I hope this newsletter finds you well. Have you done the Ancs? No, it's not a new dance craze, but a fun nickname for some of the great Neighborhood Council regional and citywide alliances we have across the City - VANC, LANCC, HANC, SLAANC.  There are also the non-Ancs - WRAC, NECA, NELA, PlanCheck NC and the Hollywood Coalition. Whether you're new to the system and don't know about them or a veteran and never attended, I encourage you to check them out because these groups are doing some pretty terrific work. I was at the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC) last night where our new Deputy Mayor, Torie Osborn, was there to meet everyone and answer questions about the future of the Neighborhood Council system. Next month, the VANC will be holding their famous Planning Forum where hundreds of Neighborhood Council Board members and committee members go to get educated about Planning and Land Use. Then, in December, they'll host Councilmember Eric Garcetti in their ongoing Meet the Mayoral Candidates sessions. I bumped into Assemblymember and City Attorney hopeful, Mike Feuer, at the Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils Coalition (LANCC) last Saturday where he was a guest speaker. At the Harbor Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (HANC), they are drafting proposals to the City to request earlier notification of planning issues. Next week, the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils (WRAC) will likely continue their review of the LA Airport expansion, and the South Los Angeles Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (SLAANC) will tackle the analysis of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a local community plan proposal. Speaking of planning, PlanCheck NC continues its ongoing monthly educational series/meet and greets with high level Planning Department staff tomorrow.  There is a wealth of information at these alliance meetings so if you're not attending, you're really missing out. The meeting times and locations are on our EmpowerLA Events Calendar so I hope to see you there soon!

As you know, our City is in the midst of a serious budget crisis. For next fiscal year's budget, we are looking at a 10% cut in funding for staff, which is approximately $230,000, resulting in a potential loss of 3-4 of our 19 permanent staff. It's very likely that the Neighborhood Councils will also face a cut. Because the Department must submit the budget by November 15, 2012, I hope to hold a web conference with Neighborhood Council leaders in the next few weeks to see where you need the most support so we can all plan accordingly. In the last few years of budget cuts, I've seen our staff and the Neighborhood Councils really dig in and create a system that is evolving into something better. To be leaders in your community, I think it takes pluck. One of my favorite words, pluck means "courageous readiness to fight or continue against odds : dogged resolution." I know all of us in the Neighborhood Council system have got lots of pluck so we'll get through this together and be stronger for it.

I hope to see you tomorrow at our Board Development Series Workshop in the Valley or at the elections in North East LA!