League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Los Angeles County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Sheila Kuehl Answers Questions Candidate for Supervisor; County of Los Angeles; Supervisorial District 3

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What steps do you think the Board of Supervisors should take to improve the foster care system and in particular to provide safe emergency or temporary placement for infants and children?

There must be a designated facility for emergency and temporary placement of infants and children. It is not acceptable to have children sleeping on the floors of offices. The County must hire more social workers and take more time to train them. The recently-opened academy for new hires is a good start, as is the addition of 450 new social workers recently approved by the Supervisors. However, social worker case loads are still too high. The County also must improve the placement of social workers so that experienced case managers also make many of the home visits and are assigned to deal with more of the most difficult and complex cases. The County must also improve its oversight of agencies that identify potential foster parents, as well as homes that house foster youth who are aging out of the system. We must do better at transition services for this population, as well.

2. The County Supervisors sit also on the board of the Metropolitan Transit District. What would be your top priorities for the MTA?

In order to get people out of their cars we need a comprehensive plan to get people to and from train stations, such as a DASH-like system in various parts of the County, bicycle valets and lockers. I support the creation of a line from the San Fernando Valley through the Sepulveda pass all the way to LAX. I would like to see a hub at LAX that connects the new Valley line with the Crenshaw line and the Green Line, where you can check your luggage, get your seats and hope on a people mover that takes you around to each of the terminals. We must continue to pay attention to our bus riders and find other ways to move Metro from the red to the black that doesn't involve raising fares. I support the expansion of the system through an extension of Measure R, which should soon be on the ballot.

3. Do you support the creation of an independent oversight commission for the Sheriff's Department?

Yes, I am in favor of a citizen's oversight commission, as well as greater authority to the Inspector General to have access to the information he needs to assess the behavior of jail personnel. I also favor a citizens' oversight commission for the juvenile justice system in the County.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' answers are presented as submitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: July 17, 2014 11:10
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