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Congress
of Neighborhoods Agenda
Mayor's
Press Release
Greg
Nelson's Opinion - Daily News
First Congress of Neighborhoods a BIG Success !
by Bill Murray
By any measure the over 800 representatives who gathered at the
Universal Sheraton Hotel on Saturday had a wonderful experience.
Stakeholders from Neighborhood Councils all around Los Angeles were
in attendance, and it was obvious everyone was enthusiastic about
their participation.
The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) hosted the event,
which ran smoothly and with surprising efficiency, and the Board
of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC) attended.
There are 39 already certified Neighborhood Councils, and another
30 or so have their applications pending. Still other groups have
indicated an intention to file, but are not yet prepared to submit
their area's plans.
People from all three categories were invited, and attended, the
Congress.
The creation of a citywide system of Neighborhood Councils was mandated
when the voters approved the new City Charter in June, 1999. The
Department of Neighborhood Empowerment plans to hold at least two
of these Congress of Neighborhoods each year.
This was a working day, with numerous workshops and seminars held
in several sessions, where over 45 topics were discussed. But the
highlights of the Congress were twofold ... the jam packed opening
meeting, and the ability to network throughout the day.
The MC for the Opening Session was Greg Nelson, DONE's General Manager.
Mayor James Hahn gave the welcoming address to a standing room only
crowd in the Sheraton's Grand Ballroom. He spoke of the enthusiasm
and hope he has that the Neighborhood Councils can improve the quality
of life for every stakeholder, saying, "I
believe our mission is simple ... to improve Los Angeles neighborhood
by neighborhood. If we can get people feeling good about the street
they live on, they will feel good about the city they live in."
The Mayor took the opportunity to announce the formation of a new
division within the Mayor's Office
called the Mayor's Neighborhood Team. The new group will be modeled
after the Los Angeles Business Team, and will be designed to serve
as the Mayor's Office representative to expedite, coordinate and
implement programs and improvement projects with Neighborhood Councils
and other community organizations.
In addition, Mayor Hahn also announced that the Neighborhood Councils
will have a direct role in the City's budget process.
There is $3,000,000 earmarked in the city budget for Neighborhood
Councils to use for operating expenses and improvement projects.
The plan is headed toward the City Council for approval.
Following the Mayor, City
Controller Laura Chick, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and LA City
Councilmembers Wendy Gruel, Eric Garcetti, Janice Hahn, Jack Weiss
and Tom LaBonge all spoke to the enthusiastic attendees.
They were followed by a number of City of Los Angeles Department
leaders.
LAPD's Assistant Chief David Gascon and Commander Jim McDonnell,
the Special Assistant to the Chief of Police who oversees community
policing at LAPD, were both on hand, inviting a robust partnership
with each of the Councils and every stakeholder.
Fearing the Opening Session would run long, several Department heads
who had planned to address the crowd were introduced to the audience,
but did not get an opportunity to speak.
After the assembly, the attendees exited to the first of the seminars,
passing tables filled with useful information about city services.
Commander McDonnell and Sergeant Vic Dennis manned the LAPD display
all day long, answering questions, giving out literature and talking
about LAPD's commitment to community based policing partnerships
with the residents of every neighborhood.
The hallways and outside areas became a natural location for people
to network with each other, as stakeholders met old friends and
made new ones. Ideas were shared, phone numbers exchanged, and promises
to cooperate with other adjoining Neighborhood Councils made.
There were two sets of workshops, followed by a nice box lunch,
and then a final set of workshops.
Topics in these working sessions included:
| Organizing
and Networking |
Communication
and Outreach |
| Certification
Basics |
Impacting
the City Budget |
| Organizing
for Power |
Elections
- Best Practices |
| Strategic
Planning |
Work
Plan Development |
| Strengthening
Your Power Base |
Making
Meetings Work |
| Solving
Community Problems |
Where's
the Money? |
| Ethics
and the Brown Act |
Holding
the Money |
| Access
Through Information |
Planning
and Zoning |
| Communicating
Through the Media |
USC
Neighborhood Participation Project |
| Communicating
with Stakeholders |
and
Planning the Next Congress |
Speaking
of "Planning the Next Congress" ... this one was such
a huge success it stretched the Universal Sheraton as a venue to
its limits.
If each of those who attended the First Congress of Neighborhoods
brought another stakeholder or two to the second one, maybe DONE
should think about next year's event at the LA Convention or Staples
Center!
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For more information on Neighborhood Councils contact:
Department
of Neighborhood Empowerment
305 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
866 / LA HELPS
213 / 485-1360
213 / 485-4608 fax
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