Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Newsletter

July 3, 2003

MAYOR JAMES K. HAHN INVITES YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN BUDGET DAY 2003

"Sharing the Power - Shaping the Budget"

Facilitated by: Mayor Hahn, the Mayor's Budget Team, the City Administrative Officer, and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.

Mayor Jim Hahn is inviting Neighborhood Councils to join him and his budget team to begin the process of sharing the power that comes from developing the city's annual budget.

This will be nothing like last year's Budget Day. We all learned a great deal from that last-minute effort. The Mayor has heard your suggestions.

There are many, such as the USC's Neighborhood Participation Project, who believe that participation in the city's budgetary process is one of the most important roles that Neighborhood Councils can have (see their report at: http://sc2.usc.edu/ccd/npp/right.htm).

The Mayor is requesting participation from up to three representatives from each of the Neighborhood Councils that have elected governing boards in place. Preparing the city's budget is a complex matter, and it is arguably the single most important responsibility of the mayor. He wants to share that power with you, and to be the first mayor to do so.

Ultimately, the Mayor envisions that each Neighborhood Council may create a "City Budget Committee," or least appoint people who are seriously dedicated to participating in the process with him.

The event will be Saturday, July 26, 2003 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Check-in, a continental breakfast, and networking will begin at 9 a.m. The details of what will be expected from the Neighborhood Councils will be explained by the Mayor and his budget team starting at 10 a.m.

About 11 a.m., the Neighborhood Council representatives will breakout into one of seven rooms based upon which TeamWork LA area they are in (a list of those seven areas, and the Neighborhood Councils that are within them, can be found on the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment's Web site at http://www.lacityneighborhoods.com/ -- click on Neighborhood Councils>Map Legend). This is where you will learn about the nuts and bolts of the process through the eyes of the city's budget experts; what will be asked of the Neighborhood Councils; what will happen after Budget Day; and the deadlines.

All of the participants will gather for the closing about 12:30 p.m.

This will be a hard working session. There will be no other activities. The departments, unlike last year, will not be present.

The active participants will be the one to three representatives from each Neighborhood Council that has an elected governing board. The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment will e-mail those who have been designed as the main contact for each of these Neighborhood Councils (see the list below), and give them directions through which they can designate their representatives. If you are interested, you likely know the process through which your Neighborhood Council handles such things. If in doubt, contact the appropriate person below. The deadline for us to receive the names will be July 20th.

Before July 20th, directions will be sent to all others about how to place themselves on a waiting list in order to attend as an observer. Space will be limited.

Representatives should be prepared to start working with the Mayor, not as individual Neighborhood Councils, but rather as a "federation" of Neighborhood Councils within in their TeamWork LA area. Representatives are encouraged to begin thinking about the "big picture" needs of their region. Please understand that this is about assisting the Mayor in the development of the city budget, so you will asked to view the budget as he does. You will learn more about what this means on Budget Day.

If you have any questions that you absolutely must ask, call Betty Wong Oyama at the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. Toll-free 1 (866) LA HELPS. This will work as long as everyone doesn't call at the same time.

