March 30^th was our County Convention. (A note of explanation:  Many Leagues represent counties or even larger areas.  Because of the size of L.A. County we have eleven Leagues-and that is not enough.  These form an Inter-League Organization that works with the County level of government.)  The speaker was Supervisor Don Knabe who reminded us just how big L.A. county really is, the largest county in the nation.  If we were a separate state we would be somewhere between Ohio and Michigan!  The population is just over 10 million.  Each supervisor represents over two million people-more than many small states that have governors, legislatures, and the full array of government services.  There are over 100,000 county employees, including those who staff the largest jail system in the country.  There are 2.5 million, more than the population of some states, who do not currently have health insurance.  There will still be a million next year after ACA goes into effect.

The numbers were stunning at every level.  Current federal cuts to Section 8 housing will most probably make current housing unaffordable to 1,800 families.  All of these numbers affect Santa Monica.  We currently have 1,300 households receiving federal housing vouchers and will receive a proportional share if the cuts.  Many of us are not familiar with all the county does and the services provided.  Many of these are pass-through services mandated and funded by the state or federal governments with no local way to match need and funding.