Department of Neighborhood Empowerment

DONE Newsletters 2009

March 25, 2009

Neighborhood Purposes Grants (NPG) Has Launched!
Neighborhood Councils now have the opportunity to provide grants, using a portion of their annual City funding, to support neighborhood improvement projects.  The Neighborhood Purposes Grants (NPG) information packet and application  are available on our website .  We have tried to make the process as simple as possible while still following all applicable laws, including required state conflict of interest laws.  Your Neighborhood Empowerment Analyst (NEA) will guide you through the initial process on how to properly fill out the required paperwork and how to submit it to our funding unit.  We look forward to working closely with each NC as you continue to improve your community by the establishment of key partnerships with community organizations via the NPG.

CBT/NLI Board Orientation Class on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - Address Correction!
We will be holding a CBT/NLI Board Orientation class on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Charles White Elementary School, 2401 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90057.  Please see the flyer .  The Board Orientation class will cover the Roles and Responsibilities of Board members, legal training - Brown Act, Conflict of Interest, and Public Records Act, and NC funding training, which satisfies the mandated NC Treasurer training.  Darren Martinez from the City Attorney's Office will be presenting the legal training, and Kevin McNeely will be presenting the NC funding training.  Please RSVP for materials and refreshments by contacting Annie Kwak at (213) 473-5115 or annie.kwak@lacity.org .

Save the Date for the Regional Congress in the San Fernando Valley!
Please mark your calendar and plan on spending a day full of learning, information sharing and gathering in the San Fernando Valley Regional Congress scheduled for Saturday, May 30, 2009.  Details of content, location, time and registration to be coming soon.  For Save the Date flyers in Spanish and English, please click here .

City Clerk Holding Stakeholder Meetings on the 2010 NC Election Materials and Policies 
The City Clerk - Election Division invites you to the following series of meetings in preparation for the 2010 NC Elections:

2010 Neighborhood Council Election Procedures Stipulations Language Worksheet Informational Meetings
These three meetings will be focused on providing Neighborhood Council leaders an opportunity to ask questions regarding the draft of the 2010 Neighborhood Council (NC) Election Procedures Stipulation Language Worksheet, which will be used in lieu of bylaw amendments to update existing NC bylaw election language.  Written comments may still be submitted to Isaias.Cantu@lacity.org  by 5 p.m. on April 1, 2009.

April 2, 2009 Flyer
Harbor Gateway Branch Library
24000 S. Western
Los Angeles , CA 90710
6:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

April 4, 2009 Flyer
Piper Technical Center
555 Ramirez Street - 3 rd Floor, Space 300
Los Angeles , CA 90012
8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

April 6, 2009 Flyer
Marvin Braude Building - Room 1B
6262 Van Nuys Boulevard
Van Nuys, California 91401
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The Neighborhood Council Election Development Group (NC EDG)
In preparation for the 2010 NC Elections, the City Clerk - Election Division invites NC's to provide feedback on the NC election processes and materials by participating in the NC EDG, which will be a series of meetings on various election topics.  These meetings are opened to all stakeholders.  See the schedule here or on the NC Election Unit website .  For more information, please feel free to call the Election Division Election Unit at (213) 473-6804 or via email at Isaias.Cantu@lacity.org .

NC Bylaw Amendment Time Schedule
Any bylaw amendments that address election issues not covered by the City Clerk's 2010 NC Election Procedures Stipulation Language Worksheet must be submitted to us by May 15, 2009.  Bylaw amendments that are not election related may be submitted to us from June 1, 2009 to September 1, 2009.  After this date, we will have a moratorium on processing bylaw amendment applications until after the 2010 NC elections.  Please contact your NEA if you have any questions or need assistance with your bylaw amendments.

Last Week to Share Your NC Funding Success Stories!
The due date for you to share your NC funding success stories is fast approaching.  We are collecting stories about the positive impact the NC funding program has made for neighborhood quality of life issues throughout the City. The funding program is vital to the continued success of the Neighborhood Council system.  Please share one or two of your most exemplary projects.  We will collect and share these stories with our elected officials so that they fully understand the importance of the funding program. Please limit your response to 200 words or less so that we can compile the stories collected into a succinct yet compelling message.   Subjects to be addressed should include:

1) A description of the project and the amount

2) What tangible and positive difference was realized from the use of public funds in your community?

Please submit your success stories to BongHwan.Kim@lacity.org by March 31, 2009.

Revised RFP for Translation and Interpretation Services
We are seeking proposals from qualified entities to provide translation and interpretation services for the Department and the Neighborhood Councils.  Please see the revised Request for Proposal (RFP), which outlines the guidelines for applicants in submitting their proposals on our website .  The deadline to respond is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 10, 2009.  The RFP, along with all the attachments and appendices, are available for download on the City's website at www.labavn.org .  Registration on this website is free.

BOARD OF NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSIONERS NEWS

Next Commission Meeting Is on Tuesday, April 7th
The next Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (Commission) meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. at the Glassell Park Community and Senior Center located at 3750 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065.

The Arroyo Seco and the Greater Cypress Park NC's are invited to receive their 5 Year Anniversary certificates.  The Del Rey Neighborhood Council will present best practices and receive their 5 Year Anniversary Certificate. 

The Commission will set aside a portion of the regular meeting agenda to hold a Town Hall  from 7 p.m. to   8 p.m. and would like to hear your recommendations and ideas for minimizing any possible budget impacts to the Neighborhood Council Funding Program.  The Commission is also interested in your suggestions and advice for reaching 100% compliance on the State and City mandated NC Board member Ethics Training.  

The Commission Meetings Are Accessible Via the Telephone
You can now listen to a Commission meeting live via the telephone.  This service is available only when the Commission is meeting at City Hall by calling CityFone -- 213-621-CITY.

Turn Out, LA for Earth Hour at the Nokia Plaza on March 28th
The World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour - on March 28, 2009 to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions.  The Los Angeles Earth Hour - Turn Out, LA - will be held at Nokia Plaza at LA Live, 777 Chick Hearn Court, Los Angeles, CA 90015 from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.  For more information, please see their  website . 

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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