Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Newsletter

April 20, 2006

Re: TOUGH CHOICES FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE.

Office of the Mayor
City of Los Angeles

ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2006

TOUGH CHOICES FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE

MAYORS 2006-2007 BUDGET CUTS DEFICIT, FOCUSES ON EFFICIENCIES,
ADDS 1,000 NEW POLICE OFFICERS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS,
MAINTAINS AND EXPANDS KEY SERVICES

LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released his budget plan for the coming year at a press conference today at Van Nuys City Hall. The Mayor joined Los Angeles Police Department cadets and Police Chief William Bratton in unveiling his spending plan, which boosts funding for key city services such as public safety, road resurfacing and sidewalk repair, traffic congestion relief programs, City libraries, summer youth employment programs among other investments. The Mayors Budget makes a down payment on cutting the City's inherited deficit by $47 million and improves value for taxpayers by identifying over $40 million in savings through efficiencies.

Every budget is a balancing act and a statement of values. This budget balances the value of fiscal responsibility and public safety, while improving the future for our kids. It demands performance from government and stepped-up service for every tax dollar, said Mayor Villaraigosa. I am confident that we have struck a fair and responsible balance between paying down our deficit, tightening our belts through $40 million in efficiencies and investing in the services our residents need and deserve.

Continuing his focus on belt-tightening measures that direct more tax dollars to direct services, the Mayor announced the creation of a Performance Unit patterned after a successful and innovative program developed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Mayors Performance Unit will scour city departments to improve productivity and squeeze value out of every tax dollar.

Highlights of the Mayors spending plan include the following key investments:

Public Safety & Homeland Security

Hiring 650 Police Officers: To replace retiring officers and expand the LAPD next year, the budget allocates funding to recruit, hire and equip 650 new LAPD officers, continuing a five-year hiring plan to expand the force by 1,000 officers.

Expanding the City's Gang Reduction Program: $2 million will be used to expand gang prevention, intervention and reentry programs that include job training and mentoring for at-risk youth between 7 and 14 years old.

LAPD Equipment Enhancements: Additional funding of $15.5 million is provided to continue the police departments vehicle replacement program and $5.2 million is budgeted to replace two helicopters used to support police officers during critical incidents. The budget also includes $4.4 million for standard technology replacement and to provide field officers with immediate access to other agency databases via wireless data cards. In addition, $5 million has been allocated from the year-end FY 05-06 Budget to begin the five-year replacement of police radios.

Strengthening Oversight & Accountability: To institutionalize reform measures begun through the civil rights consent decree entered into by the City and the US Department of Justice, additional funding is provided for the Office of Inspector General ($1 million), civil rights integrity, audit and force investigation divisions ($600,000).

LAPD In-Car Cameras: To increase transparency within the LAPD, funding is provided for the installation of video cameras in marked police cars in two LAPD Divisions. Together with funding allocated from the year-end FY 05-06 budget, the installation of video cameras at a total of four LAPD Divisions will be completed next year. This effort will increase accountability, ensure the highest levels of police officer integrity and provide concrete evidence for investigations into alleged misconduct.

Emergency Management & Disaster Preparedness: The Mayors budget includes a restructuring of the Emergency Preparedness Department (EPD) to increase effectiveness and preparedness across the City. Additional resources are allocated to police, fire, and EPD to revamp the City's emergency plans. The Fire Department will expand its mass disaster planning and tactical training units with 33 additional personnel. Resources are also allocated to improve the City's ability to protect and aid residents with special needs during an emergency ($4.6 million).

LA Fire Department Response: Funding is allocated to establish a pilot program using global positioning satellite technology to locate and dispatch the nearest fire truck to an emergency in order to reduce response times ($120,000).

Dispatch & Communications Enhancements: Approximately $900,000 is provided to improve communications systems for the fire and police departments allowing them to provide real-time alerts to personnel to speed response times The budget also provides funds to provide high-speed Internet access at community fire stations to improve departmental communications ($1.2 million).

Homeland Security Enhancements: $3.2 million is allocated to continue funding the 73 positions approved earlier this month for counter terrorism intelligence gathering and analysis through officers assigned to the new Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC), which co-locates intelligence staff from federal, state and local agencies; Operation Archangel, which assesses key infrastructure for security vulnerabilities and trains employees in terrorism prevention; and, the Critical Infrastructure Protection Task Force.

Education & Youth Programs

Expands Hours at 24 Libraries: All regional libraries will be open seven days a week for 60 hours each. All 63 branch libraries will open six days a week for a total of 52 hours each, closing only on Sundays.

Invests $3 million in New Library Books: The Mayors Budget invests an additional $3 million to buy new library books and materials.

Bridging the Digital Divide: The Mayors Budget provides funding to buy 215 new computers, 31 printers, and 10 servers for use by the general public at City libraries. Funding is also provided to increase bandwidth at community and branch libraries.

