LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion authored by Second District Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell and co-authored by Board Chair Supervisor Hilda L. Solis, representing the First District, to establish a more transparent and sustainable process for conducting inquests for all cases involving fatal use of force by Sheriff Deputies. The motion also calls for a public investigation into the circumstances, manner and causes of death for Dana Mitchell “Malik” Young, Jr., Dijon Kizzee, and Samuel Herrera, who were shot and killed by LA County Sherriff’s deputies.

“No one is above the law. The families and communities that are left grappling with the pain of losing their loved one deserve truth and accountability. This is about providing additional oversight and transparency into the investigation of Deputy-involved fatal uses of force by establishing equitable policies and resources that will apply to all cases, not just the ones that make the news.” said Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “The barriers put in place by the  Sheriff’s department require action to ensure the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) can do its job and that we are upholding our commitment as a County to equity.”

“Time and time again, residents who have lost loved ones at the hands of LASD deputies have been unable to receive information about the circumstances of their deaths and are given the run around,” shared Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Hilda L. Solis, “I’ve heard these stories first-hand from many of my residents and, to that end, I feel a strong duty to support and stand beside them. Today’s action will help provide some sense of solace for those still seeking answers and hold deputies accountable through a transparent process. These policies shouldn’t be necessary, but unfortunately they are when law enforcement believes they are above the law.”

Currently, an inquest is made primarily through the approval of motions presented by the Board of Supervisors. This motion seeks to make a more accessible process for the public and families of victims to gain answers and justice by directing the Chief Medical Examiner-Coroner in collaboration with relevant County departments and community stakeholders to report back in 90 days on establishing a criteria for determining when inquests should be automatically done and  identify funding sources to ensure the Medical Examiner-Coroner is properly resourced to meet the public need for this service.  

The families of  Mr. Young, Mr. Kizzee, and Mr. Herrera are among hundreds of families that still seek answers for the death of their loved ones at the hands of Sheriff Deputies. According to a 2019 report by the OIG, the LA County Civilian Oversight Commission, 1,942 public record requests to the LA Sheriff’s Department made under the Right to Know Act (Senate Bill 1421) and California Public Records Act – which requires reports to be made public involving police shootings – were outstanding for 180 days without a response.

“Since 2000, 937 families—including Essie Justice Group member Ms. Khadijah Shabazz—have mourned the loss of a loved one because of shocking and unacceptable acts of violence by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. We have seen too many Black women lose their sons, daughters, partners, and loved ones due to this department’s lawlessness” shared Gina Clayton-Johnson, Founder and Executive Director of Essie Justice Group “These killings continue to impart a level of trauma and terror into the lives of residents while the LA Sheriff refuses to take the most basic steps on behalf of civil and human rights. Today’s passing of Supervisors Mitchell and Solis’s motion is necessary to provide the transparency, answers, and justice that Ms. Shabazz and all those who mourn the tragic killing of Dana Mitchell Young Jr. and countless others deserve.”

To read the full motion, click here.

LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, as a member of the LA Metro board, I voted to allow K-14 students to ride for free. This is a promising step but more must be done for our low-income riders. This is why I am proud to share that as we continue to fight for a fareless system, the Metro board unanimously voted in support of my motion to take action in making public transportation affordable for residents who rely on it the most. My motion includes the following key components to help strengthen Metro’s discount fare program:

LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved two companion motions led by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell with co-authorship from Supervisors Sheila Kuehl and Janice Hahn, that sets LA County on path to becoming the first in the nation to ban existing oil drilling and transition fossil fuel workers to family-sustaining careers in clean energy and other climate-friendly industries.

Tens of thousands of County residents live in close proximity to an oil well and nearly 73 percent of those residents are people of color. Within unincorporated communities of LA County, there are approximately 1,600 active and idle oil wells. Over half of those wells are within the Inglewood Oil Field alone, making it the largest urban oil field in the nation, located in Los Angeles County’s Second Supervisorial District.

“We have an opportunity and responsibility as the home of the largest urban oil field in the nation to lead by example in creating an equitable path for phasing out oil drilling. Collectively, the motions that passed today center the needs of the communities and workers most impacted by oil drilling and build on LA County’s momentum in fighting climate change and sunsetting oil and gas operations,” shared Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell. “I applaud the Board for continuing to move the County forward on this critical issue and the countless advocates that have helped get us to this point. Our work is far from done but this is a promising step for environmental justice.”   

Mitchell’s motion titled Protecting Communities Near Oil and Gas Drilling Operations in Los Angeles County co-authored by Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, updates the Department of Regional Planning’s (DRP) Draft Oil Well Ordinance for unincorporated LA County to prohibit all new oil and gas extraction wells in all zones and designates all existing oil and gas extraction activities as nonconforming uses in all zones. This motion also requests a report back from DRP in 120 days on the financial cost to phasing out oil operations with actionable steps the County can take, read the full motion here.   

“Urban oil drilling isn’t safe.  People who live near active oil wells suffer high rates of asthma, with an even greater impact on people’s lungs than living next to a freeway. For the health and well-being of our families and children, we need to end this practice as soon as possible. This motion gets us one step closer to that goal,” said Supervisor Sheila Kuehl.

Phasing out oil drilling will require an intentional plan for transitioning workers on these sites into jobs and industries that are safe and provide family sustaining wages. This is the focus of Supervisor Mitchell’s motion: Developing a Comprehensive Strategy for a Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels, co-authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn. This motion helps operationalize the recommendations from the County’s Just Transition to Clean Energy Task Force which includes centering the needs and perspectives of workers and frontline communities in workforce transition strategies that include all sectors of the fossil fuel industry. To read the full motion click here.

“We don’t have to choose between the environment and good jobs—we can, and we should have both,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “But we need to be intentional about creating those jobs and investing in new opportunities for workers.”

“Responsibly phasing out oil drilling and cleaning up old wells is critical to ensuring we protect public health as part of a just transition in LA County,” said April Verrett President of SEIU 2015. “We applaud the Board of Supervisors for taking this historic vote, and hope that it can represent a model for the rest of the state to protect both workers and public health.”  

In 2019, the Board adopted the Our County Sustainability Plan, which included a comprehensive strategy for a more equitable LA County, and two key directives for protecting communities from oil wells: (1) addressing the proximity between oil and gas operations and sensitive land uses and (2) developing a sunset strategy for oil and gas operations. The motions passed today build on the County’s progress over the recent years to better regulate oil drilling and prioritize the public health and safety of its residents living near oil wells.

 “Angelenos have been forced to live with dangerous oil drilling in our backyards for far too long, putting our families’ health at risk and adding to the climate chaos we’re already experiencing. This historic vote is the direct result of communities coming together to demand better,” said Sierra Club Campaign Representative, Nicole Levin. “Ending oil drilling in our communities is possible, and for the sake of our health and our climate, we must do so immediately. We look forward to working with the County to follow through on this vote by phasing out existing drilling as soon as possible, and we urge the rest of Los Angeles to follow suit.”

“As someone who lives in close proximity to oil drilling, seeing motions introduced to begin the process to phase out oil drilling in LA County is exciting for frontline residents. Our County has the opportunity to right the wrongs of racist land-use decisions such as redlining and expedited oil drilling permit approvals and has the power to step up for vulnerable families living, playing, and praying right next to oil drilling,” shared Ashley Hernandez, Advocate with Communities for a Better Environment.