Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe today delivered his annual State of the County address at the Long Beach Convention Center, explaining that the county is “weathering the storm” economically and working to create new jobs. He also introduced plans to spend $42 million in new construction projects throughout his 4th District, including two projects in Long Beach which the LBPOST.com addressed this morning in this article.

This year’s event was the first to ever be broadcast for free online on the Supervisor’s website, Knabe.com.

Knabe announced that improvements to the San Gabriel River Bike Path and Lakewood Golf Course will receive more than $9 million from the Capital Project Investment Fund, which is paying for the full $42 million in construction projects across his district. The goal, Knabe says, is to enhance recreation, social services and healthcare.

More than $3.6 million will be spent to refurbish the bike path, which runs through Long Beach and eight other cities, while $5.6 million will be spent on the golf course for what Knabe calls “a significant upgrade” that includes greater handicapped accessibility, storage and junior golf programs. The two Long Beach projects are part of Knabe’s $42 million plan to create construction jobs and benefit services to residents of the county.

The annual Knabe Cup golf tournament, in which more than 30 local high school teams compete each year, is held every April at the Lakewood Country Club.

Knabe also pointed out many problems that exist within the county, specifically to a 12.7% unemployment rate that he referred to as one of “our enemies,” while also acknowledging that the unemployment rate is even higher in Long Beach. The Supervisor pointed to 7,822 local jobs that have been created as part of his campaign to create 10,000 temporary jobs since this past July.

“Within the federal stimulus package was an allocation of billions of dollars to specifically create temporary jobs for people who are currently on welfare,” Knabe told a packed crowd. “The idea being that it's better to use taxpayer money to have someone working, potentially leading to permanent full-time employment, than simply collecting a welfare check.”

The Port of Long Beach served as the event’s main sponsor, and the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the address. Proceeds from the event provided financial assistance to local non-profit organizations U.S. Vets and the Los Angeles County Junior Golf Foundation.

Disclosure: LBPOST.com publisher Shaun Lumachi is under contract with the Office of Supervisor Don Knabe, and is a government affairs advisor to the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. Supervisor Knabe's State of the County address was an LBPOST.com advertiser.

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