Bits 'n' Pieces

Collaborative Effort to End Fentanyl Crisis

With fentanyl overdose deaths soaring, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón joined with Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer to announce the creation of a working group to address the fentanyl crisis through prevention, education and enforcement.

“I’m proud to announce that we are leading a multifaceted and collaborative effort to save lives,” District Attorney Gascón said. “The proliferation of fentanyl-related deaths poses one of the gravest challenges of our times. We are bringing together the county’s public health experts, education leaders, community advocates and law enforcement professionals to support and utilize evidence-based and effective approaches to stopping the toll fentanyl is taking.”

“This multifaceted approach is necessary because if the failed ‘War on Drugs’ of the 90s has taught us one thing, it is that we cannot incarcerate our way out of a public health issue. Enforcement is not enough. Saving lives is the priority when addressing substance abuse and illicit drug use, as only the living have the opportunity to recover. This is a community wide problem and will take collaboration among all of us to stem the tide of harm that is plaguing our neighborhoods.”

The seriousness of this crisis was highlighted by the release today of the Department of Public Health’s report on fentanyl deaths in Los Angeles County, which reports that accidental fentanyl overdose deaths ballooned 1,208% from 109 in 2016 to 1,504 in 2021.

The report also found that fentanyl and methamphetamine were the most common drug types listed as a cause of death in accidental drug overdose deaths in the county.

“First, let me offer my deepest condolences and wishes of peace to the many families who have lost a loved one from fentanyl poisoning,” Dr. Ferrer said. “As our data indicates, the tragedies resulting from fentanyl are indiscriminately impacting all populations regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. Fentanyl’s reach is unfortunately broad, calling for a similarly broad approach to address the crisis. I am grateful for this opportunity to work in collaboration with people from many different sectors to address this important public health issue.”

Joining LADA and the Department of Public Health in the working group are the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles School Police Department, the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association, the Los Angeles Police Department, the Drug Policy Alliance and school districts throughout the county.

The working group will collaborate to accomplish prevention, education and enforcement goals.

To read the Department of Public Health report on fentanyl overdoses in Los Angeles County, visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/sapc/MDU/SpecialReport/FentanylOverdose....

Final Stages of Queen Mary Critical Repairs

This past summer, the City of Long Beach completed another round of critical repairs to the Queen Mary and is moving into the final stages of repairs. Critical repair work ensures that the ship is safe for visitors when the city welcomes the community and Queen Mary fans back on board to enjoy sections of the ship by the end of the year.

Over the summer months, the city conducted safety and reinforcement upgrades to the ship’s bulkheads – the inner walls within the hull that prevents the ship’s water intake – to enhance their overall safety and operational effectiveness. The bulkheads heights were extended, making the bulkheads serve as watertight compartments and largely improving the ship’s internal structural stability.

These repairs, in addition to the removal of 20 deteriorated lifeboats earlier this year, have drastically reinforced the overall structural integrity of the ship, allowing for additional safety improvements to be conducted. During this phase of repairs, the city also began the installation of an automated bilge pump system, a critical safety component that will discharge any excess water resulting from an unlikely event of water intrusion. All 11 bilge pump platforms have been built to support the new system and the installation of the bilge pumps is expected to occur in early 2023.

This fall, work continues onboard the Queen Mary with the final phase of critical repairs currently in progress. The city will install an emergency generator, which has the capacity to generate 500 kilowatts of emergency power to operate the bilge pump system, interior and external lighting, and safety equipment in the event of an emergency. Lastly, the city is slated to finish the installation of two boilers and heat exchangers, which will allow for hot water to be used for cooking, cleaning and sanitation, by early 2023.

Approximately 75% of the critical repairs inside the ship – electrical, plumbing and metal fabrication-related work – is expected to be complete by the end of this year, with the remaining internal critical repairs to be completed in early 2023.

Once the critical structural and safety repairs are completed, aesthetic repairs – such as interior and exterior painting, flooring and railing – will continue to be worked on leading up to and after the ship’s reopening to the public. City staff from the Department of Public Works will continue making other minor repairs, including the upgrade of interior lighting to LEDs and other necessary ship maintenance.

“We are excited to see the repairs getting completed to ensure a successful preview at the end of this year,” said Department of Public Works Director Eric Lopez. “Thanks to our city team, construction contractors and the support from our consultant historian, we’ve reached another milestone to restore the ship and get us one step closer to inviting people back to visit this special area of Long Beach.”

In June, the Long Beach City Council authorized the city manager to enter into a Hospitality Management Agreement with Evolution Hospitality, LLC., to reopen and operate the Queen Mary’s hotel, food and beverage facilities, entertainment attractions and ship-related events for a period of five years. Since then, the city has allocated a total of $3.6 million to support preopening improvements for priority projects and preopening staffing costs, funded in part by Tidelands Funds and revenue from Special Events and Filming.

While critical repairs are conducted, the Queen Mary has been closed to the public but continues to be available for filming and special events, which helps generate revenue to support the ship operations.

To keep the public informed, the city created a Queen Mary Updates web page, which includes the Queen Mary’s economic impacts on the city, a historical overview, the city’s stance on preserving the historic integrity and structural safety of the ship and the city’s short- and long-term goals in the preservation process.

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