CD2 Policy

Mid-Year Financial Status Report

2012-02-10T10:19:00.000-08:00

Departmental savings mixed with higher than expected sales and hotel taxes throughout Los Angeles helped the city turn its $72 million deficit into a delicate, $4.2 million surplus this financial year, according to the mid-year financial status report.

But the city's not out of the woods yet.

Read it below:Mid-year Financial Status Report

Krekorian Tapped to Chair Budget Committee

2012-02-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles City Council organizes itself into new committees next week, with Councilmember Paul Krekorian set to take the helm of the Budget and Finance Committee starting February 6.

The new committee responsibilities, assigned by the president of the City Council, also reflect a change in leadership on the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, which Councilmember Krekorian had chaired since he took office in 2010. Councilmember Bernard Parks, who led the city's main fiscal committee for eight years, will now lead the Education and Neighborhoods Committee.

"During a time that our City faces unprecedented budget challenges, I accept the responsibility of chairing the Budget & Finance Committee with full awareness that there will be no simple fixes or easy solutions," Councilmember Krekorian said.

"But with every great challenge there is great opportunity, and we must seize this chance to create a municipal government that effectively and efficiently provides the services our residents need and deserve. How we respond to this time of crisis will define Los Angeles for years to come, and the work we do now can and must create a firm foundation upon which to build a strong future for our city."

Councilmember Krekorian also praised outgoing chairman Parks for his "dedication, skill and vision."

"His fiscal discipline has helped keep the City afloat in incredibly stormy seas," Krekorian continued. "All Angelenos are in debt to Bernard Parks for his service as Budget Chair."

During his tenure as head of the city's Education and Neighborhoods Committee, Krekorian has been a strong and consistent advocate of neighborhood empowerment. His efforts ensured that neighborhood council elections will take place this year, despite budget constraints that nearly led to a two-year delay in selecting new boardmembers. He also initiated a variety of reforms to bring greater engagement and effectiveness to the city's 95 neighborhood councils.

"I am very proud of the record of achievement that we established during my chairmanship of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, and I am confident that the path forward for neighborhood councils is bright," Councilmember Krekorian said. "While I will no longer chair that committee, I will always be steadfast in my commitment to a stronger neighborhood empowerment movement in this city."

As a result of the new assignments, Councilmember Krekorian will now serve as Vice Chair of the Public Works Committee and Vice-Chair of the Board of Referred Powers Committee. He will continue to sit on the Public Safety Committee and will now serve on the Ad Hoc Committee on Waste Reduction/Recycling.

Statement on Neighborhood Council Elections

2011-11-17T10:05:00.001-08:00

Honored at the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, July 2011 | Credit: CD2

During a special meeting on Wednesday November, 30 at 3 p.m., the Arts, Parks, & Neighborhoods committee will hear the City Attorney’s draft ordinance to delay neighborhood council elections until 2014 and automatically extend the terms of neighborhood council board members to 2014.

In response, Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the committee, released the following statement:

“I oppose this draft ordinance because it is clearly contrary to the spirit of democracy that our neighborhood councils represent. Extending neighborhood council board member terms until 2014 is unacceptable and it continues to be my goal to find a mechanism that allows residents to have a democratic process to select their representation on their neighborhood councils in 2012. I will work with the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, the neighborhood councils, the Mayor's office, the City Clerk and every other interested party to resolve this issue swiftly, transparently and responsibly.”

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Hundreds of Acres of Open Space Preserved in Lake View Terrace

2011-11-16T17:06:00.001-08:00

LOS ANGELES – TheCity Council today approved a long-awaited historic transfer of nearly 280acres of open space from the Angeles National Golf Club to the MountainsRecreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), elating the community that hasworked for 15 years to ensure completion of the arrangement.

The 277.5 acres adjacent to thegolf course stretch well into the Angeles National Forest and will nowbe preserved as recreational open space and protected from future development.In addition to the transfer of land, owners of the golf club will spend $42,000annually for 25 years for trail maintenance, $15,000 for the MCRA to developsignage for the area and $250,000 to create and maintain equestrian trails inthe Foothills.

“The area surrounding this golfcourse is among the most scenic open space in all of Los Angeles, and it was imperative to protectit from development,” said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the Arts,Parks & Neighborhoods Committee. “Today, I am thrilled that a 15-yearjourney has finally come to a successful conclusion thanks to the persistentefforts of so many in the community, the MRCA and Angeles National, and I amvery proud that my office has pushed hard to get this done. Our collectiveefforts will leave a permanent legacy of environmental protection, recreationalenhancements and an improved quality of life in this area.”

“Big Tujunga Washin and of itself is its own force of nature, an unparalleled capsule ofbiodiversity,” said Joseph T. Edmiston, Executive Officer of the MountainsRecreation and Conservation Authority. “This acquisition will extend the recreationalresource value of the Angeles National Forest into the San Fernando Valley.”

Land to be preserved outlined in red:

View Hundreds of Acres of Open Space Preserved in Lake View Terrace in a larger map

# # #

Councilmember Krekorian on KCRW's Good Food

2011-11-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

Should Downer Animals Be Allowed in the Food Supply? That is the question Evan Kleiman of KCRW's Good Food asked Paul this weekend. When he was in the Assembly, Paul introduced and passed a bill that banned the slaughter of animals too sick or hurt to stand. That law is now the subject of a Supreme Court case.

Listen to the segment, which starts a shade before the eight-minute mark:

Krekorian Calls on State Leaders to Oppose Adult Day Healthcare Center Cuts

2011-11-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Sherman Mitchell, Program Director, and Yanette Lewis, the Activity Director of the Valley Village ADHC

Recently, Councilmember Krekorian paid a visit to the Valley Village Adult Day Health Care Center in Sunland where he mingled with guests and spoke with those who help run the center.

The visit came days before the City Council approved a resolution objecting to a series of cuts proposed by the State Legislature to siphon off funding for ADHCs. The city also asked the Department of Aging to prepare areport detailing how the elimination of Adult Day Health Care center funding will impact the 75 licensed facilities and their patients throughout the city of Los Angeles.

The report is also slated to provide potential options for assisting persons reliant on ADHC funding.In anticipation of the vote, Councilmember Krekorian wrote to state leaders decrying the proposed cuts. That letter:ADHC provider letter

City Council Approves Deal for Local Firms Bidding on City Contracts

2011-10-20T14:07:00.001-07:00

Signing the ordinance | Credit: Betsy Anna, City of L.A.

LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed an ordinance todaythat should help local businesses win city contracts fo jobs worth more than $150,000.

The "local preference" ordinance, sponsored by City Councilmen PaulKrekorian and Bernard Parks, shaves 8 percent off the bottom line on bids for city contracts tendered by Los Angeles County-based companies.

To qualify, businesses need an address in Los Angeles County and need to have at least 50 full-time employees, or half of their full-time employees working in Los Angeles County at least 60 percent of the time.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa held a signing ceremony today, in part of publicize the program, which is part of larger five-part strategy to create jobs.

