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San Pedro, CA— Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is celebrating the appointment of Laura Trejo, who will lead the launch of the County’s first department dedicated to serving older adults and residents with disabilities. The new department, which will start up by Fall 2022, will unite the services and resources the County offers for older adults and those with disabilities under one department and be able to proactively address the needs of these growing populations.
“The County could not ask for a better leader to usher in the new aging and disabilities department,” said Supervisor Hahn who championed the creation of the new department. “In Laura Trejo, we have someone who already has a long and successful career making a difference in the lives of older adults and people with disabilities. She understands the challenges many families are facing: she grew up in a multigenerational household and, after her grandmother suffered a stroke, Laura helped care and translate for her. This work is personal to Laura. I am looking forward to working with her to create this new and needed department and make LA County a place where our older residents and residents with disabilities can thrive.”
Until the new department’s creation, Laura Trejo will serve as the Executive Director for Aging and Community Services under the Workforce Development Aging and Community Services (WDACS) Department. This new branch will be responsible for the administration of older adult services, Adult Protective Services, and management of the County’s Community and Senior Centers. As Executive Director, Ms. Trejo will play a central leadership role in the County’s proactive efforts to establish a coordinated strategy and service delivery system for older adults and adults with disabilities.
“I look forward to working with Supervisor Hahn and the Board of Supervisors to implement their vision for services that support the independence and dignity of older adults and adults with disabilities,” said Laura Trejo, new Executive Director for Aging and Community Services. “Housing the Commission on Disabilities within a new Department of Aging will ensure more unified, inclusive, and impactful community-informed programs and services. I am excited about the possibilities that await the communities we serve and our new department.”
Ms. Trejo has over 36 years of experience serving the older residents of the County of Los Angeles. Prior to joining LA County, she served as the General Manager for the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Aging. In this capacity, she partnered with the County to establish and lead Purposeful Aging L.A. (PALA), an initiative to make our region the most age-friendly in the world. From 1985 to 2002, Ms. Trejo was the District Chief for the LA County Department of Mental Health where she led Countywide Older Adult Programs. A respected expert and peer-reviewed author on aging, mental health, Alzheimer’s Disease, and rehabilitation, Ms. Trejo brings a wealth of administrative and programmatic experience to LA County.
Supervisor Hahn has championed the creation of the new department so that LA County can proactively meet the needs of residents with disabilities and the skyrocketing older adult population. Los Angeles County’s population of older adults over the age of 60 is already larger than the older adult population of 41 states and is expected to double between 2010 and 2030, from roughly 1.8 million to nearly 3.6 million.
