GENERAL MANAGER'S UPDATE

Happy 2015! I hope our newsletter finds you well. We've been busy reorganizing and streamlining over the holidays in order to better serve our Neighborhood Councils leaders. "Simplify" is our mantra this year, starting with the lovely new design of our newsletter. We'll also be launching a beta version of a redesigned website by the end of the month for your comments. Last week, we sent out drafts of the new and improved funding forms, which saw the elimination of pages and of forms altogether. HUGE thanks to Neighborhood Council board members for their feedback, especially Harvey Goldberg, Jay Handal and Terrence Gomes who made time to meet with us, and to our great funding team, who listened to everyone's concerns and changed the forms and processes accordingly. You can always email me to provide suggestions or feedback on any of our services. We are developing a FAQ to address common questions from board members as well.

I was happy to join Mayor Garcetti and Councilmember Mike Bonin in Mar Vista on Saturday to do a door-to-door campaign informing residents that Venice Boulevard in their area has been selected as one of Los Angeles' Great Streets. Board of Public Works President Kevin James, Mar Vista Community Council Chair Bill Koontz and our own Commissioner Eli Lipmen and his adorable daughter, Lucy, among many others were also there to support. I ended up walking in the much needed rain for a few hours with Canoga Park Neighborhood Council President Corinne Ho and her awesome daughter, Jasmine. Corinne had come out to learn how she could use a door-to-door campaign to do outreach about CPNC in her community, and we agreed it should be used regularly by Neighborhood Councils to meet their stakeholders as it is so effective.

 

Our Board of Neighborhood Commissioners met on Monday, and they made a modification to their Code of Conduct Policy to allow for a training alternative to the signing the Code of Conduct. We will be working with the City Attorney's Office to provide this short training beginning in February. As a result, the deadline to either sign the Code of Conduct or take the training will be April 3, 2015.

 

Thank you to the Commissioners for their flexibility and to the nearly 800 board members who have already signed the Code of Conduct online. We've set up a new Policy link in the newsletter below so folks can check out the latest on Neighborhood Council policies.

Lastly, to inspire your Neighborhood Council work in the new year, congratulations to Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council for completing their Vision Plan for downtown from a grant they received in 2012! Also, kudos to Empowerment Congress North for quashing an oil drilling proposal in their community! So impressive!!

 

Tomorrow, I'll be at Mayor Garcetti and Councilmember Mitch Englander's Resilience by Design Community Meeting in Northridge. An early model for our Neighborhood Council system, the Empowerment Congress Annual Summit is also tomorrow at USC. Please note that our offices will be closed on Monday, January 19th, in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

 

Looking forward to some major empowering in 2015 with you! Have a great weekend!



Best,

 

Grayce Liu,

General Manager

Department of Neighborhood Empowerment 

 

Empower Yourself. Empower Your Community. Empower LA.

 
Team Updates
Armando Ruiz
Leyla Campos
Stephen Box
Jeffery Brill
Mayor's Message

After working closely with the Mayor's Office of Economic Development, Yahoo! Inc. is moving its Santa Monica operations to Los Angeles, Mayor Garcetti announced today.

"I'm proud that Yahoo is moving to Los Angeles and sending a strong message to the business community that our city is where the next big thing is going to be," said Mayor Garcetti. "This move proves that L.A. is accelerating as a center of technology and entertainment, to the benefit of our overall economy and every Angeleno."

 

"We worked hard to identify the right office situation for Yahoo in Southern California to better match our space and collaboration needs," said Ken Goldman, CFO of Yahoo! Inc. "While we have always had a presence in Southern California, working out of the City of Los Angeles is a priority for us now more than ever. In the fall of 2015, teams currently based out of our Santa Monica office will transition to our new Playa Vista campus."

 

Yahoo! Inc. signed a long-term lease for approximately 130,000 square feet at the Collective Campus in Playa Vista with commercial real estate firm Tishman Speyer. The company's move will bring at least 400 jobs from its current location in Santa Monica, with space to accommodate future growth.

 

"We chose the Playa Vista location because of its access to talent, the ambience of this area, and the quality of the development being constructed by Tishman Speyer. In addition we were exceedingly impressed with the level of engagement in this site selection process by the Mayor and his Business Team staff. They have done an exemplary job in highlighting the benefits of a City of Los Angeles address and have followed through on all of their commitments," Goldman added.

