multiple Air Toxics Exposure Study (MATES III) monitoring station. We identified preterm cases and, using a risk set approach, matched cases to controls based on gestational age at birth. Pregnancy period exposure averages were estimated for a number of air toxics including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), source-specific PM2.5 (fine particulates with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm) based on a Chemical Mass Balance model, criteria air pollutants based on government monitoring data, and land use regression (LUR) estimates of nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Associations between these metrics and odds of preterm birth were estimated using conditional logistic regression. Results Odds of preterm birth increased 6-21% per inter-quartile range increase in entire pregnancy exposures to organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), benzene, and diesel, biomass burning and ammonium nitrate PM2.5, and 30% per inter-quartile increase in PAHs; these pollutants were positively correlated and clustered together in a factor analysis. Associations with LUR exposure metrics were weaker (3-4% per inter-quartile range increase). Conclusions These latest analyses provide additional evidence of traffic-related air pollution's impact on preterm birth for women living in Southern California and indicate PAHs as a pollutant of concern that should be a focus of future studies. Other PAH sources besides traffic were also associated with higher odds of preterm birth, as was ammonium nitrate PM2.5, the latter suggesting potential importance of secondary pollutants. Future studies should focus on accurate modeling of both local and regional spatial and temporal distributions, and incorporation of source information.

Research on local welfare spending for individuals and families experiencing homelessness has characterized such spending as severely limited and constrained. Studies on fiscal federalism have argued that competition between local governments prevents leaders from spending much, if anything, to assist the homeless. County governments may be further constrained from providing assistance by state constitutions or statutes. Finally, local businesses may organize and lobby for punitive, rather than ameliorative, local treatment of the homeless. In this study, we argue that ordinary voters matter for local spending for the homeless, particularly in states where they are empowered to affect local government spending through ballot propositions. Accordingly, we mobilize data from a ballot initiative in Los Angeles County and present an exploratory study of the determinants of voter support for homelessness relief. We find that range of factors, particularly partisanship and contact with the homeless, strongly predict support for spending on the homeless.

More than 500 human cases of flea-borne typhus have been reported from Los Angeles and Orange Counties over the past 20 years. Only West Nile virus exceeds flea-borne typhus as an important vector-borne disease in these counties. Despite this, flea-borne typhus garners insignificant public attention compared to West Nile virus. In Los Angeles County alone there were 121 human cases of flea-borne typhus from 2000 to 2009, and 292 human cases from 2010 to 2015. Results from previous studies in Los Angeles and Orange Counties identified a suburban cycle of flea-borne typhus transmission involving backyard wildlife, pets, and the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis. Prior studies and recent observations in Los Angeles County showed that the flea burden of opossums and feral cats is onerously high, and the cat flea is the main vector of the pathogens (Rickettsia typhi and R. felis) responsible for human typhus. The rise of cases in recent years has been accompanied by policy changes in public and private animal control groups that manage nuisance animals in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Instead of trapping and removing strays and supporting a policy of not feeding wild or stray animals, some governmental agencies and private organizations prefer trap, neuter, and release (TNR) programs and support rehabilitating/relocating feral animals. We believe these policy changes have contributed to the increased incidence of human typhus.

This study attempts to find out the role expectations of the city managers in the policy processes of urban government by using the survey research method. Fourteen managers from Los Angeles , California, and eight managers from Utah selected at random were administered a questionnaire with ten specific statements about a city manager's role in urban· politics. The main hypothesis of the thesis was: The policy role expectations of the city managers in Los Angeles County, California, and in the State of Utah differ because of: 1. the rise of the political boss or the mayor; 2. the discretionary powers given to the city managers; 3. the types of education the city managers have had; 4. the size of the city population; and 5. geographical and environmental differences. The data reveal that these variables , viz., advanced education,mayoral election, the discretionary powers given to the city managers, types of education , and the size of the city population and the differences of geography and environment are crucial factors that affect the role expectations of the city managers in the two areas selected for study. In Los Angeles County, California, the city managers tend to take a strong stand on initiation and participation in policy processes, whereas, in the State of Utah the city managers were content to abide by the mandates of the council. The concept of policy-administration dichotomy did not seem to bother the Los Angeles County city managers and they tended to feel it was out-moded and not practical in a complex situation of today's cities.