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Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Newsletter
November 20, 2002
Re:
Need Accomplishments. Want Best Practices. Mayor’s 10-Point TeamWork
LA Plan.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Once again, we are anxious to brag about the things that Neighborhood
Councils are accomplishing. The media always wants to know. The
elected officials love to brag about their groups. And other Neighborhood
Councils want to be inspired. I’m scheduled for an important meeting
with the media early next week, and they are anxious to know what
the NCs have been doing. As we collect your accomplishments, we’ll
be posting them in two locations on our Web site. One under your
NC, and the other is in section just for accomplishments. Here’s
how the Greater Griffith Park NC responded:
Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council Accomplishments
June 2002: GGPNC became the 35th certified Neighborhood Council
in the city of Los Angeles. Several GGPNC stakeholders initiate
working with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA)
to provide services to area homeless. To date, there have been approximately
60 homeless people who have been helped find needed resources (including
shelter, clothes, food, benefits and transportation).
July 2002: Official city recognition of the community boundaries
of Los Feliz. A ceremony unveiling the signs with a commemorative
plague was presented to Councilman Tom La Bonge for his support
of this project.
August 2002: The GGPNC Interim Board voted to take a position against
secession to keep Los Angeles one city, thus pooling the efforts
of local homeowners organizations, business groups and other interested
community members to provide a cohesive effort to ensure all three
communities within the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council
remain united.
September 2002: GGPNC moves to recognize the efforts of LAPD Officer
Dominick Colenzo for his work in beautifying the Northeast area
through mentoring and leading youth offenders to paint out graffiti.
BEST PRACTICES
I’d like to continue to urge the Neighborhood Councils that have
been certified and that have started doing things, to provide me
with a list of what they feel are some best practices that they’d
like shared with other Neighborhood Councils. We’ll post them on
our Web site in our new Best Practices section. It could be elections,
outreach, conducting meetings, etc.
Here’s what Greater Griffith Park submitted:
Some of the Best Practices of the Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood
Council (GGPNC) -A Volunteer Organization-
Outreach
…In General
· Met several times per month with the community members individually
and through area groups. Informed them what the Neighborhood Council’s
activities and gave the audience a compelling reason to get involved.
The number of attendees at GGPNC monthly meetings increased from
10 to over 50 people. Businesses became involved, as did religious
organizations and charitable groups.
· Used email religiously to communicate with stakeholders and encouraged
stakeholders who did not have an email address to obtain one for
sending early notices of Neighborhood Council-related news and events
for maximum participation. Provided the Neighborhood Council early
notice about news affecting the GGPNC area on matters such as secession.
The result was more people being informed and involved in local
issues.
· Established regular monthly meetings with an Interim Board and
posted meeting agendas according to the Brown Act requirements to
provide stakeholders timely notice of meetings. This enhanced interest
in the Neighborhood Council process and increased the number of
meeting attendees from about 20 stakeholders to over 70 stakeholders
at some meetings.
· Submitted GGPNC articles and monthly meeting announcements for
publication in local newspapers, the Hollywood Independent and Silver
Lake Press. This, in addition to the meeting agenda postings, ongoing
personal visits with community members and early notification were
ways that increased number of meeting attendees from about 20 stakeholders
to over 70 stakeholders at some meetings.
· Maintained informational booths at two Los Feliz Village Street
Fairs for two years in a row, which lead to a combined total of
500 people expressing interest in the GGPNC.
· Asked for letters of support from area businesses, schools, churches
and other area organizations for the GGPNC certification and future
publicity purposes. All adjacent Neighborhood Councils provided
a letter of support to the GGPNC. This has enhanced relations with
GGPNC neighboring Neighborhood Councils, businesses and area organizations.
Several volunteers, including ABC Studios Community Liaison, currently
volunteer to help with GGPNC outreach.
· Created districts with alpha designation in order not to be confused
with city council districts. This system has helped people remember
the district in which they have a stake.
· Told local school Alumni Associations about the Neighborhood Council
and asked for their support through donations and volunteer time.
