Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Newsletter

February 17, 2005

Re: NEXT EMPOWERMENT ACADEMY CLASSES. TRACKING NEW CITY COUNCIL ITEMS. COUNCIL FILE INDEX.

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NEXT EMPOWERMENT ACADEMY CLASSES

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COMMUNITY AWARENESS & PUBLIC SAFETY PERSPECTIVES
February 24, 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Old Depot Plaza
10038 Old Depot Plaza Rd.
Chatsworth, CA 91331

This class will provide participants with a better understanding of the City's community safety and enforcement structure. It will discuss the efforts of agencies such as the Police Department, Fire Department, Department of Animal Services, and the Department of Recreation and Park’s Park Rangers in working with the community to improve the quality of life.

Faculty: Panel - LAPD, LAFD, Park Rangers, Animal Services

BUILDING YOUR POWER BASE
February 26, 10:00 AM - Noon

Constituent Service Center
8475 S. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90044

This class will discuss the components needed to build relationships within a Neighborhood Council as a means to establishing a power base. Emphasis will be placed on getting stakeholders to take ownership of the Neighborhood Council’s goals and mission. (The first 10 to RSVP and attend will receive a goodie bag.)

Call toll-free to (866) LA HELPS.

HELPFUL HINT: TRACKING NEW CITY COUNCIL ITEMS

The City Council may be the only ones in the nation to do it (dunno), but some time ago they instituted the purest form of early notification. A couple of days after a City Council motion is made and referred to a committee, or after a communication from the Mayor or a department is received and referred to a committee, the City Clerk lists these new items and will send them directly to your e-mail in-box if you wish.

The only way to get earlier notice about new items that are entering into the City Council’s system is to be standing on the floor of Council when the motion is made, or to be in the Clerk’s office when the communications are received.

To subscribe and have this valuable information sent to you, click here, or go to the City’s website at www.lacity.org, click on Early Notification System, then on City Council, Committee, and Ad Hoc Committee Agendas, and then click the box next to New Council Items (Referrals).

HELPFUL HINT: COUNCIL FILE INDEX

Now that you’re getting the New Items lists, you will notice that each item has been given a Council File Number by the City Clerk. The easiest way on earth to know the status of a City Council file is to go to the City’s home page and click on Council File Index on the right.

The files in this huge database go back to 1980. You can find the file you’re looking for by typing in the file number, or keywords. You’ll be able to read the motion and track its progress through the system.

The whole thing is close to magical. I honestly don’t know how the City Clerk gets all of this information into the computer, and how they do it so quickly.

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Greg Nelson
gnelson@mailbox.lacity.org

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