Department of Neighborhood Empowerment

DONE Newsletters 2009

May 13, 2009

Message from Our General Manager, BongHwan (BH) Kim
Yesterday, well over 100 NC leaders and stakeholders attended the Budget and Finance Committee meeting. Our elected leaders heard loud and clear just how important and vital the NC system has become to diverse communities throughout the city. As a result of your collective expression of support to maintain the NC funding program, the commiittee has instructed staff to minimize the cut in annual funding for each NC. Please refer to the CLA report for more specifics.

I was deeply moved and inspired by all the amazing stories which would not have been possible without the NC funding program and your commitment to community service. Please continue to follow the Budget and Finance Committee deliberations and the upcoming City Council proceedings on the budget. I am grateful for the responsive leadership of our Mayor, elected officials, commissioners, our staff, and NC leaders throughout the City who pulled together in such a short time to maintain this vital resource for the NC system.

Coverage of City Council Meetings
If you can't attend the City Council meetings in person, you can follow the deliberations on your home computer via live streaming audio audio here, or on LA CityView, Channel 35, for live coverage.  The Education and Neighborhoods Committee will be holding a Special Meeting on Friday, May 15, 2009, to consider a motion on NC elections.  The full City Council will then begin holding special meetings to consider the Committee's budget recommendations on Monday, May 18, 2009, and Mayor Villaraigosa's letter to the City Council requesting the declaration of a fiscal emergency.  Updated City Council Agendas can be found on the City's home page, City Meetings and Agendas calendar.

If you can't access the meetings online, 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

Demand Warrant Deadline Is June 12, 2009
As the fiscal year moves through its last quarter, please remember that in order to reconcile all City accounts and "close the books," the City Controller's Office will not process any checks for approximately two weeks before the start of the new fiscal year. All demand warrant requests received after June 12, 2009 will be processed during the 2009-10 fiscal year. Please make sure that all check requests are received by the us no later than June 12, 2009. To ensure that all checks are processed before the end of the fiscal year, we highly recommend turning all requests early and, if possible, to avoid turning in demand warrant requests for amounts less than $1,000. We encourage all NC's to use their US Bank cards for purchases of less than $1,000 whenever prudent and feasible.

Neighborhood Councils have done a great job in previous years of submitting their check requests ahead of the end of year processing deadline. Your cooperation again this year will be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions please contact Rodger Shimatsu at (213) 473-5383 or by email at Rodger.shimatsu@lacity.org.

Important Dates for Your NC's 2010 Elections

Please note the following important dates for your NC's 2010 elections:

May 15, 2009 - Deadline for election related bylaw amendment applications to our department May 16, 2009 - City Clerk EDG meeting

June 1, 2009 - 5 p.m. - Deadline for the 2010 NC Election Procedure Stipulations Worksheet to City Clerk.  The City Clerk has released a pdf modifiable version of the 2010 NC Election Procedure Stipulations Worksheet.

June 6, 2009 - City Clerk EDG  meeting

June 13, 2009 - City Clerk will hold lottery to select actual dates of elections for NC's in each region. More information to come.  To see the results of last week's lottery for each region's election week, please see the City Clerk website

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 anticipaci llamando al (213) 473-6805.

Valley Regional Congress - Registration and Workshop Information Now Available!
Networking, workshops, alliance building and the Neighborhood Council Recognition Ceremony will take place at the Valley Regional Congress on Saturday, May 30, 2009 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at Panorama High School, 8015 Van Nuys Blvd., Panorama City, CA. A series of Empowerment Camps will be available to Neighborhood Councils which will provide all an opportunity to engage in active discussions on such topics as Report Cards for Elected Officials, Sunshine Ordinance and Issue Driven Alliances. A wiki site has been created for active participation on congress topics.

A Neighborhood Council Recognition Ceremony will also be part of the event which will allow Board members to nominate peers for Recognition Awards. Nominations are now being accepted and will end May 9th. Voting begins May 10th and ends May 22. For more information and to register, please visit www.lacityneighborhoods.com and http://valleyregionalcongress.org.

Please don't forget to support the food pantries by bringing a non-perishable item to the event. See you all on the 30th!

SAVE THE DATE: Planning Meetings for Citywide Congress Starting on Thursday, May 21st
We invite all NC Board members interested in joining the Planning Committee for the Citywide Congress to come and meet our staff coordinators on Thursday, May 21, 2009, at 6:30 p.m., location to be determined. The Citywide Congress is currently scheduled for October, 2009. We will be reviewing lessons from the last Citywide Congress' Planning Committee and discussing suggestions for this year's Citywide Congress. Please RSVP with Daniel Ruiz by calling (213) 485-4415 or emailing him at daniel.ruiz@lacity.org.