"I'm tired of cutting (budgets),'' Villaraigosa said. ``I'm tired of furloughs, and I'm tired of laying off. We've got to generate jobs, generate revenue, so we're not faced with the daunting task of just cuts.''

He said he hoped the ordinance would be tip the scales for business owners considering a move to Los Angeles. In the fiscal year ended June 30, Villaraigosa said the city spent close
to $2 billion on goods, services and construction, but only a fraction of the
work went to locally based firms.

In fiscal 2008-09, about 15 percent of city contracts, in terms of dollars, were won by L.A.-based firms, Villaraigosa said. More recent comparable figures were unavailable.

Under the new rules, city officials would have to reckon a $1 million bid from a local firm at $920,000. It will also give Los Angeles firms an 8 percent boost on contracts decided on factors other than just price.

The ordinance would not apply to the city's self-supporting city departments, including the airport and port departments, the Department of Water and Power and Community Redevelopment Agency.

Also excluded are the contracts with the Recreation and Parks Department and Library Department, but Villaraigosa said he urged the heads of those departments to approve similar incentives.

Ron Nichols, head of the DWP, said some of services the utility needs are not offered by local firms. He did agree that a "local preference" ordinance might lure some DWP contractors here. Krekorian said the ordinance should help prop up the local economy.

"It's just unconscionable that ,when this city spends billions of dollars on purchasing goods and contract services, that we treat a business in North Dakota precisely the same way we treat a business in North Hollywood,''he said.

-City News Service

Krekorian Issues Response to Samoa Project

2011-10-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

A proposed apartment complex has created a series of misconceptions in Sunland-Tujunga. In these letters to the community and the Departments of Planning and Housing, Councilmember Krekorian seeks to address many of those. Samoa Response Samoa Letter to Planning and Housing

Krekorian Explains Proposed Changes to the Mural Ordinance

2011-10-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Councilmembers Ed P. Reyes and Paul Krekorian held a special joint meeting Wednesday at Los Angeles City Hall aimed at finding solutions to the ban on public murals in the city that has been in place since 2002. North Hollywood Patch caught up with Krekorian, who explain what changes could be in effect:

Mural Presentation Paves Way for Repeal of Prohibition

2011-10-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES - Councilmembers Ed P. Reyes and Paul Krekorian held a special joint meeting today to continue charting a course for the future of murals in the city of Los Angeles. Krekorian, chair of the Arts, Parks & Neighborhoods Committee, and Reyes, chair of the Planning & Land Use Management Committee, along with Councilmember Jose Huizar, issued a series of recommendations that will pave the way for a brand new sign code to permit murals on private property.

The councilmembers, after hearing from some of the city's finest muralists, issued the following recommendations:

1) Approve the October 7, 2011, Cultural Affairs Department proposedrecommendations to permit murals on private property, and thereby request the CityPlanning Department, in consultation with the City Attorney to prepare anordinance to adopt the Vintage Mural Permit and the Time, Place, Manner Permit,inasmuch as these options would be cost neutral to the City. This now heads to the PlanningCommission.

2) Instruct the City Administrative Officer to work with the Cultural Affairs Department, PlanningDepartment, Department of Building and Safety, and in consultation with theCity Attorney, to provide a cost estimate that quantifies staff costs to issue,administer, and enforce a Public Art Easement Permit for fine art and publicart murals to be located on private property, and to identify the source offunds to do so. Also, include report onresources available for the maintenance of existing murals and recommendedstrategies/mechanisms for funding the maintenance of existing murals through aPublic Art Easement approach. Comes back to another joint Arts/PLUM committeemeeting.

3) Instruct the CAO, Department of CulturalAffairs, and other city departments to identify contractual personnel, staff,and any other costs associated with implementing the city’s mural permitting,enforcement and maintenance program. Comes back to another joint Arts/PLUM committeemeeting.

The joint committee also asked the Cultural Affairs and Planning departments to develop a process toinstall fine art murals on private property and considered and to grandfather murals at least five years old.

At issue is a May 2002 ordinance approved by the City Council that amended regulations governing prohibited signs to include Supergraphic Signs, Inflatable Devices and Murals Signs. The City Council is crafting an ordinance, consistent with the First Amendment, that permits fine art murals on private property, and thus restores Los Angeles as the "mural capital of the world."

The presentation below is the result of ongoing meetings with muralists, art organizations and other stakeholders.

Mural Presentation###

Reyes, Krekorian to Hold Joint Meeting on Murals

2011-10-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EventDate: October 12, 2011

Reyes, Krekorian toHold Joint Meeting on Murals

LOSANGELES – Councilmembers Ed P. Reyes and Paul Krekorian will hold a specialjoint meeting Wednesday, Oct. 12, to continue charting a course for the futureof murals in the city of Los Angeles.Krekorian, chair of the Arts, Parks & Neighborhoods Committee, and Reyes,chair of the Planning & Land Use Management Committee, will hold the jointsession at 3:30 p.m. in the Board of Public Works Room 350 of Los Angeles CityHall, 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles 90012.

The twocommittees will discuss amending the City's sign code to permit murals onprivate property. At issue is a May 2002 ordinance approved by the City Councilthat amended regulations governing prohibited signs to include SupergraphicSigns, Inflatable Devices and Murals Signs. The City Council is crafting anordinance, consistent with the First Amendment, that permits fine art murals onprivate property, and thus restores Los Angeles as the "mural capital of theworld."

DuringWednesday's meeting, the City's Cultural Affairs and Planning departments willdeliver a presentation on possible avenues for mural permitting. Theirpresentation is the result of ongoing meetings with muralists, artorganizations and other stakeholders.

Who: Councilmember Ed P. Reyes,Chair, Planning and Land Use Management Committee;

CouncilmemberPaul Krekorian, Chair, Arts, Parks and Neighborhood Committee

What: The City Council's Arts, Parks& Neighborhoods Committee and Planning & Land Use Management Committeewill hold a joint meeting to discuss permitting art murals in Los Angeles.

Where: Public Works Room 350 of Los Angeles City Hall,200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles90012.

When: Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011, 3:30 p.m.

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Accord Struck to Limit Mansionization in Studio City

2011-10-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

STUDIO CITY - In 2008, as residents throughout Los Angeles sought to contain what many called the scourge of large homes on small lots, the city enacted a set of regulations to curb mansionization. Under the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance, homes on a 6,750-square-foot lot were limited to 4,050 square feet. Previous zoning codes allowed more than twice that mass, with a 7,000-square-foot limit.

The 12,000 square foot mansion in Studio City
amidst a single-family neighborhood
that kicked off the entire RFA debate.

The ordinance, which applies to 300,000 properties in single-family residential zones throughout Los Angeles, also allowed communities to write their own ordinances to limit mansionization. Recently, Studio City did just with a new ordinance that could soon be approved by the city called the Residential Floor Area (RFA) District.

