Department of Neighborhood Empowerment

DONE Newsletters 2009

April 22, 2009

Message from General Manager BongHwan (BH) Kim
During this challenging environment around the country and particularly here in Los Angeles, we believe that communication has never been more important.  Therefore, for the first time since the inception of the Neighborhood Council system, we have embarked on a program to develop a comprehensive communications and marketing plan to increase the awareness of the Neighborhood Council system and to showcase the best practices that are making a difference in our local communities.  We hope to significantly increase the number of people participating in Neighborhood Empowerment in their local councils.  Los Angeles is fortunate to have the only civic engagement initiative of this size in the country.  We need to engage as a community to meet the serious challenges ahead and mobilize our individual strengths to reach our potential as a community.

To that end, we have received a grant from a private foundation dedicated to community building and civic engagement.  This grant is entirely underwriting our work in communications, marketing and web development.  We are hard at work on researching the communications needs of a representative sample of the community.  When it debuts, our revised website will be a work in progress and have the ability for each of our stakeholders to have a voice and share comments on topics of interest.

We very much appreciate all of the many volunteer contributions you have made towards the betterment of our unique and diverse communities.  We look forward to working together to continue to make Los Angeles the most vibrant and civically engaged city in the country.

Provide Input at the City Budget and Finance Committee Special Meetings Schedule Next Week
The City Council's Budget and Finance Committee Special Meeting on the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and NC funding will be on April 30, 2009.  We encourage you to provide input on the funding for your NC and our department as well as other City departments.  Please review the schedule and make sure to contact the Budget and Finance Committee's Legislative Assistant, Lauraine Braithwaite at 213.978.1075 or e-mail lauraine.braithwaite@lacity.org as the time and department presentations listed in the agendas may change.

If you can't make it to the meetings, please use the COUNCILPHONE -- a telephone system that allows the public to listen to live coverage of City government meetings from any phone-can be accessed by dialing the following numbers from the listed locations:

Downtown
(213) 621-CITY (2489)

San Pedro
(310) 547-CITY (2489)

West Los Angeles
(310) 471-CITY (2489)

Van Nuys
(818) 904-9450

To view the Budget Hearings live from your personal computer, click here for the Budget and Finance Committee live on demand streaming video.  

Updates on the Upcoming Regional Roundtables with GM BongHwan Kim and CBT/NLI Classes  
Our General Manager, BongHwan (BH) Kim, will be hosting a series of roundtables in the regions to discuss the upcoming changes to the Neighborhood Council System due to the budget crises.  Under the Carol Baker Tharp Neighborhood Leadership Institute (CBT/NLI), we will also be offering classes with the City Attorney on the mandated ethics training as well.  The ethics training is in lieu of the online training offered by the Ethics Commission.  You will receive a Certificate of Completion, which is effective for 2 years.    

City Attorney Releases Guidelines for Ballot Measures, Lobbying and State/Federal Legislation
To further assist NC's, the City Attorney Neighborhood Council Advice Division has released a guideline about NC authority regarding ballot measures, lobbying and state/federal legislation.

City Clerk's Final 2010 NC Election Procedures Stipulation Worksheet Is Released
After receiving feedback from the Neighborhood Councils around the City, the City Clerk - Elections Division has released the final version of the 2010 NC Election Procedure Stipulations Worksheet.  The Stipulations Worksheet needs to be completed and approved by your Board before being submitted to the City Clerk - Elections Division by 5 p.m. on June 1, 2009.  If the City Clerk - Elections Division does not receive your NC's Stipulation Worksheet by the due date, default values for the Stipulation Worksheet will be applied to your NC's elections.  Even if your NC made changes to your bylaws to accommodate the changes in the Plan regarding City Clerk run elections, your NC will still need to submit the Stipulation Worksheet as the worksheet contains further clarifying information necessary for your NC's elections.  To meet the requests of NC's, we will be holding a workshop to assist NC's with the Stipulations Worksheet on Thursday, April 30, 2009.  Please call (213) 485-1360 if you are interested in attending. 

New Schedule for the City Clerk NC EDG Meetings
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 Neighborhood Council Election Development Group (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.

If you need language assistance at the NC EDG meetings, please contact the City Clerk - Election Division by calling (213) 473-6805 at least 48 hours before the event.  Si necesita asistencia en otro idioma, por favor comuniquese con nuestra oficina con 48 horas de anticipación llamando al (213) 473-6805.

NC Bylaw Amendment Time Schedule
Any bylaw amendments that address election issues NOT already 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.

Updated 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 updated Save the Date flyers in Spanish and English, please click here.

BOARD OF NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSIONERS NEWS

Recap of the Commission's April 20th Meeting
At the Board of Neighborhood Commissioner's (Commission) April 20, 2009 meeting, the Commission adopted a policy calendar and amended Article IV of the Commission's Operating Policies and Procedures, which deals with the process that is followed when the Commission adopts or considers a policy for the Neighborhood Council system.  Karen Mack was confirmed as the Commissioner to represent the South planning area of the City of Los Angeles and joins the Commission's other newest Commissioner, John Kim, who represents the Central area on the Board .  The Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council also presented their impressive best practices event, Parking Day LA 2008.

The Commission's Next Meeting
The Commission's next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. at the Community Magnet Charter School - Auditorium, 11310 Bellagio Road, Los Angeles, CA 90049 in the Bel Air Beverly Crest NC area.

CITY NEWS

City Council's Ad Hoc Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development in the Valley Next Week
The City Council's Ad Hoc Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development will be holding a community meeting on Thursday, April 30, 2009 to receive community suggestions on the City's gang violence reduction strategies and its impact on the San Fernando Valley.  The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Fernangeles Recreation Center located at 8851 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Sun Valley CA 91352.

Bureau of Street Services Updates Cost Sheet for Neighborhood Councils
The Department of Public Works Bureau of Street Services offers its services to the Neighborhood Councils through the Personal City Services & Repairs Program.  Please see the updated price list for NC's and the flyer for more information.

Bring Music to Your Neighborhood!
Get Your Chops Back, an Active Arts at the Music Center program, is looking for neighborhood site to host exciting and fun summer music-making projects - "Jazz Combo" and "Snare Drum Choir" - for non-professional musicians.  If Neighborhood Councils would like to bring music to their neighborhoods by providing a site, contact Active Arts at activearts@musiccenter.org no later than May, 10, 2009.

Extended Registration at Discounted Rate for NUSA!
The 2009 Neighborhoods, USA (NUSA) Conference on Neighborhood Concerns just around the corner, the City of Spokane, Washington is in the process of preparing our neighborhoods for 1,000 community and grassroots leaders from the U.S. , Canada , and Japan . This years conference is jam-packed with collaborative forums, beautiful neighborhood tours, and innovative workshops.  Join them on May 20-23, 2009, and take a hands-on approach in the building of stronger, healthier communities!

The City of Spokane is pleased to announce that the deadline for the discounted $225 registration has been extended until May 1!  After May 1, registration is available for $325 through May 6. One-day registration is available at a discounted rate, and additional events, such as winery tours and rafting on the Spokane River , also are available.  Don't miss this great opportunity to network and brainstorm with 1,000 leaders who share your passion for community. To register online and for additional information on tours and workshops, visit www.nusaspokane.org . You may also contact Katrina Miller at 509-625-6733 or krmiller@spokanecity.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