The Vice Principal from the local high school has become more involved
in the GGPNC and regularly updates the teachers and other administrators
about the GGPNC’s activities.
· Submitted articles and announcements of meetings/events and recent
accomplishments of the Neighborhood Council in area resident/business/the
LAPD publications as often as possible to create and sustain a “buzz”
about the Neighborhood Council. Continually, new people attended
meetings/came up with ideas how to participate and enhanced the
goals of the GGPNC.
· Created a website: www.ggpnc.org
to serve as a source of information to all in the area. (Still in
need of a web designer)
· Prior to creating the GGPNC website at www.ggpnc.org,
listed the Neighborhood Council volunteer needs on the free VolunteerMatch
website at www.volunteermatch.org.
Received several inquiries from people moving into the GGPNC area
wanting to know more about the GGPNC purpose and how to become involved.
· Used KCET’s local PBS Program, “California Connected,” to broadcast
one-minute announcements of upcoming Neighborhood Council-related
community events. Asked that the information also be added to the
KCET website for enhanced visibility.
· Creatively obtained other organizations’ databases for enhanced
communication. The GGPNC outreached for a representative from the
Los Feliz Village Business Improvement District (LFVBID) and, in
exchange for data entry of BID members, arranged to receive the
rights to email all LFVBID members about Neighborhood Council formation
meetings and area events.
· Obtained and used political databases (for Members of the Assembly
and Senators in the Neighborhood Council area) for addresses of
stakeholders to send them regular mailings. Received over 400 reply
mailers to date from people mailing back skills/interest forms.
· Created logoed stickers for information packets and distribution
at the Los Feliz Street Fair for added visibility for the GGPNC.
The informational folders were intended to educate the community
while establishing the GGPNC as an area resource. People used the
stickers as bumper stickers and as store handouts to enhance GGPNC
awareness.
· Recorded and publicized GGPNC accomplishments in prominent places
throughout the GGPNC area to show the work of the organization’s
stakeholders.
· Established phonebanks to create awareness about the GGPNC certification
hearing and elections. Resulted in over 200 attendees at GGPNC certification
hearing in June 2002 and over 300 attendees at GGPNC Town Hall election
forums in October 2002.
· Completed a story about the GGPNC on KCET’s “Our Neighborhood”
program, which aired Monday at 2:30 PM and Thursday at 8:00 PM on
Channel 28 in December.
…For Election of a Neighborhood Council Board
· Created two informational pieces- an Election Brochure and Election
Reminder Notice in English and Spanish- for saturation mailing and
Walking Man distribution two months apart. See samples in .pdf format.
The results of an Election Outreach Survey conducted at the elections
showed that stakeholders reported the informational pieces as being
the third most effective way they heard about the GGPNC elections.
(Public Notice Postings and word-of-mouth were the most effective
outreach strategies employed).
· Drafted and adopted a comprehensive explanation of voting procedures
and roles for the League of Women Voters (LWV), the Department of
Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE), and the GGPNC volunteers for both
election days. Clarifying roles of each group allowed the elections
to run smoothly. Over 300 people attended the election meetings
on 10/24 and 10/26 and there were no challenges to the GGPNC elections.
· Posted bylaws, election procedures, and candidate one-page statements
at the Town Hall election meetings to ensure voters could learn
about the candidates. Most election attendees reported feeling informed
enough about the candidates to make an informed vote.
· Stakeholders voted for two candidates in all 5 districts, to avoid
confusion of determining their district and to avoid the potential
for stacking of votes for one particular district by people within
a specific district.
· Created election posters in color (36” x 48”) and affixed to stakes
for yard signs for use by residents with their permission and placed
posters without stakes in merchant and home windows. The impact
of this practice is not measurable yet this activity certainly enhanced
auto-bound stakeholder awareness of GGPNC elections and increased
visibility of GGPNC as an area organization.
· Placed election materials in several languages for the area stakeholders
in all businesses, the library and local establishments throughout
the Neighborhood Council area. One hundred fifty stakeholders who
completed an optional Election Outreach Survey, which asked how
they heard about the elections, reported hearing about the elections
by word-of-mouth from friends/neighbors and through existing organizations,
as well as, through public notice postings in GGPNC area businesses
and in Griffith Park.