Library Construction: The Mayors Budget provides funds for the design and construction of new libraries in the Exposition Park and Silver Lake neighborhoods

Learn & Earn Summer Youth Employment Program: $2 million will be used to expand an innovative pilot project which will allow 1,400 eleventh and twelfth grade students to go to school in the morning and work for an employer in the afternoon for six weeks during the summer. The educational component of Learn and Earn prepares high school students to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). In all, the City will provide employment opportunities for 2,800 students during the summer months through Learn & Earn and continuation funding of $2 million for the City's Summer Youth Employment Program.

Creating more Parks, Open Space & Community Centers: Funding is provided for a special unit in the Department of Recreation & Parks that will improve the Departments planning function. The unit will assess parks needs in neighborhoods and develop joint-use agreements between the City and Los Angeles Unified School District, transforming schools into community centers for parents, children and their neighbors.

Reopening Griffith Park Observatory: The budget funds staffing and equipment for the reopening of Griffith Park in October 2006. The renovated observatory is three times its original size and promises to become a draw for tourists across the region and around the world. Funds are also provided to help mitigate the traffic impact from the increase in visitors that the Observatory is expected to draw.

Transportation

Busiest Intersection Congestion Relief: The budget expands the number of traffic safety officers at the City's busiest intersections during morning and evening rush hour from 50 officers at 38 intersections to 65 officers at 51 intersections. This expansion will alleviate traffic congestion at the City's busiest intersections.

Gridlock Tiger Team: $1 million is allocated to continue a new program developed by the Mayor and Department of Transportation to patrol no-parking zones and quickly tow cars parked illegally, blocking rush hour traffic. The goal is to reduce traffic congestion by keeping the City's busiest streets at full capacity and maximum speed during morning and evening rush hour commutes.

Conversion of Traffic Lights to Energy Efficient LED Technology: Funding is provided for year one of a five-year program to retrofit all of the City's traffic lights from energy-wasting incandescent light bulbs to energy-efficient light emitting diode technology.

Expand DASH Service: Funds are provided to expand the current DASH bus system by two new DASH routes: Van Nuys / Whitsett and Sylmar / San Fernando. This community bus service handles 28 million annual passenger trips on 200 city-owned clean-fuel buses.

Conversion of Commuter Express Buses to Hybrid Fuel Technology: $12.4 million is allocated to continue the successful Commuter Express Service which connects residential areas to downtown businesses, other major employment areas, and Metrolink. An additional $2.7 million is allocated to continue retrofitting the 100 bus fleet to energy-efficient hybrid-fuel technology.

Traffic Officers Radio Replacement: $800,000 is allocated to improve the Department of Transportation's radio communications system, which will ensure radio transmissions remain connected, thereby improving communication between supervisors and traffic officers, while increasing efficiency and response in the field.

Expansion of Stolen Vehicle Recovery Program: The City's Department of Transportation currently operates a cost-effective stolen vehicle recovery pilot program within the LAPD South and Valley traffic division boundaries. In the first seven months of the program, LADOT traffic officers recovered 2,785 stolen vehicles, which saved over 1,000 police officer hours. Funding is provided in the proposed budget to expand the pilot program citywide.

Sidewalk Repairs, Saw-Cut Program: $1 million is budgeted to repair uplifted and cracked sidewalks through the saw-cut repair program. Sidewalks uplifted by tree roots or otherwise damaged can cause injury to walkers and joggers, and are a liability for the City's taxpayers. The proposed budget reinstates this previously discontinued program and will fund approximately 18,000 sidewalk repairs.

Street Resurfacing and Slurry Seal: Almost $80 million is budgeted for street resurfacing and slurry seal to repair and maintain 500 miles of streets citywide. This level of funding represents an increase of 34% from the current fiscal year.

Energy & Environment

Graffiti Abatement and Community Beautification: An additional $800,000 is allocated to target and eliminate graffiti across the City and clean and green neighborhoods.

Advancing Efforts to Grow Green: $300,000 is allocated to the Department of Environmental Affairs to provide oversight of key environmental initiatives, including encouraging green building practices by expediting green building designs through the development process. Staff will also coordinate efforts to ensure that all new City buildings meet the highest energy conservation standards.

Recycling: $2.5 million is allocated to reduce contamination in residential recycling bins through increased education, awareness and enforcement. By reducing contamination, the City and residents will reduce the cost of recycling. Funds are also allocated to expand the multi-family recycling program ($100,000)

Stormwater Runoff: The proposed budget includes new positions and additional funding to ensure that the City complies with stormwater runoff regulations through improvements to storm drains and sewers in order to protect our water supply, the ocean and marine life. Additional funding totals $4.3 million for building and safety department inspectors, stormwater basin inspections and maintenance, contract administration, monitoring and data management and stormwater restoration.

To view the Mayors proposed budget in full, visit www.lacity.org/mayor/budget/index.htm.

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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