The RFA, agreed on recently after dozens of meetings with hundreds of residents, went further than the city’s ordinance to limit mansionization – the phenomenon of tearing down an existing home and replacing it with one that may be much larger than surrounding homes.

By controlling mansionization for nearly 4,000 Studio City homes - limiting lots of 6,750 square feet (the typical lot size in Studio City) to 3,578 square feet - residents in the East Valley essentially agreed to the widest ranging set of guidelines a community has ever enacted to maintain the integrity of their neighborhood.

Though the anti-mansionization ordinance must still pass the City Council, its approval is assured after years of debate from those who opposed the RFA, saying the initial ordinance was sufficient while those in support felt that additional limitations were needed to protect Studio City.

In the end, community groups across a divergent landscape of concerns, entrenched in their positions, came together after months of what many called creative leadership by Councilmember Paul Krekorian’s office, as staff members worked to adopt a better way of addressing mansionization by limiting size and creating incentives for positive design elements that preserve the character of neighborhoods.

“We didn’t just mediate between warring sides,” Councilmember Krekorian said. “We developed a truly effective policy by bringing all sides into the discussion.”

That policy was years in the making and started before Councilmember Krekorian took office. On Sept. 5, 2008, then-Councilmember Wendy Greuel wrote a motion to begin work on an RFA for Studio City, agreeing to a model that initially limited home sizes to 40% of the existing lot, or, floor-area-ratio, allowed by law - 2,700 square feet on a 6,750 square foot lot.

Two years later, the city’s Planning Commission held a public hearing on the matter. Hundreds showed up to oppose and support the idea. Concurrently, following Wendy Greuel’s election as City Controller, Councilmember Krekorian’s office worked with staff in the Planning Department, the Studio City Neighborhood Council, the Studio City Resident’s Association, the newly formed Studio City Against the RFA and others to chart the best path forward.

“Councilmember Krekorian inherited a contentious issue on his first day in office,” said Alan Dymond, a supporter of the plan from the outset and president of the Studio City Residents Association.

On July 24, 2010, the Planning Commission approved a version of the plan but those for and against the proposal were still firmly entrenched and deeply divided on opposite sides of the fence.

One of the major points of contention for those opposed to the RFA - as espoused by groups such as Studio City Against the RFA - was that the policy would have unduly affected property rights.

Ben di Benedetto, a realtor in Studio City and a leading critic of the original RFA proposal, said he first learned of it from apprehensive clients.

“Knowing nothing about it myself, I began investigating only to find that there were many other concerned community members that felt the issue had not been properly vetted,” Benedetto said.

Meetings were held with the councilmember, his staff, the city’s planning department and other groups such as the main opposition party, which Benedetto joined. From these meetings a compromise RFA was ultimately negotiated as all sides agreed on the need to limit mansionization without infringing on property rights.

Under the compromise, the maximum residential floor area in the majority of Studio City lots shall not exceed 53% of the lot area, while incorporating bonus design standards that minimize the impact of mansionization – a option that previously RFA iterations never incorporated.

[Read the RFA document (.pdf)]

“Not everyone was completely happy with the end result including yours truly, but as is often the case with compromise no one gets everything they want,” he said. “I have to commend all the party’s involved in the negotiation for their very hard work over a long period of time in reaching this agreement which I believe is ultimately a fair compromise that the community can live with.”

“I would like to especially thank Councilman Krekorian. It was not easy to represent all sides of this, especially over such a long period of time when everyone was so anxious to reach a resolution on such a contentious issue.”

While community groups and the council office agreed on the framework and specific residential development guidelines, the proposal still must be approved by the city. The Planning and Land Use Management committee gave its initial blessing on Sept. 13 and the City Council on Oct. 1 instructed the Planning Department and City Attorney to draft the final ordinance, which will be sent back to the Council for a vote before it can be signed into law by the mayor. Officials expect passage before the end of the year.

“I hope the community embraces the compromise RFA and we can put this issue behind us and focus on other important issues regarding our quality of life in Studio City,” Benedetto said.

Governor Brown, Save Thousands of Good Middle Class Jobs by Signing AB 1069 Into Law

2011-09-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

Outside City Hall, supporting FilmWorksLA

Today, Councilmember Paul Krekorian wrote to Governor Jerry Brown, urging him to sign a vital piece of legislation he said could retain thousands of jobs in California. Assembly Bill 1069, an extension of the entertainment production tax incentive he wrote while a member of the Legislature.

"In light of the incentive’s proven record of success in putting Californians back to work," Krekorian wrote. "AB 1069 is vital to the continuing recovery of production in California. Without it, the incentive will expire in 2013 and our gains will evaporate. Just as importantly, failure to pass this important measure would send the wrong signal to California’s heritage industry at precisely the wrong time.

"If our state government is serious about getting Californians back to work, we must be aggressive in preserving the industry that creates so many middle class jobs and supports so many local businesses both small and large. We must be willing to fight to keep the film and television production that is such an inextricable part of our identity, our history and our economy."

Read the whole letter:

Governor Brown, Save Thousands of Good Middle Class Jobs by Signing AB 1069 Into Law

New City Council Committee Assignments

2011-09-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

Every two years, the Los Angeles City Council reorganizes itself into new committees. The following is the most up-to-date schedule of the new committees, with notations in the margin on which committees Councilmember Paul Krekorian will chair, vice-chair and be a member. The new assignments were finalized today and will take effect Monday, Sept. 12. For individual councilmember assignments, please refer to their respective offices.New Los Angeles City Council Committee Assignments###

In Motion, Krekorian Calls for Convention Center Protections

2011-09-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES - Following a letter he sent to city officials last week, Councilmember Paul Krekorian introduced a motion today codifying his concerns about a potential loss in Convention Center activity.

The Councilmember, one of the staunchest critics of the proposal to build a new football stadium in downtown Los Angeles, nevertheless supported the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the city and AEG after the company said no public funds would be used.

Though he supported the MOU's financial framework, Krekorian said he would reserve judgment on the entire deal until he could review the environmental report AEG is required to complete, which will detail impacts to surrounding traffic, air quality and more.

Then, Jacob Adelman of the Associated Press reported that:

The Society of Critical Care Medicine said last week that it would hold its February 2014 gathering in San Francisco instead of Los Angeles because of concerns about Anschutz Entertainment Group's stadium proposal.AEG's plan involves tearing down and relocating a convention center building to make space for what would be a 72,000-seat football venue.

In response, Councilmember Krekorian wrote to city officials and the head of the Convention Center, saying, in part:

"I realize that the cancellation of one convention may be anecdotal and doesn't yet portend a trend, but the loss of a convention of 5,000 medical professionals is certainly disappointing and suggests that there is a risk of more cancellations."

In his motion, which you can read below, Councilmember Krekorian asked four key questions:

1. To what extent have any potential conventions not been secured because of their expressedconcerns about the construction or otherwise because of the AEO project?

2. What specific steps is the Convention Authority taking to provide reassurance to conventionorganizers and reduce the risk of cancellation?

