General Manager's Update 

I hope this newsletter finds you well. I'm excited to welcome John Szabo, our new City librarian to the GM roundtable of our EmpowerLA Leadership Academy Board Development series tomorrow on the westside. In the short time he's been here, John has been doing some pretty terrific work with the City's libraries. He's going to share that with us and talk about possible collaborations with Neighborhood Councils so I hope you'll join us. You can read more about John below.

 

This week, the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners approved translation service contracts so we can catch up on our service agreements. We'll be releasing the final vendors and prices in the next few weeks. At the Education and Neighborhoods Committee meeting, Councilmember Parks welcomed comments from the Neighborhood Councils on the City budget pursuant to Charter Section 909. The Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates presented their white paper there as well as before the City Council the next day, too. A big thank you to them for all of their work! Neighborhood Councils can weigh in on budget issues now using Council File #13-0355 as the reference and by emailing CityHall@EmpowerLA.org so that the Mayor and the City Council get your message and so that it is included as part of the City Clerk's file.

 

The Mayor's Budget will be released on Monday, April 22nd, and then we'll go into budget hearings that are detailed on this schedule. We'll keep everyone in the loop as quickly as possible so you can participate, too. Thanks to all the Neighborhood Councils and stakeholders who have sent in their positions on the budget!

 

National Volunteer Week starts on Monday, and we'll be honoring the Neighborhood Councils work along with other City volunteer work on Wednesday, April 24th, with Mayor Villaraigosa when he unveils his Future of Volunteering in LA report. Also, our Empower LA awardees will be recognized in City Council on Friday, April 26th, please come join us in celebrating their great work! More details below.

 

If I don't see you at our EmpowerLA Leadership Academy tomorrow, have a great weekend!!

 

Best,

 

 

Grayce Liu,

General Manager

Department of Neighborhood Empowerment  

 

Empower Yourself.   

Empower Your Community. 

Empower LA.

    

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will be hosting a Town Hall in the San Fernando Valley to discuss the issues that are most important to Angelenos including public safety, transportation, and economic development. The Town Hall takes place on Wednesday, April 24, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. in Council Chambers at the Van Nuys City Hall.

>>> continue reading 

On Wednesday, April 17th, another significant Neighborhood Council empowerment milestone was reached. For the third year in a row, your Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates ("NCBAs") were requested to present their views and recommendations concerning the City Budget to City Council. This year the basis of the presentation was their White Paper report entitled, "The Angeleno's Recipe For Success," which was first released Tuesday, April 16th at the Education and Neighborhoods Committee meeting (special thanks to Councilmember Parks for his support of the NCBAs). The total potential savings and additional generation of revenues from these recommendations is at least $1.0 billion...

>>> continue reading 

EmpowerLA Awards in City Council

LA's City Council will recognize seven Neighborhood Councils on Friday, April 26th at 10:00 am, honoring them at City Hall for their EmpowerLA Awards, given to them by the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners for fulfilling their mission to engage their local stakeholders and to ensure that their government is responsive to the needs of their community...

>>> continue reading

Neighborhood Councils

and the DWP

The LA Times reports that the City of LA's efforts to eliminate coal from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's power mix ahead of a state-mandated deadline is projected to cost more than $600 million. The article quotes Dr. Fred Pickel, LA's Ratepayers Advocate, who commented "What that could mean for ratepayers' electricity bills is unclear." The State of California has legislated that by 2020, 33% of our energy must come from renewable sources and to offset these new costs, rates will have to go up...

>>> continue reading

Candidates meet
Neighborhood Councils

The Candidates for LA's citywide offices continue to demonstrate the power of Neighborhood Councils to engage the community by appearing at their meetings, their events, and their Candidate Forums. Neighborhood Councils have come a long way! This Saturday, April 27, 2013, the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC) will be hosting the Mayoral, the City Attorney, and the City Controller candidates in a Forum that takes place at CBS Studios in Studio City...

>>> continue reading 

The City Council recently approved Council File: 11-1020-S1, which provides Neighborhood Councils with a tool for transferring funds from their current budget into an account that will hold the funds so that they can be used for the operation of the Congress of Neighborhoods in September and/or for outreach for next year's Budget Advocates...

>>>continue reading

The world watches, the nation celebrates, and Los Angeles honors its volunteers during National Volunteer Week, April 22 through April 26. Los Angeles is America's safest big city, an accomplishment that was made possible because of the strong partnerships between City Hall, the LAPD and the LAFD, and the community. Through it all, LA's volunteers have worked tirelessly to support the men and women who make Los Angeles such a great city...

>>>continue reading

Los Angeles has lots to celebrate, including the fact that it is America's Capital of Civic Engagement! But it doesn't stop there, LA is the Capital of Creativity, Culture, Entertainment, Green Living, Livable Streets, Great Weather, Innovation, Food Trucks, and Great Public Space...

>>>continue reading

Sun, surf, and 15 miles of open road will mark the first CicLAvia of 2013 this Sunday, April 21 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, transforming Venice Boulevard and downtown Los Angeles streets into a car-free, linear park for strolling, biking, playing, and exploring the city from a new perspective. Since it began in 2010, CicLAvia has quickly become Los Angeles County's most popular public event, consistently attracting more than 100,000 participants. CicLAvia is free of charge and open to everyone, from lifelong Angelenos to first-time visitors from around the globe. Leave the motorized transportation methods behind and claim the streets as your own...

>>>continue reading

Please make sure your Demand Warrants are complete per the revised Demand Warrant form which includes a checklist of required documentation. If your Demand Warrants are submitted on the deadline of May 15, 2013, and they are missing any of the requested documentation listed on the form, they will be returned to your Neighborhood Council and will not be funded with this Fiscal Year's funds (Budget Fiscal Year 2013). Unfortunately, due to shortage of Department staff and the expected high volume of Demand Warrants that will be submitted by the deadline, there will be no exceptions made for any Neighborhood Councils that submit Demand Warrants after the deadline...

>>>continue reading

I would like to remind you all about our upcoming Board Development Session this Saturday in the West Area. Please remember that John Szabo, City Librarian, will be attending. We are happy to welcome back the Office of the City Clerk; also representatives from Council Member Koretz's office will be there as well as members of the Afriat Consulting Group. It should be a fun and informative session and I certainly hope you make the time to attend. Please note the time change for this particular session, it begins at 9:00 a.m. at the IMAN Cultural Center located at 3376 Motor Avenue, LA. CA...

>>>continue reading

For the past few weeks, I have been wrapped up in just catching up with everything that has happened while I was out of the office for the previous 3 months, such as contracts, PRA's and especially leases. With regards to leases, the Department has worked very hard with the Controller's Office as well as with the City Attorney's Office to resolve the lease payment issue...

>>>continue reading