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Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
DONE Newsletters 2009
February 5, 2009
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To: |
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Neighborhood Council Leaders |
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From: |
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BongHwan Kim, General Manager
....Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) |
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E-mail: |
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done@lacity.org |
DONE NEWS
DONE's Final Regional Town Hall Is on Saturday, February 14th
DONE's final Regional Town Hall moves to the South/Harbor/West area of the City. Board members will have the opportunity to review the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Neighborhood Councils and the Department of Transportation (DOT). DOT General Manager, Rita Robinson, will be on hand to host the discussion on the MOU. Here is a draft of the MOU. The Town Hall will also cover the Neighborhood Purposes Grant, the 2010 City Clerk elections, the City budget, and proposed trainings for NC safety by the City Attorney's Office.
Please plan to attend to learn about important updates affecting your Neighborhood Council and to network with DONE General Manager, BongHwan Kim, your local City Councilmembers, and other City departments.
South/Harbor/West Region
- Saturday, February 14, 2009, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Mark Ridley Thomas Constituent Service Center
8475 South Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90044
Please see the flyer and call DONE at (213) 485-1360 to RSVP for materials and refreshments.
DONE Communications on Neighborhood Council Funding Questions
Recently, there seems to have been some confusion regarding how communication should occur related to the management of Neighborhood Council financial issues. Neighborhood Council treasurers are the primary financial representatives for their Neighborhood Councils and should function as the lead representative to DONE for all financial matters. A more detailed letter describing the process for Neighborhood Council treasurers to work with DONE on financial matters is now online.
As a reminder, your DONE Project Coordinator is your Board's first point of contact for basic funding questions, the budget process, and any procedural issues that may arise. Any other communication regarding more detailed Neighborhood Council expenditure or reconciliation issues should be handled directly by your treasurer and DONE's primary NC funding contact, Rodger Shimatsu, who may be reached at (213) 473-5383 or at Rodger.Shimatsu@lacity.org.
New Additions to DONE's Information Bulletin Format!
DONE has changed its Information Bulletin format to be more helpful to you. We've added an "NC Tools and Best Practices" box to highlight helpful tools and techniques that are assisting NC's across the City. In addition, we've added a "Neighborhood News" section for NC and neighborhood events. Last, but not least, check out DONE's new logo in the upper left hand corner! We look forward to any suggestions that will make our Information Bulletins more useful for you. Please send suggestions to done@lacity.org.
BONC NEWS
Summary of BONC's Last Meeting on Tuesday, February 3rd
At the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners' February 3rd meeting, the Pico Union NC presented best practices. In addition, the BONC expressed disappointment at the recent City Council adoption of Financial Disclosure Form 54 and voted unanimously to send a letter asking for reconsideration of the form and for a form in line with City Ethics Commission guidelines. The BONC also adopted a Best Practices cover letter and revised questionnaire as well as the Neighborhood Council Review Commission recommended 8 principles for stakeholder-centered systems as a guide for future policy development.
The next BONC meeting will be a Special Meeting on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 6 p.m., located at:
135th Street Elementary School - Auditorium
801 W. 13th Street
Gardena, CA 90247
Both the February 16, 2009 and March 3, 2009 regular meetings have been canceled.
CITY NEWS
Department on Disability Is Co-Sponsoring a Career Expo for People with Disabilities
The City of Los Angeles Department on Disability will be co-sponsoring the Careers & the disABLED Magazine's "Career Expo for People with Disabilities" event on February 12, 2009, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join them at Los Angeles' Career Expo to meet Fortune 500 and government agencies looking to recruit new talent. The Career Expo is designed with the purpose of promoting self-sufficiency for people with disabilities and is open to the under-employed and people without disabilities. For more information and to RSVP, see the flyer.
Planning Department Is Hosting Hillside Kick-Off Meetings
The City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning invites you to attend the Hillside Kick-Off Meetings. Department staff will be conducting a series of public meetings throughout the City in order to hear your comments and discuss issues related to development in Los Angeles hillside neighborhoods. Your input will help staff identify concerns as well as influence the scope of the citywide hillside project. These efforts will ultimately result in proposed code amendments affecting single-family development in the City's hillside areas. The meetings will start with a presentation from staff and will move on to general comments. Please see the flyer for meeting dates.