3. What is the exact sequencing of the proposed construction, and what was the source of thediscrepancy between the proposed construction timeline that has been the suqject of debate inCouncil and the proposed construction timeline that the Convention Authority has, according tomedia outlets, reported to interested conventions?

4. What protection does the City have, or should it have, in the event of future cancellations thatmay result fro111 the AEG project? Does the City have any legal recourse?

The motion was seconded by Councilmember Paul Koretz. AEG Motion

Krekorian Calls on City to Implement More Convention Center Protections

2011-08-31T14:39:00.000-07:00

In the wake of media reports that the L.A. Convention Center could lose out on a 5,000-person convention due to AEG construction - squandering much in potential city revenue - Councilmember Paul Krekorian wrote to city administrators today asking for more clarity and protection for the city.

Krekorian plans to introduce a motion the week of Sept. 6 codifying his concern (detailed in the letter below) and seeking to curtail more cancellations as AEG prepares to tear down a portion of the Convention Center for their planned football stadium.

Neighborhood Council Reform Package Approved

2011-08-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

Minutes before accepting the 'Got It' award from the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, March 10, 2011 | Credit: CD2

LOS ANGELES – The City Council today unanimously approved Councilmember Paul Krekorian’s four motions aimed at increasing neighborhood council accountability and effectiveness, establishing a path to greater self-governance and improving grassroots participation.

“Today’s approval was an important step forward in our continued effort to help strengthen and reform the neighborhood council system,” said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee. “These reforms are by no means limited to my personal vision but are rather the product of tremendous collaboration of stakeholders throughout the city and will advance our ongoing conversation about enhancing grassroots governance. Going forward, I will continue working with the city’s neighborhood councils and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment to improve local democracy throughout our communities.”

Speaking to VANC. See more pictures here.

The four motions deal with (i) improved training for neighborhood council board members, (ii) reforms in the neighborhood council funding program, (iii) a restructuring of managerial responsibilities from the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment to regional collaborations of neighborhood councils, and (iv) a streamlined process to handle grievances in order to maintain the integrity of the system.

# # #

Valley Village Street Banners Approved

2011-06-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

From the FYI department: The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a motion from Councilmember Paul Krekorian to raise a series of banners in Valley Village. The banners will help the outreach efforts of the Neighborhood Council Valley Village, which paid for them. They will fly on city light fixtures from July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012.

Read the motion:

Street Banners Approved for Neighborhood Council Valley Village
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Report on CEQA-Stadium Resolution Released

2011-06-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

A resolution introduced by Councilmembers Krekorian and Rosendahl advises that there be no environmental exemptions for a proposed NFL stadium in Downtown L.A. This document from the Chief Legislative Analyst agrees with their contention and sends the report for further review.

CLA Report on CEQA-Stadium Resolution

Krekorian Introduces Neighborhood Council Reform Package*

2011-06-15T10:09:00.000-07:00

[Updated to include the four motions]

Neighborhood council members opine during an October town hall

LOS ANGELES – In his continued bid to support and improve the neighborhood council system throughout Los Angeles, Councilmember Paul Krekorian presented four motions today aimed at increasing accountability and effectiveness, establishing a path to greater self-governance and improving grassroots participation.

The motions come as a result of a year-and-a-half’s worth of research, town halls, public survey responses and Education and Neighborhood Committee meetings in which hundreds of stakeholders, board members and others contributed to a robust dialogue on how best to develop the best path forward for the neighborhood council system.

“After ten years of development, the neighborhood council movement is at a crossroads,” said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee. “Initially, the focus of neighborhood councils was simply to create a system that empowered communities. What followed was an astonishing and inspiring movement in which 93 neighborhood councils sprouted in nearly every corner of Los Angeles, built by dedicated residents who simply wanted a voice in City Hall and wanted more for their neighborhoods.

"I introduced this package of reforms to help chart the course, but not drive the bus. These reforms are by no means limited to my personal vision but are rather the product of tremendous collaboration and will be a starting point in our ongoing conversation to help shape local democracy.”

The four motions deal with (I) improved training for neighborhood council board members, (II) reforms in the neighborhood council funding program, (III) a restructuring of managerial responsibilities from the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment to regional collaborations of neighborhood councils, and (IV) a streamlined process to handle grievances of neighborhood councils and its members to maintain the integrity of the system.

Included in the reform package the council introduced Wednesday was a report on two town hall events Councilmember Krekorian held in fall 2010 and the results of a survey he developed after, which helped inform his motions.

Read the motions:

Krekorian Introduces Neighborhood Council Reform Package

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Ratepayer Advocate Begins to Crystallize

2011-06-07T14:57:00.000-07:00

The committee - including Councilmembers Paul Koretz,
Chairwoman Jan Perry and Paul Krekorian - in action.

LOS ANGELES – A City Council committee took the first concrete step Tuesday toward creating the DWP ratepayer watchdog overwhelmingly called for by voters in March.

The Energy and Environment Committee recommended creation of a citizens’ commission to appoint and hire an executive director of the Office of Public Accountability. The commission would be comprised of five members, with two selected by the Mayor’s office, two by the president of the Council and one by the chair of the energy committee.

Per the recommendation of Councilmember Paul Krekorian, at least one of the appointees must be a member of a neighborhood council.

“By creating a citizens’ commission, we are ensuring that the selection of the ratepayer advocate will not be influenced by the political process or by special interests,” Councilmember Paul Krekorian said. “Voters spoke loudly and clearly in March that their watchdog must be independent of politics and that’s exactly what I intend to help create.”

By nearly 78%, the people of Los Angeles in March approved the Council’s proposal to create an OPA that would serve as the consumer advocate for DWP ratepayers. In order to ensure that the new office, commonly referred to as the “ratepayer advocate,” would be independent and not beholden to political influence, the committee pushed for a commission of citizens.

The creation of the committee now advances to the City Council, which will take up the issue at a future meeting.

The energy committee also set June 21 as the next hearing to hash out more details on the implementation of the OPA, including its budget, precise responsibilities, structure and other components that will allow it to provide accurate and independent analysis of rate actions and effective advocacy for the interest of residential and commercial ratepayers.

###

Live-Blogging the Energy and Environment Committee Meeting

2011-06-04T09:28:00.000-07:00

The following is a round-by-round account of a Saturday morning meeting held to discuss the future of water and power issues in Los Angeles.

9:15 a.m. Hello and good morning from City Hall. The Energy and Environment Committee is holding a historic joint meeting with the Board of Water and Power Commissioners. The main event is a presentation from Ron Nichols, head of the LADWP and brass-tax general manager who's won plaudits from council members for his serious approach to reforming his department.

A resident chimes in. / CD2

A nearly packed house arrived early for this meeting, which begins with Nichols' status update of the department, via a 51-page full color handout allowing those in attendance to follow along. It's a nifty set of updates that we'll get online as soon as it's available. What's important about this handout - and the fact that this hearing is even being held - is that it allows residents (and you) to learn important details about a department that had, in the recent past, been accused of operating under a shroud of secrecy that inhibited consumer and council confidence.

