Department of Neighborhood Empowerment

DONE Newsletters 2009

May 20, 2009

Message from Our General Manager, BongHwan (BH) Kim, on the Budget
As you may know, the City Council approved the total City budget this week. The unanimous vote included funding for Neighborhood Councils at $45k/year per motion by Councilperson Wendy Gruel during the Budget and Finance Committee proceedings. The roll over policy remains unchanged at a maximum of $145K. Funding for four full time positions - our department's shared sacrifice cutback included in the Mayor's proposed budget - was transferred to the City Clerk in order to administer NC elections in 2010.

In total, our department will lose ten full time positions in this year's budget and have a total operating budget of $300K. Despite these budget challenges, we are committed to promoting effective and collaborative partnerships within City government and diverse communities to advance the purpose of the Neighborhood Council system as required in the City Charter. More than ever, it will be critical for our department to be strategic and focus our limited resources on those things that will have the most impact.

Thank you to all the NC Board members and stakeholders who expressed such strong support for the NC funding program. The City's budget challenges are far from over. I encourage you to continue to be involved as our elected leaders grapple with the many tough decisions that lie ahead. Citizen and community engagement is no longer a luxury, but an essential aspect of effective government in the 21st century.

Planning Meetings for Citywide Congress Starting on Thursday, May 21st
We cordially invite members of the 2008 Citywide Congress of Neighborhoods Planning Committee and the Neighborhood Council Community to a meeting on May 21, 2009, to discuss the Congress 2009 planning process. In these challenging times, the Citywide Congress of Neighborhoods can serve as an important opportunity to connect leaders and stakeholders of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council System. Participants will discuss lessons learned from the 2008 Citywide Congress and be invited to suggest ideas for themes and programs for the upcoming Congress, which is slated to take place on October 10, 2009. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in room 1050 in City Hall.

Please RSVP to Daniel Ruiz, by phone at 213-485-1360 or via e-mail at Daniel.ruiz@lacity.org to confirm your attendance and to provide your vehicle information for parking purposes (make, model, color, license number). Parking will be available in Parking Lot P 2 under City Hall East. It can be accessed from the west side of Los Angeles Street, heading south, between Temple and 1st Streets.

NC Annual Budgets Are Due on June 19th
NC annual budgets for the 2009-2010 year are now due on June 19, 2009. Please use $45,000 for the yearly budget amount. The purpose of a budget is to help Neighborhood Councils plan for activities throughout the year and to ensure expenditures are in accordance with City funding policies and guidelines. A well designed budget provides reasonable details that allows stakeholders to know what the NC's plans are for the year. More information and copies of sample templates will be available on our website. Excel versions of the template will be available later this week.

Neighborhood Council Funding Program - Staff Change
Kevin McNeely, the Program Administrator of the Neighborhood Council Funding Program, has accepted a promotional opportunity with another City department and will be leaving us on Friday, May 22, 2009. Mr. McNeely has handled the daily affairs of the Funding Program since September 2003 and has been a positive influence, assisting Neighborhood Councils with a multitude of funding issues. Until further notice, please contact Mike Vitkievicz with any questions regarding the Neighborhood Council Funding Program. Mike may be reached directly by telephone at (213) 485-1822 or by email at mike.vitkievicz@lacity.org

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.

Reminder to Log-On to the NC Self Update System
Several weeks ago, NC Board members received emails from our Systems Division inviting them to log-on to our new NC Self Update system. This system allows for Board members to make changes to their online contact information as well as add their pictures and bios for public viewing. In order to have a NC Self Update account, please make sure that you have provided us an individual email address. Board members of NC's with one address for the entire Board will not be able to participate. If you have any questions or need assistance creating your own email address, please contact your Neighborhood Empowerment Analyst.

Important Dates for Your NC's 2010 Elections
Please note the following important dates for your NC's 2010 elections:

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.

The Valley Regional Congress Is Next Saturday, May 30th
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. Voting ends on 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!

BOARD OF NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSIONERS NEWS

Recap of the Commission's May 18th Meeting
The Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (Commission) approved three contracts for interpretation and translation services with Axiom Translations, LLC, Continental Interpreting Services Inc., and Paragon Languages Services, Inc.  The Commission also approved a bylaw amendment for the Granada Hills South Neighborhood Council allowing them to reduce their board size, eliminating one at-large board position, eliminating the cultural arts board position, and expanding the eligibility requirements for the educational board position.  The Commission also reviewed a draft agenda for their June 12th Special Meeting, Board retreat.  The Board also received an Forming and Unincorporated Areas report from the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment to be discussed at the next meeting.

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 at 11:30 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

LADWP Offering Residential Water Conservation Rebate Program
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is still funding rebates for water conservation devices. All qualified rebate applications from LADWP customers will be honored. To apply for your rebate or for more information, please contact the So Cal Watersmart Program at (888) 376-3314 or go to www.bewaterwise.com.

LA Animal Services Needs Foster Parents
The Los Angeles Animal Services needs your help to recruit volunteers to be foster parents for their orphaned puppies and kittens. Please contact LA Animal Services New Hope coordinator at (888) 452-7381 or visit www.laanimalservices.com for more information.

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.

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 and Zero Waste Conference
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. On May 30, 2009, the Bureau of Sanitation will present the Policy, Program and Facility Plan to meet the zero waste goals for the City. To learn more about this conference and the City's progress towards "Zero Waste" and the future of reducing, reusing and recycling, please visit www.zerowaste.lacity.org.
.
NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

Loyola Law School Offering a Free Conflict Resolution Class on Wednesday, May 27th
The Center for Conflict Resolution at Loyola Law School - Los Angeles will be offering a free 4 hour communication skills workshop on May 27, 2009 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Please see the flyer for more information.

One Child at a Time Scholarship Offered for High School Students
The Los Angeles County Department of Children & Family Services is offering scholarships for high school students. Please see the flyer for more information.

Summer Jobs for Youth Ages 14-24
The Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board is offering a Summer Youth Employment Program. Please see the flyer for more information.

Los Angeles Valley College Holding Orientations for Mortgage Processors
The Los Angeles Valley College Job Training Office is holding orientations on May 21, 2009 and May 27, 2009 for mortgage processors. A major lending company has immediate hiring needs for 100 full time positions with a pay from $15-$20 an hour. Mortgage, banking, finance or real estate background a must. For more information, contact (818) 947-2941.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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