General Manager's Update 

I hope this newsletter finds you well and rested from the election excitement this week. A big thank you to all the candidates for stepping up to serve Los Angeles. I'm looking forward to the upcoming Neighborhood Council candidate forums for the run offs in May.

 

Another exciting event in May is the 38th Annual Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) Conference on May 22nd-25th, which brings together neighborhood advocates from across the country. Our own Stephen Box and his lovely wife, Enci, have been selected by NUSA to present a workshop on outreach. I will be joining them and, of course, their delightful son, Sydney, for the journey to Minneapolis, MN to spread the EmpowerLA message. We'd love to have company so let us know if you're coming, too. Just remember that you can no longer use your Neighborhood Council funding for such travel expenses so, like us, you will be responsible for your own registration, travel & lodging costs if you attend the convention.

 

We had a great meeting with CAO Miguel Santana, CLA Gerry Miller and Neighborhood Council leaders on Wednesday about the proposed Economic Development Initiative, which is to be included in the 2013-2014 fiscal year budget. For those of you who could not attend, we recorded the meeting live and posted it on UstreamTV and on YouTube along with the relevant documents. We are working with the CAO and CLA to find more opportunities for Neighborhood Councils to weigh in so please let us know your suggestions.

 

I really appreciate all of the Neighborhood Councils working with us on cleaning up the quarterly reconciliations records so we can start fresh next fiscal year with a new funding format. We've had a conference call with the City contracted bank, Wells Fargo, this week, and everything still looks like a go on a checking account system. Regarding both the Department and Neighborhood Council funding though for next year, expect some bumps in the upcoming months because the sales tax did not pass. We'll have to work together to find some creative solutions for our funding.

 

Thank you for making this year's Budget Challenge successful with over 5,000 completed surveys! I look forward to seeing you at the regional Budget Day on Saturday, March 16th, which we'll be holding in 4 locations across the City.

 

Have a great weekend!

  

Best,

 

 

Grayce Liu, 

General Manager

Department of Neighborhood Empowerment  

 

Empower Yourself.   

Empower Your Community. 

Empower LA.

    

Economic Development Initiative Town Hall - Next Steps

Neighborhood Council leaders from the four corners of LA met with City of Los Angeles Chief Legislative Analyst Gerry F. Miller and City Administrative Officer Miguel A. Santana to discuss the City's new Economic Development Initiative (EDI), Council File #08-3050, at a Town Hall meeting co-hosted by EmpowerLA. The new EDI includes a new ...

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Los Angeles City Ethics Commission Fast Track Audit Policy

The Ethics Commission is seeking input regarding our draft audit policy. The policy would establish a framework for expediently resolving possible audit findings. It would also memorialize the fast-track audit processes that have been in effect since 2004.

The goal of the policy is to employ the Commission's limited resources as efficiently as possible, both for those who are audited and for the City...

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Regional Budget Day is coming to your region on Saturday morning, March 16!
You can RSVP now.

What is the purpose of Regional Budget Day? What if there was a way to express your community needs? What if you could have City representation listen to your needs and concerns, and they were taken into account? What if there were community volunteers, who would advocate in maintaining the funding needed to sustain your communities, as well as maintain the core services we cannot afford to lose? This is the purpose of Regional Budget day.

Regional Budget Day is your day to partake in the results of the Mayor's Budget Survey and have face-to-face interaction of the survey results. The Los Angeles regions are grouped into four areas:...

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Funding Update 3.8.13

On Friday, March 1, 2013, the Department issued letters to Neighborhood Councils with outstanding reconciliation reports. Pursuant to the Treasurer Handbook "The entire Neighborhood Council (NC) Board shares the fiduciary responsibility for the use of its funds; including auditing, managing and reconciling its records. All financial transactions must be reviewed and approved by the Board in a public meeting and shall be in compliance with all Department policies and procedures." NC's will be given unti...

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News from Field Operations 3.8.13

Many thanks to those of you who have made it to our Board Development Sessions as well as those of you who have attended the Ethics Open Government Training brought to you by the City Attorney's Office. We have received lots of positive feedback so far and there is an overwhelming sentiment amongst the NC system that Training Education are very much appreciated and needed. We are constantly working on improving and enriching the next phase of training and education so please know that we take your feedback into consideration...

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NCs are ready for their close-up!

Neighborhood Councils exploring innovations in connectivity have asked how they can broadcast their meetings so that the public can watch from home.Some solutions are fast, some are high-quality, and some are inexpensive. In the tradition of Hollywood productions, it's tough to get all three at once. Here are some options:...

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City of L.A. Releases a 311 App

Beginning March 18, 2013, L.A. residents can report graffiti, abandoned furniture, potholes, broken street lights and fallen trees with their iPhone and Androids. They can also use their mobile phones to find area parks, libraries, police stations, and Neighborhood Councils. City Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa unveiled the My LA 311 mobile app for the City of Los Angeles at Google's LA offices last month...

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