League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Los Angeles County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Bobby Shriver 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?

Create transparency and accountability. Multiple agencies and programs are currently responsible for aspects of child welfare but there is inadequate integration and coordination among them. Placing responsibility for overseeing reform and interagency collaboration in a single individual will bring accountability to the County's efforts to keep vulnerable children safe.

Increase the number of social workers. Currently, over 66% of current social workers manage a caseload of 31 children and sometimes 40 children. The County CEO, Board of Supervisors and the union have agreed to hire 450 new children's social workers to reduce caseloads. This is a positive step but it may not go far enough and the process of recruiting, training, and retaining highly qualified social workers requires active oversight. Bobby will be a leader in the effort to ensure that vulnerable children get the attention they need from competent social workers.

Reduce the number of kids in the system by focusing on prevention. We need to prioritize services for at-risk children and parents by adopting reforms such as mandatory health screenings and the cross-reporting of all abuse cases. We should also increase the number of home visitations and prioritize access to existing services for families in need.

Require performance based contracting with foster agencies and reward for better outcomes. Recent investigations have exposed serious problems among private foster agencies. We must review our contracts with private foster agencies and require providers to disclose the criminal histories of foster parents and adopt stricter screening practices. In addition, we must demand full compliance with reporting, staffing, and monitoring requirements to ensure better child outcomes.

Increase compensation for relative foster caregiving. California provides among the lowest levels of financial support for foster caregiving by relatives in the nation. Many of these families are already struggling to make ends meet and need help shouldering the financial burden of taking another child into their homes. Relatives should not be discriminated against for fostering a child in their home.

Embrace community organizations as models and as partners in reform.

There are many examples of best practices here in LA County that should be replicated. For example, Stuart House in Santa Monica collocates resources in a child friendly facility, services of the Rape Treatment Center, law enforcement agencies, the District Attorney's Office, and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)." The new facility being built in the San Fernando Valley will have collocation of services and this is a model of how we build the foundation for lasting reforms.

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

Get people out of traffic! It wastes time and money, pollutes and costs good jobs. Finish the subway to the Westside without the forecasted delay. Provide rail to LAX and connect the Valley to the rest of the region. We need immediate local fixes: traffic officers, easy local access to rail, free student transit passes.

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

Yes. I support citizen oversight of the Sheriff's Department and implementation of reform including establishing stronger relationships within the diverse communities of our district.

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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: September 28, 2014 15:28
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