Let's pick up the action as Nichols describes the fiscal challenges of the LADWP.

9:24 Nichols is talking about the department's "basic business needs," including what budget costs the DWP has incurred and what they need to do to keep the utility running. "We're being as cost effective as we can, but we can't just keep cutting programs to meet the customer's needs," Nichols said.

9:28 The proposed budget of the DWP for its power programs in 2011-12 is $737 million, its lowest since 2008-09. For water programs in 2011-12, the budget is $328 million, lower than last year. By 2014-15, the budgets for power and water will inch up to $896 million and $390 million, respectively.

9:34 Nichols, nearing the end of his presentation, talks about water and power "strategic investments," (rate increases) which he said will not be made without "intensive workshops" with residents, businesses, the board of water and power commissioners, committees, the City Council, your mom, your grandma and everyone else.

In June and July, Nichols said stakeholder workshops are set to take place, followed by City Hall meetings. In August, the LADWP board will vote on proposed rate increases; a month later, the Energy and Environment Committee and the City Council will consider them.

In October, new rates are slated to be approved and they could take effect November 1, according to the DWP timeline

9:40 Nichols has finished his presentation (again, we'll get that online as soon as we can) and he's now fielding questions from the committee chairperson, Councilwoman Jan Perry. Councilmember Paul Krekorian also sits on the committee while more info on the board of water and power commissioners is made up of these fine folks.

9:46 Perry asks for a snapshot of the DWP's "aging infrastructure." Nichols says that broken pipes and other cracks in the system have dropped. "We're going in the right direction," he said, "but we have to keep it up - and we have to keep up funding."

9:49 Krekorian jumps in the fray, asking about water supplies (i.e., where the DWP gets its water).

As an aside, here are some interesting facts:

Krekorian questions Nichols in LA City Hall / C

From 2006-10, the DWP received 52% of its water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 36% from the L.A. Aqueduct, 11% from local groundwater and about 1% from recycled water. From 2034-35, the DWP expects to drastically reduce its MWD supply to 24%, increase supply from the aqueduct to 33% and get 17% from recycled water and conservation measures.

9:56 Moving on to power, Krekorian asks about capital costs needed to keep power infrastructure up to date and energy efficient at the DWP. Nichols: "We're moving forward as quickly as we can, but at the end of the day we have restrictions."

10 a.m. We're at the halfway point in this hearing and the board of water and power commissioners (herein: the Board) is now questioning Nichols.

10:03 Over the next three years, Nichols said his department's budget will increase (as we mentioned before) by about $50 million per year. "Part of that," Nichols said, "is basic commitment, part of that is state law...Is that enough? No. That's why I want to get into a broad discussion on these issues."

FYI: The first "community collaboration session" will take place at 6:30 p.m. on June 15 in Van Nuys at the Marvin Braude Constituent Center.

10:11 Board asks, what would be the cost to the DWP if the bond rating dropped? Nichols said the department has $1.2 billion in variable rate debt. "If we get below our financial matrix...the interest rate could spike to 5.5%, " which Nichols said would cost the department up to $60 million a year, "for which we get nothing... It's really important we not get there."

10:14 The Board has concluded its remarks/questions, handing time over the public, who will now get the opportunity to participate in this hearing.

First two speakers are from conservation groups asking for expanded city programs to better implement green strategies. In the queue is Jack Humphreville, a blogger and president of the DWP Advocacy Committee and the Ratepayer Advocate for the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council. Jack asks the council to move on the ratepayer advocate and calls on the DWP to specifically detail rate increases.

10:20 There are 60 speakers on the docket today and we have jut 40 minutes left in this chamber. Usually, public speakers have two minutes to talk about the item, but Perry has efficiently reduced that time to 30 seconds each to ensure all have a chance to speak.

10:26 Other speakers - such as Valley resident Sharon Ford - call on the DWP to move away from using coal, which the department is doing. Now, the city is powered by about 39% coal. By 2030, the DWP estimates it will no longer use coal and will increase its use of natural gas from 24% to 47%, while renewable energy will make up 33% of its energy supply. But that time line is not fast enough for some.

10:32 One resident, who said he's a low-income resident living in Downtown L.A., said caring about renewable energy is not reserved for the high-class. "I'm here to tell you that the low-income among us also care about renewable energy," he said to applause.

10:43 Picture:

Public comment in LA City Hall / CD2

10:49 Other public speakers talk about water systems and the amount of imports the DWP receives from MWD. As was mentioned at 9:49, supply from the water district will drop by more than half in the next 20 years while local supplies will inch up. Most MWD-supplied water Los Angeles receives comes from the Colorado River, which snakes through the Rockies, parts of Arizona before it meanders into California - hence the desire for more local, dependable supplies.

10:56 Marcy Winograd, who recently opposed Janice Hahn, et al. for a Congressional seat, is here. Winograd is also a teacher in the city of L.A. (she lives in Santa Monica) and joined many today who urged the city to get off coal by 2020. "It's a matter of political will," she said, proposing that the City Council hold a meeting to detail how L.A. can reduce its reliance on coal. She also said the city has an opportunity to work with students and train them in the tenets of sustainable living.

11:10 A poet joined the "green" chorus today, reciting an ode to the environment with this closing line: "Is it the new solution/or the same old pollution?" Crowd goes wild.

11:15 The Green Party (with their green shirts) are in the audience today, along with those sporting black "Quit Coal" tees, yellow "Pee on Coal" tees and a whole host of others - residents, teachers, advocates - who have not worn their ideas on their sleeve but care pretty deeply about these issues all the same.

11:22 There are six public speakers left before Perry and Krekorian will put the finishing touches on this hearing, which is the first time the Board and Energy & Environment Committee have ever held a joint session.

11:29 And with the last public speaker, we're done for today. But this is just the start of what promises to be a months-long process to determine the specifics of all the general topics broached today. Thanks for following and feel free to jump into the fray here with any comments or questions you might have. Have a great weekend!

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Live-Blog Tomorrow

2011-06-03T16:19:00.000-07:00

What else would you rather be doing on a Saturday than following along what is sure to be a spirited debate about water rates, transparency and the most pressing issues at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power? If you answered Nothing!, then do I have just the fix for you.

Starting at around 9 a.m., the Energy and Environment Committee will hold a special meeting to discuss what lies ahead for the DWP, and we'll be there to provide live updates.

The agenda lists just one item:

A presentation from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), and the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, in connection with the LADWP’s Financial Plan/Revenue Requirements

That discussion on dollars and sense will kick off what will be a months long discussion on new rates while officials will also talk about plans to implement a ratepayer advocate and what the public can expect this year from an agency seeking to turn over a new, more transparent leaf.

Check back here tomorrow morning, as we'll have our coffee, laptop and live-blog the morning away.

