Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Newsletter

March 3, 2004

CUTTING THE BUREAUCRACY AND PAPERWORK

We're continuing to put a lot of effort into changing the way government functions by creating special rules and programs for Neighborhood Councils. Recently, the City Attorney a very interesting two page letter that may provide some help in this effort. Much of the bureaucracy that the Neighborhood Councils have to contend with is the product of state laws. Therefore, you may want to visit our home page and read the City Attorney’s letter. It is captioned “City Attorney Letter - Strategic Review.”

NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL FUNDING PROGRAM

We are still preparing a status report on the funding program that will be presented to the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners and the City Council. It may produce changes to the program. Overall, the Neighborhood Councils are spending their money properly and carefully, and justifying the trust that the system put in them at the start. Although complaints about this system have dwindled to a few isolated cases, we feel that some adjustments are needed to make the process easier still for the Neighborhood Councils. The two most important rules to follow when deciding how to spend the money are (1) don’t do it if it’s something that you’d criticize if somebody at City Hall spent money on it, and (2) when in doubt, ask! It’s too dangerous to play the “it’s better to ask for forgiveness than for permission” game. Everyone is watching, and the skeptics are waiting for you to make a mistake.

COMMUNITY IMPACT STATEMENT

The Community Impact Statement system allows NCs to have their official positions printed on the agendas at City Hall by submitting them using fax or e-mail.

The process for submitting them via fax was in our newsletter of 6-12-03. The process for the online submission was explained in the newsletter of 11-25-03. Both can be found on our Web site under Newsroom>Newsletters.

YOUR INPUT IS REQUESTED

The bottom right-hand side of our home page includes various issues that the City Council and/or the Board of Neighborhoods Commissioners are hoping Neighborhood Councils will discuss and comment on. CHANNEL 35 PROGRAMMING Here is a listing of exciting, dynamic, thrilling, and informative programs that will be upcoming on CityView Channel 35. Among the crowd-pleasers during March is the regular listing community events throughout the city, the special neighborhood profile programs hosted by Huell Howser, and our new Brown Act training tape. If you aren’t able to view the Brown Act show, we’ll be announcing a distribution program for the Neighborhood Councils very shortly.

Monday - Friday (All Month)
City Listing - 8:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 11:00 p.m. & Midnight

Saturday (All Month)
City Listing - 8:30 a.m. & 5;00 p.m.

Sunday (All Month)
City Listing - 8:30 a.m.

Thursday, March 4, 2004
Our Neighborhoods: Sawtelle - 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 11
Brown Act Training - 1:30 p.m.
Our Neighborhoods: Sunland-Tujunga - 8:00 p.m.

Friday, March 12
Brown Act Training - 10:00 p.m.

Monday, March 15
Brown Act Training- 10:00 a.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Our Neighborhoods: St. Vincent Court - 2:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 18
Our Neighborhoods: St. Vincent Court - 8:00 p.m.

Monday, March 22
Our Neighborhoods: Jefferson Park - 2:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 25
Brown Act Training - 1:30 p.m. & 8:30 p.m.

Monday, March 29
Our Neighborhoods: Echo Park - 2:30 p.m.
Brown Act Training - 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, April 1
Our Neighborhoods: Echo Park - 8:00 p.m.

“CONNECTING THE COMMUNITY” CONFERENCE

(Information about this conference comes to us from our friends at Pasadena’s Neighborhood Connections office. We haven’t checked it out.)

This conference will bring together the brightest minds in America to share insights into how a comprehensive and integrated approach to addressing poverty might benefit individuals, families and communities.

This funding opportunities conference is the next step at sharing this vision with you. We hope that community teams will leave our conference with a commitment to call on all the resources of that community to create a shared vision for its health and welfare.

"Connecting the Community"
Learning from the Past-Informing the Future:
21st Century Solutions to Poverty.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services.

Who: Community leaders committed to addressing poverty

When/Where: Atlanta, GA - March 24-25, 2004.
Georgia International Convention Center.

Los Angeles - March 30-31, 2004:
The Westin Bonaventure Hotel

Contact/Registration.
Advance registration is required. Register through the Office of Community Services website, by email, or by phone.
Website: www.ocsconference.net
E-mail: info@ocsconference.net
Phone: 1-866-472-6848

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Greg Nelson

866 / LA HELPS
213 / 485-1360
213 / 485-4608 fax
done@mailbox.lacity.org email
www.lacityneighborhoods.com website