Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Newsletter

February 3, 2006

Re: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AMBASSADOR TRAINING SESSIONS SET.  NEIGHBORHOOD CAFE SHOWS TO AIR.  BROWN ACT TRAINING VIDEO AVAILABLE.

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AMBASSADOR TRAINING SESSIONS SET

Natural and man-made disasters can happen at anytime, anywhere. Would you know what to do? Being prepared is critical.

The City of Los Angeles will be hosting a second series of FREE Emergency Preparedness workshops on three consecutive Saturdays, March 18th, March 25th, and April 1 (that's no joke!) from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Constituent Service Center, 8475 South Vermont Avenue.

Participants are asked to attend all three sessions. The training is open to the public and will teach critical tools for learning how to develop a plan for yourself, your family, and your neighborhood. Graduates become Emergency Preparedness Ambassadors, and will have an opportunity to be leaders in this critically important effort that could result in the saving of lives.

Refreshments will be served. Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP as soon as possible to confirm your attendance. Contact Donni Hall (213) 473-5045 or donyale.hall@lacity.org. Donni will also be happy to give you the contact information for the 15 Neighborhood Council leaders who have already become Ambassadors.

If you need any language translation, interpretation or assistive listening devices, please be sure to contact our office at least three business days prior to the workshop.

Later this afternoon, our home page will include a colorful one-page flyer that you can use to recruit volunteers.

NEIGHBORHOOD CAFE SHOWS TO AIR

The regular air times on Channel 35 for the Neighborhood Cafe shows are Mondays at 10:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Thursdays at 1:30 p.m., but be alert for changes. Here is the schedule for the next few weeks.

February 6 (10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.)
Creating a Citywide Emergency Network

Find out how prepared the City of Los Angeles is for a major disaster. Join us for a discussion with Ellis Stanley (General Manager, Emergency Preparedness Department) and Katy Carlson (Harbor Gateway South Neighborhood Council) about the city's emergency planning, and how some neighborhood councils are beginning to develop a citywide network of neighborhood councils that are prepared for a major disaster.

February 9 (11 a.m.) (Note time change)
Engaging Youth

Joe Turner (CANNDU), Carole White (Vermont-Harbor area), LAPD Officer Bonita Williams (77th Division Jeopardy Program), and Pastor Ruben Durant (Central Alameda Neighborhood Council) discuss their exciting work with young people, and share the creative programs and activities they use to get the attention of the young people.

February 13 (10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.)
Traffic in Los Angeles: Neighborhood Councils are Making a Difference

As always, neighborhood councils take the lead on innovative approaches to what often seem to be intractable civic issues. This show features two neighborhood council leaders Robert Ringler, Chair of the Bel-Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council Traffic Committee, Barbara Broide Westside Neighborhood Council Board Member and Chair of its transportation committee and Pauline Chan, Senior Transportation Engineer, Los Angeles Department of Transportation who, by working together, find new ways to understand and solve local and regional traffic problems.

February 16 (11 a.m.) (Note slight time change)
Neighborhood Councils from the Perspective of the Media

The "dean" of reporters, Rick Orlov from the Daily News, tells us how neighborhood councils have been doing and what he feels their potential can be.

The remainder of February's schedule will be forthcoming.

BROWN ACT TRAINING VIDEO AVAILABLE

There is so much information being provided to Neighborhood Council members that the "shelf life" of any piece of information isn't very long. Therefore, we will be using this newsletter as a way of providing reminders.

We have set aside a special part of our website for all the information that we have on the Brown Act. Click on the Reference Library and then on Brown Act. Here you will find a clever and actually entertaining 20-minute video that was produced specifically to provide Neighborhood Council leaders with important information about this important state law. You can view it from your computer.

We have already given DVD versions to each Neighborhood Council.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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