 

"I am thrilled to welcome Yahoo to the City of Los Angeles," said Councilmember Mike Bonin, who represents Playa Vista. "Playa Vista is a perfect home for smart, innovative tech firms, and Yahoo will add to a growing energy and spirit as Playa Vista becomes the real hub of Silicon Beach. This shows that Los Angeles is open for business and ready to compete with the best."

 

"What an incredible win for Los Angeles," said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, Chair of the City Council's Budget and Finance Committee. "I couldn't be happier that Yahoo has decided to bring hundreds of jobs into our great city. This is a boon for our local economy that will spur innovation and economic growth, and it proves that L.A. is a national tech hub."

 

Los Angeles has emerged as a leading center for the technology sector and is home to industry leaders such as Snapchat, Riot Games, ZEFR, Factual, Oblong Industries, and StudyMode, and is home to large operations of Google, YouTube and other industry leaders.

 

The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation recently released a report showing that our local tech sector is thriving with more high tech jobs (368,600) than Boston-Cambridge, Santa Clara County (in the heart of the Silicon Valley) and New York City. The report also shows that the direct high tech workforce generated $32 billion in wages in 2013, accounting for 16.8% of all wages paid in L.A. County.

 

Do you know about LANCC? The Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition is intended to enhance the ability of NCs, as well as their clout and influence, giving a larger voice on issues affecting...


The City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department (EMD) has been awarded a grant to further its mission of developing emergency community readiness in Los Angeles, Using a "whole community approach," EMD will select one Neighborhood Council...

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power invites the public to attend a presentation of their Draft Stormwater Capture Master Plan on Thursday, January 22...


In Los Angeles, disaster preparedness is a primary focus for all city departments. Partnership with the community, volunteer groups, non-profits, stakeholders, and city leaders will make Los Angeles resilient to disasters and ready for recovery...
50 Years Later: Chaos or Community? 
23rd Annual Empowerment Congress Summit

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and the Empowerment Congress are proud to present the 23rd Annual Empowerment Congress Summit on Saturday, January 17, 2015 at the University of...


Arroyo Seco Environmental Restoration Study:
The USACE Wants to Hear from You!
The United States Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District in coordination with the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council and Los Angeles Councilman Gilbert Cedillo will hold a Public Meeting in support of the Arroyo Seco...
News from the Housing & Community Investment Dept.
The Los Angeles Housing and Community Investment Department works to create viable urban communities by advocating for safe and livable neighborhoods through the promotion, development and preservation...

"Resilience by Design" Community Meeting:
The Mayor's Plan for Infrastructure Public Safety
You are invited to join LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, Dr. Lucy Jones, and Councilmember Mitch Englander for an opportunity to learn more about "Resilience by Design," a plan aimed at improving our City's infrastructure...
This is What a Full Scale
Neighborhood Preparedness Exercise Looks Like!
Does your neighborhood have a Neighborhood Emergency Plan? Last year, the Emergency Management Department worked with the Tarzana Neighborhood Council to create their Neighborhood Emergency Plan and "rehearse" it with a full scale exercise. Tarzana was out in full force to experience the Great California ShakeOut, coming together as a community...

North Area Neighborhood Development Council Instrumental In Quashing Oil Drilling Proposal
Freeport McMoRan has withdrawn their application to drill a new well and redrill two existing wells at their current facility on Jefferson Blvd, west of USC, in part due to the efforts of the North Area Neighborhood Development Council (NANDC). NANDC provided a forum for community concerns on drilling at its meetings and rallied the community...
Town Hall: Bringing the LADOT to You!
Please join Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) General Manager Seleta Reynolds for a transportation town hall meeting in the West Valley.

LADOT would like to share the Great Streets for Los Angeles Strategic Plan and hear from residents directly on key transportation issues affecting the West Valley...

Join the Homeless Count and Make a Difference!
Los Angeles has the highest street homeless population in the nation. Every day we see them - men, women and children with no place to call home. We don't have to accept homelessness as an unsolvable problem. With your help we can end homelessness. 6,000 volunteers are needed January 27-29, 2015...

Empower Yourself. Empower Your Community. Empower LA.
Stay Connected
Copyright © 2015 All Rights Reserved.

Join Our Mailing List