[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 20, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





       RECOGNIZING DON KNABE'S SERVICE TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 20, 2016

  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Supervisor Don 
Knabe, who has served the County of Los Angeles for the past two 
decades.
  Supervisor Knabe was first elected to the Los Angeles County Board of 
Supervisors in November of 1996 and has represented the Fourth 
District, a uniquely diverse area that is home to over two million 
residents and includes two of the nation's largest economic hubs: the 
Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the Los Angeles International 
Airport.
  Supervisor Knabe has spent much of his political career working to 
protect innocent and vulnerable children in Los Angeles County. He 
established the Safe Surrender program in Los Angeles County, which 
allows for the surrender of an infant within 72 hours of birth at a 
County hospital or fire station. Since 2001, over 140 babies have been 
safely surrendered in Los Angeles County. In 2015, Supervisor Knabe 
launched a scholarship program to benefit children who have been safely 
surrendered.
  Supervisor Knabe also is a national leader on combating child sex 
trafficking. He launched a County-wide awareness campaign to bring 
attention to the heinous practice of young children being sexually 
exploited in southern California. In 2013, he testified on the issue of 
child sex trafficking at a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs 
Committee in Washington, D.C.
  In 2007, Supervisor Knabe was appointed by President George W. Bush 
to serve on the President's Homeland Security Advisory Council, which 
worked with the White House to establish national programs to prepare 
and protect communities across the nation from terrorist attacks.
  Supervisor Knabe has a passion for the arts and attributes his own 
personal success to an early involvement with music. His enthusiasm for 
the arts has led to the creation of several innovative youth programs, 
such as the Pediatric Arts Program at Rancho Los Amigos National 
Rehabilitation Center and the Arts Education Partnership Program that 
provides grants to schools and community-based organizations to fund 
visual art, dance, music, and theatre programs for students.
  In addition, Supervisor Knabe has led the County's efforts to improve 
overall water quality, including 19 projects within the Fourth District 
that will lower pollution and divert storm water from the ocean, 
including the Dominguez Gap Wetlands Project that was completed in 
2008. This also enhanced recreation opportunities for residents and 
visitors through environmental cleanup efforts, creating an open space 
habitat for the community.
  Supervisor Knabe is an avid golfer and hosts the Knabe Cup in 
cooperation with the California Interscholastic Federation, a golf 
tournament for high school boys and girls. He also supports junior golf 
clinics for kids to develop a love for golf at a young age.
  While these are just some of Supervisor Knabe's significant 
accomplishments, on behalf of the County of Los Angeles and the State 
of California, I want to extend my gratitude for his valuable 
contributions throughout his illustrious career to helping our 
communities. With sincere best wishes, I congratulate Supervisor Knabe 
upon his retirement from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, 
and wish him and his wife, Julie, well as they enter this new chapter 
of their lives.

                          ____________________