· Called the local Community Guide/magazine and asked for a one-time
courtesy ad placement. To date, effectiveness unknown. Total publication
circulation was 2,000.
· Attended events to describe to stakeholders the Neighborhood Council
and its goals for an effective organization. As a result, a week
prior to the election forums, 5 candidates presented themselves
from District E, where there were none previously. A total of 20
candidates ran in the first election for the five different districts.
· Requested and received DONE approval for placement of GGPNC election
announcement on L.A. city Channel 35.
…To Youth
· Created a videotape that aired in the local high school to all
students that communicated the purpose of the GGPNC and gave compelling
reasons for young people to become involved with their local Neighborhood
Council.
· Involved youth in phonebanks for the GGPNC elections and held
informal focus group to determine ways to involve young people in
the GGPNC. These youth said making things at their school better
(the physical facilities and activities) and having their friends
involved were important to them.
…To the Homebound/Elderly
· Contacted the Department of Aging to determine local Meals-On-Wheels
distributors for the GGPNC area and requested that Neighborhood
Council election information be passed out with the meals to this
stakeholder population.
MAYOR HAHN ANNOUNCES TEAMWORK LA COMMUNITY-BASED GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE
Unveils his 10 Point Plan for Neighborhood-Based Government to shorten
the distance between Neighborhoods and City Hall
VAN NUYS – As part of Mayor Hahn’s commitment to move Los Angeles
forward by bringing government services to every neighborhood, today
he unveiled “TeamWork LA,” his 10-point plan to make government
more efficient and more neighborhood-based.
“TeamWork LA” is an initiative focused on improving city services,
such as street resurfacing, tree trimming, bulky item pick up, and
services provided to individuals, which include bill payment and
building permits. The “TeamWork LA” initiative will create new ways
for neighborhoods to partner with city government and for city government
to address neighborhood concerns.
“When I came into office, the number one issue in the city was the
responsiveness of city government at the neighborhood level,” said
Mayor Hahn at a press conference in front of the future Marvin Braude
Constituent Service Center in Van Nuys. “Making the City of Los
Angeles work at the community level is the goal that Angelenos have
asked us to work toward. This is the goal that we will achieve through
TeamWork LA. Los Angeles residents will see action on the neighborhood
issues and problems they care about most.”
Through “TeamWork LA,” city services will be coordinated by seven
geographically-based city Department “Cabinets” that consist of
representatives from city departments with the highest service requests.
These departments include the Department of Public Works, Building
and Safety, and the Department of Transportation (DOT). These department
teams will be grouped by the city’s seven Area Planning Commission
Districts and will be responsible for providing a comprehensive
approach tailored to each area’s specific needs. Cabinet meetings
will be convened by the Mayor’s Office and will be held monthly
in each community with Neighborhood Council, City Council, Los Angeles
Fire Department (LAFD), and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)
representatives.
Additionally, Mayor Hahn proposed creating Neighborhood City Halls
in each of the seven service districts, which will be staffed with
Neighborhood City Hall Directors who report to Mayor Hahn and are
accountable for city services within the area.
Mayor Hahn’s 10-point “TeamWork LA” plan to promote accessible and
responsive government includes the following:
1. Create Seven Neighborhood Service Cabinets That Will Partner
With Community to Coordinate Service Delivery
Each Neighborhood Bureau Cabinet throughout the City will coordinate
with Neighborhood Councils and community members to assure that
neighborhoods receive high quality City services. The Mayor's Office
will coordinate the Cabinets to ensure that the appropriate staff
from City departments is assigned and that Departments are accountable
for achieving identified goals. Monthly Neighborhood Service Cabinet
meetings will be held in each Service Area and will review and evaluate
service delivery performance data compiled on a community basis.