Krekorian Seeks to Encourage Rooftop Solar in LAUSD Schools

2011-06-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

A San Diego School has already gone solar | credit: metaefficient.com

LOS ANGELES - Councilmember Paul Krekorian introduced a motion Wednesday that provides a one-year extension for pending Solar Incentive Program applications by the Los Angeles Unified School district, which will allow two LAUSD facilities to move forward with plans to install rooftop solar panels.

The motion would allow the facilities to proceed with their application for $4.4 million in rebates to improve efficiency and install renewable technology at John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley and the LAUSD’s Local District 5 Administrative Office.

“Rooftop solar energy presents a tremendous opportunity for our school district to address its tremendous budget shortfall by reducing electricity costs,” said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee and a member of the Energy and Environment Committee. “At the same time, this program helps the DWP reduce its reliance on coal, improves air quality and encourages the creation of good ‘green’ jobs in Los Angeles. With this motion, the school district will be able to apply for vitally necessary financing to advance its commitment to sustainability, which will put more money in the classroom and send a powerful message to our children about their role in preserving our environment and our world.”

The motion first heads to the Energy and Environment Committee before it returns to the City Council for a vote.

Read the motion:

Krekorian Seeks to Encourage Rooftop Solar in LAUSD Schools

Krekorian Praises Decision on Sun Valley Facility

2011-05-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES - On May 23, the City of Los Angeles' Office of Zoning Administration determined that the proposed Athens Sun Valley Material Recovery Facility and Transfer Station must undergo further review and public scrutiny before transforming what is now a low-impact recycling facility into a major trash processing plant.

[Read the report from the Zoning Administrator below.]

In response, Councilmember Paul Krekorian, who represents the region, issued the following statement:

“Residents of the Northeast Valley have long endured the negative impacts associated with the high concentration of landfills, recycling centers and other industrial uses. This significant decision comes after a nearly two-year battle my office and the community has jointly waged to ensure that the people of Sun Valley have a voice in this project. It affirms our commitment to providing the public with an open, transparent and fair process concerning a project with potentially negative impacts on our local neighborhoods.

“This week's determination about the Athens site is a victory for all of Sun Valley. I thank the Zoning Administrator for his impartial analysis and careful consideration of this important matter, and I look forward to working with all stakeholders in the greater Sun Valley community toward implementing consistent environmental practices among all waste processing facilities.

“While I applaud the decision, I continue to call on Athens to work closely with the Department of City Planning and our affected communities to craft the best possible project that will protect residents and bring a measure of environmental justice to a community that has suffered too much for too long."

Read the report from the Zoning Administrator:

Athens Determination Findings

City Council Invests $250k in McGroarty Arts Center

2011-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES – Councilmember Paul Krekorian on Tuesday introduced a motion that allows the city to invest $250,000 of non-General Fund money in McGroarty Arts Center, the largest such investment ever made by the city to the Tujunga-based cultural landmark. Housed in a 90-year-old building, McGroarty serves 7,000 people each year. But its aging infrastructure has led to power outages and a host of problems that have disrupted activities and annually cost the city thousands of dollars to fix.

“Los Angeles is one of the world’s great artistic destinations, yet we have let one of our city’s most treasured art centers fall into disrepair,” Councilmember Paul Krekorian said. “Now, with this infusion of $250,000 – money that does not come from the General Fund –McGroarty Arts Center will be able to fix its electrical problems, keep the heat on this winter and ensure a safe environment for its guests. Instead of tapping its own depleted budget to fix a broken fire alarm, they can teach another child to paint. Valuable resources that had been used to fix failing plumbing will ensure a potter’s wheel will continue to turn. This action sends a powerful message that as we contemplate a leaner Los Angeles, we will preserve our city’s natural place as a visionary, artistic leader.”

Claire Knowlton, executive director of McGroarty Arts Center, praised Tuesday’s action.

"We are so incredibly grateful for this support, not only for the essential investment in our City's arts infrastructure, but for the attention this will bring to the Center. McGroarty Arts Center is a cultural oasis that belongs to every Angeleno and I'm so thankful that these new funds will allow it to flourish for years to come."

The motion was introduced Tuesday and is scheduled for a vote in front of the City Council next week.

Read the motion:

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Krekorian Releases Budget Statement

2011-04-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES – City Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chair of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, released the following statement today after the Mayor released his proposed 2011-12 FY Budget:

“Neighborhood Councils provide a tremendously valuable, cost effective volunteer service to the city of Los Angeles. Though we are living through one the worst financial disasters in U.S. history, I appreciate that the Mayor has not proposed any further cuts in the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which has already endured significant reductions. The proposed 10 percent reduction in neighborhood council budgets will certainly be difficult and painful, but would be commensurate with cost savings realized by other city departments – including my own office. While this will force the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and the neighborhood councils to slightly modify their approach, I fully expect the future of local empowerment to remain bright, transparent and responsive to the residents of Los Angeles.”

# # #

Neighborhood Council Members Call for Election Reform, Greater Transparency in Survey Results

2011-04-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

Neighborhood council members opine during an October town hall

LOS ANGELES - Councilmember Paul Krekorian released results from his “Perspectives on Neighborhood Empowerment” survey, a series of 49 questions designed to help shape the city’s policies governing the neighborhood council movement throughout Los Angeles.

“This survey provided another vehicle through which the community is helping to shape our policies on neighborhood empowerment,” said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chair of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee. “The feedback we got from this survey will form the foundation of how we will improve local democracy and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.”

Of the 217 respondents who responded to the survey (41% of whom identified themselves as neighborhood council members), a majority called for a two-year delay in neighborhood council elections to achieve budgetary savings and achieve a more effective system for outreach.

Among the results:

On elections:

31% of respondents said the City Clerk should administer neighborhood council elections, while 30% think the neighborhood councils should do so;
Two out of three respondents (69%) support a regional governance structure for neighborhood councils based on area planning districts;
71% believe that one way to lessen the bureaucracy of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment is to use standardizes templates for neighborhood council budgets and other procedures;

On spending:

54% believe that neighborhood council budget cuts should be equal to other cuts city departments could take;
58% believe there should be specific definitions for what neighborhood councils are able to spend money on;
Nearly everyone (91%) believes that the city should use computers or cameras to track any equipment purchased by neighborhood councils.

On the functions of DONE:

61% believe that the funding administration facet of DONE is ‘critical’ or ‘very important.’
Nearly half (48%) believe that DONE’s outreach program during neighborhood council elections are ‘critical’ or ‘very desirable.’
61% also believe that it is either ‘critical’ or ‘very desirable’ for DONE to promote fiscal responsibility and regulate the use of city funds.

The survey follows a concerted and unprecedented effort by the office of Councilmember Paul Krekorian to fix DONE, which was nearly consolidated within the Community Development Department in September. That consolidation plan, which was assailed by neighborhood activists, was rejected by Krekorian.

Krekorian held two town hall forums during which neighborhood council members from throughout Los Angeles offered their ideas about the future of local empowerment. The hundreds of attendees formed the backbone of this survey, itself the final information gathering component before Krekorian submits his plan to improve DONE and the neighborhood council system.

