Department of Neighborhood Empowerment

DONE Newsletters 2009
July 29, 2009

NEIGHBORHOOD EMPOWERMENT NEWS

Message from Our General Manager BongHwan "BH" Kim

Our department is in the process of defining our strategic priorities for the future. The result will position us
to be more efficient and effective in fulfilling our mission of supporting LA's system of Neighborhood Councils. Especially in this current economic climate, we need your input.

This brief survey asks your opinion about different aspects of our support to Neighborhood Councils. Additionally, given the hard reality of budget cuts and decreased staff, this survey asks you to help prioritize the services your Neighborhood Council needs most so that we can allocate its resources accordingly.

Your participation in this survey helps ensure that our department positions itself to best support the creation of an empowered and robust Neighborhood Council system. Your perspective is extremely valuable, so please answer to the best of your ability and be as honest and complete as possible in your responses. The survey takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for your participation!

Congress Planning Committee Meeting Set for Tomorrow - Thursday, July 30th

You are cordially invited to attend tomorrow's meeting of the Congress Planning Committee to help finalize decisions on program, budget, outreach, and other aspects of the upcoming October 10 Congress event.  The Planning Committee meeting will be held on Thursday, July 30, 2009 at 6:30 p.m . in the LACERS boardroom on the 8 th floor of the Brunswig Building . The Brunswig Building is located at 360 E. Second Street , Los Angeles , CA 90012 (just east of the DONE 2 nd street office).  Free parking for the meeting can be accessed in City parking lot 7, which is located on the east side of Judge John Aiso Street between Temple and 1st Streets.  Parking also is available in private parking lots just west of the meeting location on 2 nd Street .  To confirm your attendance at the meeting, please R.S.V.P. to Guillermo Carreon at (213) 485-1360 or contact him via e-mail at guillermo.carreon@lacity.org . For more information about the Congress, 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 to be successful NC leaders and for maintaining a welcoming and safe environment for your NC meetings.

South/West/Harbor - Saturday, August 15th 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
135th Street Elementary School - Auditorium
801 W. 135th Street Gardena, CA
(City of LA, Harbor Gateway North area)

Valley - September date and location to be determined.

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

City Clerk Requests Polling Place Suggestion Forms

The City Clerk - Election Division is accepting Polling Place Suggestion Forms . Each NC can submit a ranked list of five (5) suggested Polling Places in their Neighborhood Council.  The City Clerk - Election Division Staff will use submitted lists to contact the facilities and recruit Polling Places. In making the final decision, the City Clerk's Office will consider the following criteria (Policy No. 17 - Polling Place Selection):

* Availability on the date and time of the election
* Sufficient size to accommodate the voter sign-in and voting process
* Access to public transportation
* Sufficient parking, lighting and restroom facilities for Polling Place staff
* Compliance with American Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements
* Cost for use of the facility (for each election-related event
* Neutrality of the location for stakeholders and candidates

The deadline to submit these forms is 5:00 p.m. of Friday, August 14, 2009.  Please submit this form via fax to (213) 978-0376 or via email to Niesha.Louis@lacity.org .  Should you have any questions regarding this form, please contact the Precincting Section at (213) 978-0434.

NC Inventory Update

Thank you to the 30 NC's who have provided inventory reports to us.  The response percentage is now up to 38%.  Once again, we strongly recommend the 55 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 a 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.orgor by telephone at (213) 473-5383.

NC Self Update Invite Will Be Resent

For those of you who would like to update your information on our new NC Self Update Database, we will be resending the invitation for enrollment to the Board members who haven't joined yet.  Please keep an eye out for the email invitation this next week. 

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.

Commission Elects a New President and Vice President  

During the last Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (Commission) Special meeting held on Monday, July 20, 2009, the Commissioners elected Michele Siqueiros as the new Commission President and Albert Abrams as Vice President.  Commission President Siqueiros serves as the Executive Director for the Campaign for College Opportunity and has a great understanding of the issues facing the Neighborhood Councils having served as Vice President for the Commission as well as having acted in the capacity of Senior Project Coordinator with the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.  Commission Vice President Abrams is a PR and public affairs and marketing professional, who is also a Board member of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council.  For more information on the Commissioners, please click here .      

The Commission would like to thank outgoing President Linda Lucks, who will remain in service to the Commission, for her leadership and dedication as President.   

The Commission will be taking a recess during the month of August and will resume their meetings in September.

CITY NEWS

GRYD Providing Services for the Whole Family

Across the City Mayor Villaraigosa's Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) continues to offer free programs and services for the whole family in 16 locations across the City.  For more information, please see GRYD's flyer .

Meter Hours Sign Replacement in Progress

Over the next 90 days, the LA Department of Transportation (LADOT) is posting new operating hours for parking meters.  City Council revised parking meter rates and extended the operating hours last July.  The new operating hours are generally from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Sunday, except in areas where peak period parking restrictions are in effect and in some entertainment and shopping areas.  Individual NC's are being advised in advance that signs are being posted.  Sign posting will be performed on weekends.  LADOT Parking enforcement will begin enforcing the new operating hours a few days after the new signs are installed.

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.

NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

Metro Updates on Westside Subway Extension

The Metro will be doing exploratory drilling as part of the planning and environmental analysis for the proposed Westside Subway Extension this week.  For more information, please see the flyer .  Beginning August 4, 2009, the Metro will be holding community meetings on the extension.   For more information, go to www.metro.net .

Historic Filipino Town Festival on Saturday, August 1st

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 .

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