(a) The term “Local Public Health Emergency” as used in this Section shall mean a local emergency due to the existence of a critical local public health crisis caused by the transmission of HIV and AIDS through the use of hypodermic needles or syringes. Local Public Health Emergency, as used in this Section, shall not be subject to the other provisions of Chapter 3, Article 3 of the Los Angeles Administrative Code.
(b) Declaration of Local Public Health Emergency. The Mayor is hereby empowered to declare the existence of a Local Public Health Emergency when the Mayor finds that the authorization of clean needle and syringe exchange projects would abate the spread of HIV and AIDS. This declaration by the Mayor shall be in writing and shall take effect immediately upon its issuance. The Mayor shall cause widespread publicity and notice to be given of the declaration through the most feasible and adequate means of disseminating the notice throughout the City.
Whenever the Mayor declares a Local Public Health Emergency, the Chief Legislative Analyst's Office shall prepare, with the assistance of the City Attorney, a resolution ratifying the existence of a local public health emergency. Such resolution shall be submitted by the Mayor to the City Clerk for presentation to the Council. The Council shall approve or disapprove such resolution within seven days from the date of the original declaration by the Mayor.
(c) Monitoring the Local Public Health Emergency. The General Manager of the Department on Disability, or the General Manager’s designee, shall monitor the state of the Local Public Health Emergency by annually requesting from the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services a custom table of the percent of AIDS cases attributable to injection drug use in the City of Los Angeles.
(d) Termination of the Local Public Health Emergency. If the General Manager, Department on Disability, or the General Manager’s designee, finds in monitoring the emergency that there is a fifty or greater percent decrease in the percentage of AIDS cases attributable to injection drug use in the City of Los Angeles as compared to the year before, the General Manager shall report this finding to the City Council, which may then terminate the declaration of the Local Public Health Emergency.
SECTION HISTORY
Added by Ord. No. 176,080, Eff. 7-6-04.