Full results of the survey are be available below:

Neighborhood Empowerment Survey Summary Report

State of the City

2011-04-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa delivered his sixth State of the City Tuesday. Read more about the speech on TheCityMaven.com.

In response to the Mayor's address, Councilmember Paul Krekorian said this:

“Tonight, the Mayor set forth a positive vision for the future of our city, which I welcome. As chair of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, I share his passion for improving public education in Los Angeles.

"Building a better future for our city or for our schools depends on re-establishing a solid economic and fiscal foundation. Small businesses and middle class families in Los Angeles continue to struggle, and creating new jobs, jump starting our economy, and balancing the city’s budget must be our priorities. I was proud to work closely with the Mayor in crafting the local preference ordinance that he mentioned tonight, which is already creating jobs through the city’s procurement process.

"Looking ahead, I look forward to working with him and my colleagues to get our economy back on track through focused, sustained efforts, and creative, innovative and entrepreneurial policy.”

# # #

Krekorian: 'I will continue to press for a detailed and thorough analysis'

2011-04-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the City Maven reported that 12 of 15 Los Angeles City Councilmembers are already ‘on board’ with AEG’s Downtown stadium plan. In response, Councilmember Paul Krekorian released the following statement:

“This Council must fulfill its responsibility to thoroughly scrutinize all of the potential costs, benefits, risks and impacts of a project of this magnitude, and we have not yet even begun that process," Councilmember Paul Krekorian said. "There has been zero financial analysis, there is no environmental impact report, and the long-awaited Council ad hoc committee was just formed. I would expect that no member of this body would feel comfortable committing to support a proposal that is this nebulous at this preliminary stage of our analysis.

“I know that I will continue to press for a detailed and thorough analysis, with full public participation, of the project’s potential impacts on the city’s taxpayers, on our environment, on our economy and jobs, on traffic and parking, and on the City’s credit worthiness, among other things. One thing is for sure: Now more than ever, this city and its taxpayers cannot subsidize a billion-dollar stadium for an NFL team while we’re cutting back on services in neighborhood parks.”

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Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates Release Report

2011-03-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

As Los Angeles continues to grapple with a $350 million deficit, the 23 committee members that make up the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates released their report today on ways to generate revenue, increase efficiencies and more. Read the entire report below.

Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates Report

Neighborhood Council Election Task Force Releases Recommendations*

2011-03-23T18:27:00.000-07:00


Councilman Krekorian listens during a special meeting to discuss the future of local empowerment, March 23, 2011

LOS ANGELES – A citywide elections task force recommended March 23 a new series of neighborhood council voting systems they said could boost participating and spur more interest in local empowerment.

The Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (LANC) report (available below) also lists what they consider to be the pros and cons of various voting mechanisms meant to address shortcomings that currently dictate local elections.

Their four proposals were released during a special meeting of the city's Education and Neighborhoods Committee and the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC), chaired by Councilmember Paul Krekorian, which also heard from dozens of neighborhood council members from throughout Los Angeles.

“We have many challenges ahead,” Councilmember Krekorian said, “in creating a system that supports a broad range of ideas and to create a sustainable, working system that functions for all of Los Angeles."

The recommendations include repealing and replacing the current voting systems with a more flexible and cost-effective structure, vote-by-mail and electronic voting, and more. The complete list will be hashed out by the L.A. City Council as they ramp up negotiations to settle its $350 million deficit.

They are:

The Election Task Force recommends that the city clerk’s authority be repealed and replaced with a more flexible and cost-effective system, including, but not limited to, polling place and town hall methods administered by some outside authority such as the independent election administrator system; and vote-by-mail, to be funded by neighborhood councils at their option.
The Task Force recommends that the preferred method for conducting neighborhood council elections is electronic voting, with a total cost not to exceed $800,000, with the ability to include polling place and town hall; and vote-by-mail at individual neighborhood council’s expense.
The Task Force recommends that a vigorous effort to promote participation as neighborhood council candidates and voters be pursued regardless of the electoral process. For any of these options to succeed, it is necessary that adequate outreach be performed, using both a citywide awareness campaign and the resources of individual neighborhood councils.
The Task Force recommends that election challenges be considered, and decisions rendered, by an independent entity, to be determined.

More updates on @CD2News.

Elections Comparison Table

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Valley Celebrates 8 Years of Neighborhood Coalition

2011-03-11T16:29:00.000-08:00

On March 10, 2011, the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC) celebrated the 8th year of their organization. Thirty three of the Valley's 34 neighborhood councils attended the event at which Councilmembers Krekorian and Jan Perry received the 'Got It' award for their work on behalf of neighborhood empowerment. Three neighborhood councils - Northridge West, Valley Village and Sherman Oaks - were also awarded for excellence. Below is a slide show of the evening, which also featured Assemblymember Mike Feuer, LAFD Assistant Chief Pat Butler, Department of Neighborhood Empowerment General Manager Bong-Hwan Kim, Board of Neighborhood Commissioners President Al Abrams and hundreds of neighborhood council members.

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Statement on CRA Motion

2011-03-08T17:08:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES – Second District Councilmember Paul Krekorian on Tuesday, March 8, released the following statement on a series of proposals the City Council adopted to transfer more than $1 billion from the Community Redevelopment Agency to the City of Los Angeles:

“Today, we were asked to decide on whether to encumber more than a billion dollars of public funds now held by the Community Redevelopment Agency. The CRA’s proposals included a set of projects that will affect the city for decades to come, and would have fundamentally restructured redevelopment financing in ways not yet fully explained. The CRA has the important mission of reducing blight and creating economic opportunity - aims that are vital to the renewal of neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles, including my council district.

“However, any decision of this magnitude deserves a thorough analysis by the public and the City Council – an analysis that would be impossible to complete in the expedited process in which this proposal was rushed before us. Because this proposal was presented on a special agenda with less than 24 hours notice, neither the public nor the Council had adequate opportunity to sift through mountains of information and consider all the issues at stake. I was elected to ask tough questions and ensure accountability and transparency, and because today’s process did not allow that, I had no choice but to vote no. Any issue considered by the Council, particularly one of this importance, requires a fully vetted, completely transparent and carefully considered discussion.”

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How Ideas Become Laws ( in L.A.)

2011-03-03T16:10:00.001-08:00

Can't view this? Click here.

Take The Neighborhood Empowerment Survey

2011-02-23T10:53:00.000-08:00

The survey has been closed and results will be released soon. Thanks to all those who took the time to respond and we look forward to showing your vision.

Councilmember Krekorian Unveils Neighborhood Empowerment Survey

2011-02-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES - Councilmember Paul Krekorian on Wednesday released his “Perspectives on Neighborhood Empowerment” survey, a series of 49 questions designed to help shape the city’s policies governing the neighborhood council movement throughout Los Angeles.

The survey, below, solicits input about possible structural improvements for neighborhood councils, new policies for the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE), and more. While it is aimed at neighborhood council members, all Angelenos interested in helping shape their community are invited to submit answers.

