Department of Neighborhood Empowerment

DONE Newsletters 2007

March 22, 2007

Re: DONE Newsletter

Featured in this newsletter:

Introduction Letter By DONE's New General Manager & Assistant General Manager

Message From Carol Baker Tharp, DONE General Manager:

I'm delighted to send this first "official" greeting to Neighborhood Council leaders and friends. My first week on the job has been a whirlwind, but I've got to say that I'm finding more potential for positive change in the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and the Neighborhood Council system than in any job I've ever had. We all know there's lots of work that needs to be done--work that calls for energy, intelligence, dedication, imagination and love of our city. I've told our staff and I'll share with you that the over-arching goal I bring into DONE is to find every way possible to help neighborhood councils focus on the good work they want to do in their communities and to make the day-to-day processes and operations of the neighborhood councils as simple as possible while maintaining the accountability to the public that comes with being part of the City family.

I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work with BongHwan Kim in this endeavor. He's someone whose work as a community leader I've admired for many years, and we are finding that we share a philosophy of open government and community action while bringing distinct skills and experiences to the DONE team. We're also fortunate to share DONE leadership with Arturo Pina, Director of Field Operations; Michael Vitkievicz, Director of Administrative Services; and Ricardo Reyes, Director of Systems, along with the colleagues on each of their teams. Together we will strive to give you enthusiastic service, prompt and consistent replies to your queries, and lots of front-end opportunities to give us the benefit of your wisdom on issues that require new policy direction.

Over the next two months, in close communication with the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners and the Neighborhood Council Review Commission, we will be creating an action plan for our work over the next 3-6- and 9 months. We'd be delighted to know the ways in which DONE can most effectively help your neighborhood council achieve its goals. To that end, we'll be available in person to take your input at the Congress of Neighborhoods coming up on April 21. We hope to meet you there and begin to build working relationships that will make Los Angeles the kind of place we all want to live.

With gratitude for this opportunity to work with you,
Carol Baker Tharp

Message From BongHwan Kim, DONE Assistant General Manager:

I would like to take this opportunity to greet and acknowledge all of the diverse stakeholders involved with the city’s efforts to build strong and vital neighborhood councils. It’s been a whirlwind week and my head is still spinning from the volume of information that has to be absorbed!! I’m very impressed and grateful to the DONE staff, the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners, and Neighborhood Council leaders for their hard work and commitment. It’s clear that there is much work ahead but I can also see that the work going forward builds upon the time and effort of many dedicated individuals. To begin with, Carol and I are looking forward to meeting with neighborhood council leaders and activists as soon as possible. We want to hear directly from those of you with experience on the ground on how things are going and what you need from the department. This input will help guide our efforts to determine how best to organize our resources in order to assist our stakeholders realize their communities’ visions and aspirations.

I look forward to this tremendous opportunity to collaborate with you all to make a difference in communities across this great city.

The City of Los Angeles Has 2 New Neighborhood Councils

Panorama City Neighborhood Council and Rampart Village Neighborhood Council
join the Neighborhood Council System

Los Angeles -This month the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and the rest of the Neighborhood Council System welcomed two additional councils to the family. Rampart Village Neighborhood Council and Panorama City Neighborhood Council will bring the total number of certified Neighborhood Councils to 88.

The Rampart Village Neighborhood Council Board will represent the community bound to the North by the 101 Hollywood Freeway, to the South by Sixth Street, to the East by Rampart Boulevard to 3rd Street then over to Benton Way up to the 101 Hollywood Freeway and to the West by Vermont Avenue. This community is within Los Angeles City Council District 13. The number of residents within this area is 25,200. Rampart Village has the distinction of being the one time home of Bimini Hot Springs. A very fashionable resort in the 1900s through the 1930s.

The Panorama City Neighborhood Council Board will represent stakeholders in Los Angeles City Council Districts 6 and 7, largely conforming to the area included in zip code 91402 and historically known as Panorama city. There are approximately 66,241 residents in this community. It is notable that Panorama City is the first planned community in the San Fernando Valley established in 1947 by real estate developer Fritz Burns.

Rampart Village Neighborhood Council was certified by the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners March 5, 2007 and Panorama City Neighborhood Council was certified by the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners March 15, 2007.

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Join Us at the Upcoming Congress of Neighborhoods

The Empowerment Academy Presents Election Chair Training

The Empowerment Academy Presents…

Election Chair Training
*March 28th, 2007*
Hollywood CSC
6501 Fountain Avenue
Conference Room
Los Angeles, CA 90028
5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Northeast Corner of Fountain & Wilcox
FREE Parking lot behind building and street parking is available too

Election Chair Workshop
Learn how to:
1. Prepare your election using best practices.
2. Plan your election while working with IEAs, Committees, and Timelines.
3. Conduct your election.

To Register please call Valerie Steffens at (213) 485-1814
Or email Valerie.Steffens@lacity.org
Note: Please RSVP at least 3 days before the class.

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and upon request will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Sign language interpreters, assisted listening devices, or other auxiliary aids and/or services may be provided upon request. In addition, translation from English to other languages is available upon request. To ensure availability of services, please make your request at least 3 business days (72 hours) prior to the meeting by contacting the Dept. of Neighborhood Empowerment, at (213) 485-1360, or toll-free at 3-1-1

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Carol Baker Tharp, General Manager
done@lacity.org

Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
334-B E. 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

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