2. Implement “LA Stat” Computer Data Program to Track City Service
Requests and Needs
"LA Stat" is a computer tracking system, modeled on the "CompStat"
computer crime tracking system that will allow the City to systematically
collect statistics regarding service provisions in each community.
Data will be available for the Department of Public Works in early
2003.
3. Create Seven Easily Identifiable Neighborhood Service Areas to
Enable Residents Readily to Know the Service Districts in Which
They Live
City departments will be organized by common service boundaries
to enable individuals and communities to better determine how service
is delivered to them. Common boundaries will also facilitate collaboration
among City Departments.
4. Direct Neighborhood Service Cabinets to Partner With Neighborhood
Councils to Develop Neighborhood City Service Action Plans that
Prioritize and Address Community Needs
Each Neighborhood Council will work with Neighborhood Service
Cabinets to create an annual "Neighborhood City Service Action Plan.”
The City will use the “Neighborhood City Service Action Plan” as
a roadmap for prioritizing resource allocations and as a tool to
respond to each neighborhood’s needs in connection with the City's
annual budget process.
5. Develop “Neighborhood City Halls” in Each Neighborhood Service
Area to Bring City Services Closer to Residents
Angelenos will be able to take care of most City-related business
close to their own communities, in addition to having the option
of using 311 or going Downtown.
6. Assign a Neighborhood Area Director at each Neighborhood City
Hall who is Accountable for All City Service Issues Within an Area
Each Neighborhood City Hall will be run by a Neighborhood Director
who will be accountable for the quality of service delivered within
the area. The Neighborhood Director will serve as the area’s “Senior
Lead Officer” for City services.
7. Staff Neighborhood City Halls with “Neighborhood Specialists”
to assist residents in Obtaining City Services
Neighborhood Specialists will serve as a general help-desk for residents
as they seek City services in Neighborhood City Halls. Neighborhood
Specialists will serve as the in-house equivalent to the 311 staff
available to residents by phone.
8. Implement a “No Wrong Door” policy at all Neighborhood City Halls
When visiting any Neighborhood City Hall, residents will be able
to obtain the information they need to successfully access the City
service they seek, regardless of who they ask.
9. Expand the Range of City Services Available at Neighborhood City
Halls
Neighborhood City Halls will act as "one-stop-shops" for City
services. Additionally, the City will expand the range of services
available at each Neighborhood City Hall based on community input
and local service needs.
10. Expand Hours at Neighborhood City Halls to Allow Working Residents
Greater Access to City Services
The hours of operation for each Neighborhood City Hall will make
it convenient for residents to take care of business. Flexible staffing
and the use of Neighborhood Specialists will make it easier for
residents to obtain assistance with City service requests.
Councilmembers Ruth Galanter, Tom LaBonge, Janice Hahn, and Wendy
Greuel also attended the press conference and shared Mayor Hahn’s
enthusiasm for the “TeamWork LA” 10-point community-based government
plan.
“I congratulate Mayor Hahn for designing this plan around the Planning
Commission Districts,” said Councilmember Ruth Galanter. “This will
serve to integrate city services with neighborhood concerns and
planning."
“The idea of establishing regional service districts throughout
the city to better serve the people of Los Angeles has long been
a idea of mine,” said Councilmember Tom LaBonge. “I am very enthusiastic
that Mayor Hahn has taken the lead to implement this and other initiatives
to improve service levels for constituents.”
“Since working on Charter reform in 1997, I have heard that people
want government that works," said Councilwoman Janice Hahn. "This
plan will allow people to take care of city business in their own
communities. No more driving all the way to downtown Los Angeles.”
“Last Tuesday, The Voters of the San Fernando Valley sent a clear
message that The City of Los Angeles needs greater local control,
better access to city Government, more responses, and more city
services,” said Councilmember Wendy Greuel. “Mayor Hahn’s 10-point
plan is a promising step in the right direction.”
For additional information regarding “TeamWork LA” and details for
each point, please visit Mayor Hahn’s website at www.lacity.org.
Greg Nelson
213 / 485-1360
866 / LA HELPS toll-free
213 / 485-4608 fax
done@mailbox.lacity.org
email
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