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.

BOARD OF NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSIONERS NEWS

Recap of Commission's May 5th Meeting and Town Hall
At its May 5, 2009 meeting, the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (Commission) welcomed newly confirmed Commissioner Karen Mack, who is the South Planning Area representative.  The Bel-Air/Beverly Crest and Del Rey Neighborhood Councils presented best practices.

A Town Hall was held regarding the City Council Financial Disclosure Form 54 wherein the Commission encouraged NC Board members and stakeholders alike to request City Council to revisit this item and identify a new financial disclosure form. The Commission drafted and will be recommending an alternative Form 55 to City Council's consideration. The Commission also voted to send a letter to City Council expressing support for the need to keep the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment staff positions proposed for elimination.

Immediately following the Commission meeting, the City Council Budget and Finance Committee proposed drastic reductions to NC funding to $35,000 per year.  Commission President Linda Lucks sent out a special e-blast Call to Action to NC's members urging them to express their disagreement with the proposed reductions to the NC funding program to their City Council persons and to appear at the May 12, 2009 meeting of Budget and Finance Committee.

The Commission Meeting Schedule

Regular Meeting - Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.
Hart Street Elementary School - Auditorium
21040 Hart Street
Canoga Park , CA 91303 in the Canoga Park NC area.

Special Meeting - Board of Neighborhood Commissioners Retreat
Friday, June 12, 2009 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Audubon Center at Debs Park - Library
4700 North Griffin Avenue
Los Angeles , CA 90031

Regular Meeting - Monday, June 15, 2009 at11:30 a.m. CANCELED

Regular Meeting - Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.
South regional planning area in the C.A.N.N.D.U. NC area - location to be determined.

Regular Meeting - Monday, July 20th, at 11:30 a.m.
City Hall, 10th Floor Conference Center , Room 1060
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles , CA 90012

CITY NEWS

LAPD Invites Neighborhood Councils to Partner at the CSI-2009 C-PAB Summit on Saturday, June 6th
The Los Angeles Police Department is extending a "Special Invitation" to each NC to select two stakeholders that are non-C-PAB members to participate in this year's event to experience first-hand crime scene investigations used nationwide. Selected NC members will participate in community policing issues and observe crime scene investigations not available to the general public. For more information on the summit, please see the flyer.

Los Angeles Housing Department Update on Squatters and Scam Artists in Foreclosed Properties
The Los Angeles Housing Department would like to alert residents to squatters and scam artists who illegally occupy foreclosed properties owned by banks or who hold themselves out as the new landlord and rent the units to unsuspecting tenants. Please report any suspicious activity on any vacant or foreclosed properties in your neighborhood to your Los Angeles Police Department Division.

HIRE LA Creating Jobs for LA Youth
Leading the nation in job creation for youth, Hire LA is placing over 16,000 young people in jobs beginning this May and continuing through July 2010. Hire LA's Youth Employment Program works to provide young adults ages 14-24 with employment opportunities ranging from summer jobs to full time employment. Since its inception in 2006, Hire LA has placed over 28,000 young Angelenos in jobs. For more information, please visit www.hirelayouth.com or call (213) 744-7206.

Bureau of Sanitation Holding Open Houses
The Bureau of Sanitation will be holding Open Houses around the city at each of its six district yards in Sun Valley, Northridge, Lincoln Heights, South Los Angeles, San Pedro, and West Los Angeles to showcase its collection and recycling programs in order to improve awareness and increase recycling practices. For more information, please call (800) 773-2489 or visit www.lacity.org/SAN. To learn more about the City's progress towards "Zero Waste" and the future of reducing, reusing and recycling, please visit www.zerowaste.lacity.org.

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NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

LANI Holding Its 7th Annual Community Forum on Thursday, May 14th
The Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI) will be holding its 7th Annual Community Forum. This free day long event is designed to provide real and useful tools for individuals to make positive changes in their own communities. Learn how you can improve you neighborhoods one block at a time. To sign up, visit www.lani.org.

Free Mammograms to Women Over 40 Who Are Uninsured on Sunday, May 17th
The USC Keck School of Medicine and its partners will be offering free mammograms to women over 40, who are uninsured on Sunday, May 17, 2009. For more information, please see the flyer.

Occidental College's Faculty and Community Partners Workshop on Wednesday, May 20th
The Center for Community Based Learning (CCBL) at Occidental College invites you to attend their Summer 2009 Faculty and Community Partners Workshop on May 20, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Occidental College, Lower Herrick. The workshop provides a general overview of CCBL and gives a basic introduction to the pedagogy of community based learning. To RSVP or for questions, please contact Celestina Castillo at (323) 259-1497 or castillo@oxy.edu.

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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