Department of Neighborhood Empowerment

DONE Newsletters 2009
June 3 , 2009

Message from Our General Manager, BongHwan (BH) Kim
The very first Valley Regional Congress, held this past Saturday at Panorama City High School, was a resounding success with over 150 people in attendance.  The workshops were well organized and helped many board members and people new to the Neighborhood Councils learn about coalition and network building, land use, public safety, web-based social networking tools, partnering with community-based non-profits, and a variety of other subjects that are critical to the success of the Neighborhood Council system. 

Many thanks to the Valley Regional Planning Committee headed by Lisa Cerda and Jose Sandoval.  They really rolled up their sleeves and spent countless hours in meetings with the planning committee and reaching consensus on the vision and goals.  They also did the heavy lifting of making the phone calls and emails to coordinate all the speakers, reaching out to other NC's to co-sponsor the event - and even launched their own website to help promote the event and allow for people to discuss their issues before the event.  This regional congress wouldn't have been possible were it not for their leadership and their fellow committee members.  I also thank and acknowledge the Valley staff team headed by Amelia Herrera-Robles, who effectively led her team and supported the planning committee. 

I have embraced the Neighborhood Councils across this great City as our partners and allies.  They are the community-based foundation upon which the Neighborhood Council system rests.  The regional congresses were organized in response to requests I received from leaders who saw the need and value of regional level activities that would compliment city-wide events.  This is our second regional congress and I am looking forward to continuing to build upon the momentum generated by this event to support on-going regionally focused networking, support, and learning opportunities in the Valley as well as in regions throughout the city.  Planning efforts are getting underway for our next City-wide Congress in October 2009 so please attend the kick off meeting on Wednesday, June 10th. 

Lastly, I received positive feedback on my opening speech with requests for a videotaped recording so here is the link to a web-posting made possible by Michael Cohen of Reseda NC.  Thank you all for your continued commitment to improving the quality of life for all our richly diverse communities. 

Step Up to Lead the 2009 Citywide Congress of Neighborhoods - Location and Time Change
Join the Citywide Congress Planning Committee for an opportunity to express your opinion on what the overall theme and programs of Congress 2009 should be and to challenge yourself to step up and be a leader for the next Citywide Congress.  The Congress Planning meeting will be held on June 10, 2009 at City Hall in Room 1060 at 6:30 p.m. and selection of this year's Congress Planning Committee members will take place. The June 10th meeting also will feature a preliminary overview of the Community Budget Process, and its kickoff event, Community Budget Day.  Please R.S.V.P. to Daniel Ruiz by phone at (213) 485-1360 or via e-mail at daniel.ruiz@lacity.org to confirm your attendance at the meeting and to provide a description of your vehicle (make, license number, model, color) so that we may confirm parking for you. For more information about the Congress, call (213) 485-1360.

NC FUNDING PROGRAM UPDATES

Removal of NC Funding Balances from Website
We have removed the "Available Balance" column from the NC Funding Program section of our website. We are aware of some confusion existing both with City agencies and with Neighborhood Councils regarding the actual dollar amounts to be available during Fiscal Year 2009-10.  This was made clear during recent Budget and Finance Committee deliberations regarding the proposed City budget.  It appears that various and different accounting interpretations were used to calculate the funding over the years, particularly during Fiscal Year 2005-06.

Our accounting and administrative staff, with the assistance of the Office of the Controller and the Office of the City Administrative Officer, are performing a comprehensive audit of all Neighborhood Council funds received and expenses paid from 2002 to the present.  This task, while large and complicated, is necessary to determine the correct amount of "rollover" funding for the Fiscal Year 2009-10.  We will notify all Neighborhood Councils when the audit is completed.

Reminder to all NC Treasurers
Neighborhood Council Treasurers are responsible for maintaining a current set of financial records for their Neighborhood Council.  All Treasurers agree to perform this activity when completing our Treasurer Training, and they sign an affidavit to this effect.  We have been advised that some Treasurers, rather than keeping their own set of financial records, simply rely on the data as published on our website.  This practice defeats the purpose of keeping a separate set of financial records, which are then compared with our records in order to agree on the correct amount of funds received and paid out.  In order to minimize financial confusion, and also to share the accounting responsibilities between the Neighborhood Council and our Funding Program, independent bookkeeping by both parties is a necessity for successful Funding Program participation. 

Please Don't Forget These Important Funding and Election Dates in June
June  6, 2009 - City Clerk EDG meeting.  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.

June 12, 1009 - Last day we will accept 2008-2009 demand warrant requests.  All demand warrant requests received after June 12, 2009 will be processed during the 2009-10 fiscal year.  We encourage all NC's to use their US Bank cards for purchases of less than $1,000 whenever prudent and feasible.  If you have any questions please contact Rodger Shimatsu at (213) 473-5383 or by email at Rodger.shimatsu@lacity.org .

June 13, 2009 - City Clerk will hold a meeting for NC's to vote on their election day.  See the City Clerk website for more information.

June 19, 2009 - NC annual budgets for the 2009-2010 year are due to us .  Please use $45,000 for the yearly budget amount.  More information and copies of sample templates are available here.

BOARD OF NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSIONERS NEWS

The Commission Meeting Schedule
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

Mayor Villaraigosa's Volunteer Appreciation Festival on Saturday, June 27th
On June 27, 2009, Mayor Villaraigosa will host a Volunteer Appreciation Festival and Pledge to Service at City Hall. This event will serve as a gesture of gratitude to all those who have volunteered with Neighborhood Councils at a Day of Service since July 2005. To kick off the event, the Mayor will lead participants in a pledge to begin, renew, and continue their commitment to service. There will be a volunteer resource fair, and organizations will provide people with information about volunteer opportunities. In addition, there will also be lunch, entertainment, and activities for children. As with the Mayors Day of Service, these festivities are made possible by private donors and corporate sponsorship and are free of charge for all participants. For more information, please contact Barri.Worth@lacity.org.

DOT Offers Free Truck Driving Classes for Women
The Los Angeles City Commission on the Status of Women in partnership with the Department of Transportation (DOT) is offering free truck driving classes for women. Classes will be every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from June 16, 2009 to July 16, 2009 in downtown LA. RSVP by June 10, 2009. For more information, please contact Rayshell Chambers at (213) 978-0300 or via email at rayshell.chamgers@lacity.org.
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.

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.

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

Pico Union NC's June 6th Health Fair
On Saturday, June 6, 2009, Pico Union NC will be co-hosting a Health Fair for the community with their partners from churches, local hospitals, City agencies, and community organizations. This event is the culmination of many months of hard work by the Pico Union NC in an effort to reach out to their community, particularly monolingual Spanish and Korean speakers with no medical insurance. A number of free medical services will be provided. For more information, please see the event flyer.

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.

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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