Save the Date for LADWP Town Hall Meetings!
The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power will be hosting town halls on the City's Comprehensive Solar Plan and how it relates to the Green Energy Good Jobs Initiative (Measure B).
The following dates are confirmed:
Tuesday 2-17-09 @ 7:00 p.m. - Daniel Webster Middle School in West Los Angeles
Wednesday 2-18-09 @ 7:00 p.m. - Kennedy High School in Granada Hills
Thursday 2-19-09 @ 7:00 p.m. - Byrd Middle School in Sun Valley
Saturday 2-21-09 @ 9:30 a.m. - LADWP Headquarters JFB Downtown Los Angeles
Please check www.ladwpneighborhoodnews.com for more information about the town halls.
NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
Barrio Action Youth & Family Center Is Hosting Free Tax Preparation Services
The Barrion Action Youth & Family Center is hosting a free tax preparation services on Saturday, February 7, 2009, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The services are offered to families making less than $45,000 a year. For more and to RSVP, please see the flyer in English and Spanish.
PlanCheckNC Is Holding an Issues Forum in Downtown on Saturday, February 14th
PlanCheckNC will be holding an Issues Forum on Saturday, February, 14, 2009, at Historic Downtown Outreach Center, 114 W 5th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013, at 10 a.m., to provide updates on current planning and land use issues of concern, parking, rehabilitation housing (sober living facilities), two residences on a residential lot, as well as billboards and other signage issues. Please come and take part in the opportunity to seek assistance and support from Neighborhood Council representatives who face or have faced similar planning and land use issues. For more information, contact Maggi Fajnor at maggi4@gmail.com or visit www.PlanCheckNCLA.com
Cash for College Financial Aid Workshops Held Across the City on Saturday, February 7th
Cash for College Financial Aid Workshops are being held on Saturday, February 7, 2009 at more than 40 locations across Los Angeles. By attending a Cash for College workshop, students and their families become eligible for $4,000 scholarships, and all will receive free one-on-one professional assistance completing the free application for Federal Student Aid and Cal Grant GPA Verification Forms, which are needed to qualify for more than $40 million in state, federal and other types of financial aid. Each workshop also offers an AB540 advisor to help undocumented students maximize the financial aid available to them. Financial aid is available to all students regardless of age, income or immigration status. More information on Cash for College Financial Aid Workshops is available at www.lacashforcollege.org.
Foreclosure Prevention Fair in Pacoima on Saturday, February 7th
The Los Angeles County NeighborWorks Center for Foreclosure Solutions will provide confidential foreclosure prevention counseling for free on Saturday, February 7, 2009, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the MEND Center, 10641 San Fernando Road, Pacoima, CA 91331. HUD certified counselors and select lenders will be on hand to assist you with loss mitigation, fraud identification and prevention, credit recovery and budgeting. For more information, call 888-89-LANHS or counseling@lanhs.org.
NUSA Is Accepting Submissions for the 2009 Neighborhood of the Year Awards
Neighborhoods, USA (NUSA) is accepting submissions for its competition for the 2009 Neighborhood of the Year Award. The 2009 Neighborhood of the Year Awards program will recognize exceptional accomplishments by neighborhood organizations during 2008.
Awards will be given in three categories -
1) Physical Revitalization/Beautification in a Single Neighborhood;
2) Social Revitalization/Neighborliness in a Single Neighborhood; and
3) Multi-Neighborhood Project Partnerships.
Judging will be based on the extent of innovation, grassroots participation and capacity building exhibited by the nominated organization.
This year marks the 25th year that NUSA will recognize the outstanding work of neighborhood organizations from all across the United States, particularly for their efforts to improve the quality of life in their communities. A distinguished panel of judges will select four finalists in each category. Finalists will be invited to make presentations at the 2009 NUSA Conference to be held May 21- 23, 2009 in Spokane, Washington, where a new panel of judges will then select a winner in each category plus an overall grand prize winner. Eligibility requirements and application guidelines can be downloaded from the NUSA website: www.nusa.org.
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BongHwan Kim, 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
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