MAYOR GARCETTI CONGRATULATES SCIENCE ADVISOR DR. LUCY JONES ON WINNING “OSCAR” OF GOVERNMENT SERVICE
LOS ANGELES– Mayor Garcetti today congratulated Dr. Lucy Jones on receiving one of the highest honors given to a federal employee. Jones earned the prestigious Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal in the Citizen Services category for her work to unite seismic research with public policy in Los Angeles. Dr. Jones spent one year with the Mayor’s Office, on loan from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), bringing together academics, scientists, community members, and policy makers to create Mayor Garcetti’s “Resilience by Design Report.” That work has lead to the implementation of policy and legislation in Los Angeles to better protect residents from earthquakes and natural disaster.
The Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal, commonly called “Sammies,” are known as the “Oscars” of government service. The award is a highly respected honor with a vigorous selection process. Named for the Partnership for Public Service’s late founder who was inspired by President Kennedy’s call to serve in 1963, these awards align with his vision of a dynamic federal workforce that meets the needs of the American people.
“Dr. Jones’ groundbreaking work to bridge the gap between seismic science and public action will make a life-saving difference for countless Angelenos and Californians when disaster strikes,” said Mayor Garcetti. “I couldn’t be prouder of the work we did together to better prepare our city for the inevitable with our “Resilience by Design” report, and can’t think of a more worthy recipient for one of our nation’s highest honors.”
“I am humbled by this honor and grateful for the opportunities to serve the public for more than 30 years,” said Jones. “I believe it is our obligation as scientists working for the American people to make information from our science understandable by non-scientists so that it can be used to support others in making our country safer from inevitable natural disasters.”
The Resilience by Design report focused on three areas: communications, water, and building safety. This summer, Mayor Garcetti signed into law legislation that increases the strength required for building new cell towers in the City of Los Angeles, and is brokering a deal between major wireless carriers to share bandwidth in the event of a natural disaster. His office is working with the Department of Water and Power to ensure the delivery of water in the event of an emergency in addition to developing local water sources in line with his Sustainable City pLAn goals. Mayor Garcetti’s seismic retrofit ordinances to strengthen L.A.’s most vulnerable buildings are pending in City Council.