Neighborhood Council, Last Name, First Name, E-Mail

ARLETA, SHOEMAKER, MARGARET, MESHOE@ADELPHIA.NET
BEL AIR-BEVERLY CREST, LUKASIK, STEPHEN, STEVE@GNSL.ORG
BOYLE HEIGHTS, JIMENEZ, ROBERT, GR8TACTIC@AOL.COM
CANOGA PARK, CLARY, RONALD, CPLAW@SOFTHOME.NET
CENTRAL HOLLYWOOD, WEHBE, DEBBIE, DEBBIE@HLRSH.COM
CENTRAL SAN PEDRO, ULLER, HOWARD, PRESIDENT@SANPEDROCITY.ORG
COASTAL SAN PEDRO, EPPERHART, DOUG, DEPPERHART@AOL.COM
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, WANCE, DOUG, DWANCE1@YAHOO.COM
EAGLE ROCK, SOTELO, DALILA, EAGLEROCKER@HOTMAIL.COM
ELYSIAN VALLEY RIVERSIDE, VARGAS, ALBERT, NAVARGAS1@HOTMAIL.COM
EMPOWERMENT CONGRESS CENTRAL AREA, PRATER, FRANK, FPRATER@ATTBI.COM
EMPOWERMENT CONGRESS NORTH AREA, RODRIGUEZ, CARLOS, R1CARLOS@AOL.COM
EMPOWERMENT CONGRESS SOUTHEAST AREA, ROGERS, JULIAN, JULIANROGERS@HOTMAIL.COM
EMPOWERMENT CONGRESS SOUTHWEST AREA, HARRIS, JAMES, SWNDCCHAIR@AOL.COM
EMPOWERMENT CONGRESS WEST AREA, COLE, ROBERT, RCOLEFOR8@AOL.COM
GLASSELL PARK, SCHPAK, HELENE, HSCHPK@EARTHLINK.NET
GRANADA HILLS NORTH, BENDIKSON, BECKY, REBEND@SOCAL.RR.COM
GRASS ROOTS VENICE, BEDROSIAN, TISHA, TISHA_BEDROSIAN@EARTHLINK.NET
GREATER ECHO PARK ELYSIAN, DEBOE, THOMAS, TLDEBOE@AOL.COM
GREATER GRIFFITH PARK, MIMS, CHARLEY, CMMIMS@PACBELL.NET
GREATER TOLUCA LAKE, AJALAT, SOL, SOLNLIL@AOL.COM
HARBOR CITY, VALLE, JOEANNE, HCHGCHAMBER@SBCGLOBAL.NET
HISTORIC CULTURAL, WOO, PETER, PETERWOO@MEGATOYS.COM
HISTORIC HIGHLAND PARK, HERNANDEZ, MANNY, MADDOGMANNY@AOL.COM
HOLLYWOOD HILLS WEST, BERNSTEIN, DAN, DAN@DLBCORP.COM
HOLLYWOOD UNITED NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL, BROWN, RUSSELL, JRBROWNPOL@AOL.COM
LINCOLN HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL, GARCIA, OSCAR, SBM@WORLDNET.ATT.NET
MAR VISTA COMMUNITY COUNCIL, SCHEDING, WILLIAM, WLS@MARVISTACC.ORG
MID CITY NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL, VASQUEZ, STEVEN, STEVENVASQUEZ@ATTBI.COM
MID CITY WEST, DRAPER, KEN, KENDRAPERCOM@AOL.COM
MID-TOWN NORTH HOLLYWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL, CORRAL, DIANN, DIANNCORRAL@EARTHLINK.NET
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL OF WESTCHESTER-PLAYA DEL REY, VUCHSAS, GWEN, GVUCHSAS@AOL.COM
NORTHWEST SAN PEDRO, GREENWOOD, JOHN, JOHNGREENWOOD@NWSANPEDRO.ORG
P.I.C.O., WATERS, RICHARD, RWATERS@CATALYSTSOFTWARE.COM
PACOIMA, GALLEGOS, RICHARD, PNCPRESIDENTGALLEGOS@YAHOO.COM
PARK MESA HEIGHTS, KELLEY, GEORGE, GEEKELL@AOL.COM
RESEDA NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL, FITZPATRICK, JOHN F. JFITZPATRICK@ISACORP.COM
SHERMAN OAKS, GERSTON, KENNETH, UBINC@UBI-INC.COM
STUDIO CITY, DI BENEDETTO, BEN, BENDIBEN@EARTHLINK.NET
TARZANA, SHAFFER, LEONARD, TARZANANC@TARZANANEIGHBORHOODCOUNCIL.ORG
UNITED NEIGHBORHOODS, LEEMHUIS, GUY, GUY.LEEMHUIS@PAI-CA.ORG
VERMONT HARBOR, BLAKE, BEVERLY, BB3343@AOL.COM
WATTS NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL, SIMMS, JACQUELYN, JVODEH@AOL.COM
WEST ADAMS, DENNIS, JESSE, JDENNISSR@AOL.COM
WEST HILLS, GREMER, CHARLES, GWACIE2@AOL.COM
WESTSIDE, TIPPIT, TERRI ,TERRIMTIPPIT@COMCAST.NET
WILMINGTON, ODONNELL, TONI, TONIMARIEOD@JUNO.COM
WOODLAND HILLS-WARNER CENTER, ENFIELD, SANDY, WHWCNC@AOL.COM

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Greg Nelson

213 / 485-1360
866 / LA HELPS toll-free
213 / 485-4608 fax
done@mailbox.lacity.org email