Department of Neighborhood Empowerment

DONE Newsletters 2009
July 15, 2009

NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENT NEWS

Congress Planning Committee Meeting this Thursday, July 16th

The next meeting of the Congress Planning Committee will take place on Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. in the LACERS Board Room located on the 8 th floor of the Brunswig Building - 360 E. Second Street , Los Angeles , CA 90012.  Please RSVP to Guillermo Carreon by phone at (213) 485-1360 or via e-mail at guillermo.carreon@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.  Parking is available on lot 7, which is located 2 blocks east of City Hall on Judge John Aiso St. between Temple and 1st Streets.  The entrance to lot 7 is located on the east side of Judge John Aiso St .  For more information about the Congress, please call (213) 485-1360.

The theme of this quarter's Regional Roundtable and Training focuses on public safety both for your community and your NC.  Our roundtable will be with the Mayor's Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) Department to discuss GRYD's work in your community and their partnerships with NC's.  The trainings will be on Board member liability and safety and will be conducted by members of the City's Department Threat Assessment Team:  Vivienne Swanigan, City Attorney - Labor Division, and Ann Phelps, Ph.D. of Prince & Phelps Consultants. 

Even as volunteers, Board members' actions may leave them subject to personal liability.  Vivienne will review the relevant laws affecting NC Boards so you can protect yourself from lawsuits.  If you've ever had to deal with a challenging Board member or stakeholder during a public meeting, you'll appreciate Ann's training on assessing people and assertive leadership.  Learn tools and techniques that help you identify which people may pose a threat to safety as well as how to effectively interact with Board members and stakeholders who are just challenging to work with.  Through examples and role playing, Vivienne and Ann will provide valuable information for maintaining a welcoming and safe environment for your NC meetings.

Central East
- Thursday, July 23rd 5:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.  Flyer

Aliso Pico Recreation Center
370 S. Clarence St.
Los Angeles, CA 90033

Co-Hosted by the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council

South/West/Harbor
- Saturday, August 15th 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Valley - September date and location to be determined.

Please RSVP for materials and refreshments by calling (213) 485-1360. 

NC Inventory Update

Thank you to the 26 NC's who have provided inventory reports to us.  We strongly recommend the 63 Neighborhood Councils who have not yet submitted their inventory reports to provide a response by July 31, 2009 in order to avoid an interruption of City funding.   For more information and for the list of NC's that have complied, please click here .  If you have any questions, please contact Rodger Shimatsu by email at Rodger.Shimatsu@lacity.org or by telephone at (213) 473-5383.

Translation Services Approved

We have contracted with 3 vendors to provide translation services to the NC's.  For their contact information and booking procedures, please click here .

Bylaw Amendment Moratorium Starts September 1st

If you have any non-election related bylaw amendments, please submit them to us by September 1, 2009.  After this date, we will not be processing any bylaw amendments until after the 2010 NC elections.

Board of Neighborhood Commissioners Last Meeting of the Summer on Monday, July 20th  

The next Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (Commission) Special meeting will be held on Monday, July 20, 2009, at the Marlton School, 4000 Santo Tomas Drive, Los Angeles 90008 at 6:30 pm.  The Commission will be discussing various issues on the agenda that affect the NC's and is very interested in hearing from all Neighborhood Councils on these matters.  As this is  the Commission's last meeting of the summer, the Commissioners encourage everyone to come out to this meeting to participate. 

CITY NEWS

City Clerk Offers New Live and On-Demand Video and Audio Services

The Office of the City Clerk is offering new live and on-demand video and audio services of City Council meetings.  For more information, please see their flyer.

Office of Finance Is Offering a LA City Tax Penalty Amnesty for 2009

The City of Los Angeles is offering a penalty waiver for the following:  business tax, telephone, electricity & gas users tax, commercial tenant's occupancy tax, transient occupancy tax, and parking occupancy tax for businesses who have unpaid taxes, under-reported gross receipts, and who are not registered.  This offer is good between May 1 - July 31, 2009.  Please call the Tax Amnesty Hotline at (213) 978-1555 for more information or go to www.lacity.org/finance.

Bureau of Sanitation S.A.F.E. Centers Accept Analog Televisions

With the switch from analog to digital broadcasting, the City of Los Angeles ' Bureau of Sanitation reminds the public to properly discard analog televisions, antennas and other electronics by taking them to a S.A.F.E Center .  For information on locations and hours of S.A.F.E. Centers, go to their website . 

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

Common Sense California Offering Grants for Civic Engagement

Common Sense California is offering grants from $1000 to $7500 to support cities, school districts, counties, regional governments and non-profits that are involving residents in important policy decisions.  For more information and to apply, please go to the Common Sense California website . Watts Towers Summer Expo on Saturday, July 18th Reach Back LA will be presenting a concert and resource fair at the Watts Tower Amphitheater, 1765 E. 107th St., Los Angeles 90002, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, 2009.  For more information, please go to www.ReachBackLA.org/wtse .

Milagro Allegro Community Garden Event Saturday, July 18th

Neighborhood Councils invited to join Park[ing] Day LA 2009

On September 18, 2009, Los Angeles will be celebrating the third annual Park[ing] Day LA - a nationwide event that highlights the importance of parks and urban green space to our communities.  Each year, small, temporary parks are installed in parking spaces and streets for a day of awareness, public education, and community engagement.  This year, the Neighborhood Councils are looking to band together by participating in Park[ing] Day LA to increase awareness about public parks and their maintenance, reach out to our community about the work of Neighborhood Councils, and provide positive exposure for the NC system as a whole. To make participation as easy as possible, we will provide various resources to help you host your own temporary park. Whether a single parking space or a block party, this is a fun outreach opportunity and a great way to support the Neighborhood Council Program.  If your Neighborhood Council is interested in participating or if you would like more information, please email the NC Park[ing] Day LA Coordinators Shawn Simons and Ashley Zarella .

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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