“This survey is another vehicle through which the community can help shape local empowerment,” said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee. “The feedback we get from this survey will form the foundation of how we will improve local democracy and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.”

Krekorian held two town hall forums during which neighborhood council members from throughout Los Angeles offered their ideas about the future of local empowerment. The hundreds of attendees formed the backbone of this survey, itself the final, information gathering component before Krekorian submits his plan to improve DONE and the neighborhood council system.

The survey, which will be available on this blog until March 22, 2011, is available below or using this link: http://is.gd/CD2EmpowermentSurvey.

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Neighborhood Council Advocates Set to Press Council on Concerns

2011-02-16T16:49:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES – As the City Council attempts to find solutions to cover the looming, $350-million budget gap, neighborhood council members are poised to play a role in deciding what they think should be cut and what should not.

Last week, Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Bill Rosendahl introduced legislation that continues a City Hall tradition – allowing neighborhood council budget advocates the opportunity to present their fiscal priorities to the council a month before the mayor is set to release the city’s spending plan.

They'll get their say too... | Photo /CD2

“As the number of neighborhood councils has steadily increased over the last ten years, their members have become increasingly involved in the City's annual budget process,” Councilmember Krekorian wrote in the motion. “These budget advocates have devoted a great deal of time and effort in familiarizing themselves with the City's budget process.”

At its March 18 meeting, the City Council will hear from a number of neighborhood council budget advocates, made up of 205 representatives from L.A.’s 92 neighborhood councils.

Allotting time for neighborhood council members to present their budget priorities is a tradition established by then-Mayor James Hahn. At the time, the “Mayor’s Budget Advisor’s,” as they were called, briefed the mayor and the council on what they considered to be neighborhood priorities.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa continued the tradition, though now the group calls themselves Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates, a nod to the growth and growing independence of the local democratic groups.

The mayor is set to release his budget on April 20. After that, the city’s Budget and Finance committee will review the plan and hold public hearings for about two weeks.

During that process, the city’s 51 departments – from the Office of Accounting to the Zoo – will present their budgets for consideration. The budget committee will then make certain changes to fill the likely shortfall, outlining specific revenue sources to pay for next year’s budget, estimated to be less than the $6.7 billion in the 2010-11 spending plan, itself the lowest in five years.

Next, the council will review the document before the mayor stamps his seal of approval. Stay tuned to www.cd2policy.com for more updates and read the motion below:

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State of the Arts

2011-02-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

Every year, Los Angeles offers up a wide variety of cultural events and festivals, some of which are free. The full schedule is available at the Department of Cultural Affairs’ website [.pdf], but we will update this blog to bring you a listing of events in and around the district and invite you to tell us of your arts experience and/or events as well.

Learn the art of shadow theater in Tujunga |
Photo courtesy the McGroarty Arts Center

The listing reflects the city itself; events comprise an inter-cultural mix of dance, theater, literature, art and music. While many of these events have become annual favorites, some new additions will be unveiled this year.

Events have already started in many neighborhoods. In Tujunga, the McGroarty Arts Center now features artist Maria Bodmann, who teaches a weekly class on shadow play, the ancient form of storytelling using hand puppets or other materials.

The free class runs through March 23 each Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and students of all ages are invited to draw, carve, paint, act and choreograph. There are also classes on Sunday, Feb. 27 from noon to 4:30 p.m. and a special, final session on Sunday March 27 from 2 to 4 p.m. The McGroarty Arts Center is located at 7570 McGroarty Terrace in Tujunga and they can be reached at (818) 352-5285.

Starting this summer, the Sun Valley Youth Arts Center will take part in “Music L.A.,” a citywide, hands on musical training session for kids and teens. At the arts center, musician Tomas Herrera will hold an instructive lesson about Jarocho, traditional Mexican music from the state of Veracruz. Stay tuned for more details. The Sun Valley Youth Arts Center is located at 8642 Sunland Boulevard and their phone number is (818) 252-4619.

There are also farmer’s markets, art walks, gallery expositions and much more throughout the city. Read about it in the DCA guide - available online [.pdf]- or stop by one of our office’s for more information.

--Article by Sean Carpenter

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Krekorian, Perry Discuss NFL Proposal on NBC

2011-02-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

As the city continues to discuss whether a proposal to build a new NFL stadium in Downtown Los Angeles is the best fit for the city, Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Jan Perry talked about their respective viewpoints on a recent addition of NewsConference, with Conan Nolan:

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Consumer Protection Law Ensnares Two

2011-01-28T15:50:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what happens to state legislation after it's approved and signed into law?

Councilmember Paul Krekorian, with child actors outside of
Los Angeles City Hall | Photo by Hans Gutknecht / Los Angeles Daily News

Recently, a pair of talent management company operators found out after they were the first two to be charged with violating the Talent Scam Prevention Act of 2009, which then-Assemblymember Paul Krekorian passed while in Sacramento.

David Askaryar, 46, and Ricardo Macias, 35, were arraigned this week after the city attorney's office said they had stolen from, misrepresented and cheated customers. Their trial awaits.

The legislation bars talent talent representation services such as agents and managers from charging actors fees other than commissions and requires other talent services to comply with various consumer protection regulations.

North Hollywood Patch reporter Susan Hampar has the story:

Back in late 2008, members of the Screen Actors Guild and other agencies, including BizParentz.org, an organization which helps parents navigate getting their children to fame, went to Sacramento to express concern about dealing with talent management companies who were taking advantage of them.

Anne Henry, founder of BizParents.org, said they are thrilled to see enforcement of the Krekorian Act.

“The allegations involved are prime examples of the exploitation that is being presented to consumers as a viable way into the entertainment industry,” Henry said.
Before Assembly Bill 1319 was passed, prosecutors had no legal mechanism to prosecute agencies who were exploiting kids and their families who were trying to get into the entertainment industry. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009 and Councilmember Krekorian, who used to be in the State Assembly, is the author of the legislation.

“For years, prosecutors lacked the necessary tools to go after fake talent agencies whose only goal was to rip off the public," Krekorian said. "Now, thanks to my legislation and the diligent work of the city attorney's office, we have the power to give parents and kids a valuable sense of security as they chase their dreams."

Read the rest here.

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City Crafts Policy to Ease Food Filming Restrictions

2011-01-26T15:57:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES - It won't likely revolutionize Hollywood, nor will it heavily impact filming in Southern California. But a piece of legislation the Los Angeles City Council approved Wednesday does aim to lift an important hurdle to ease on-location filming throughout the city.

Councilmember Krekorian, flanked by a trio of location managers
he honored in front of the L.A. City Council on Jan. 14, 2011 | CD2

The motion - included in a tripartite package of film industry reforms the council will eventually consider - is another step in the right direction to ensure the continued growth of a business that fuels the Southern Californian economy, said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, who pushed for, wrote and is aiming to pass the motions.

The first of the three - approved unanimously Wednesday - calls for a review of existing food service contracts to determine how food service costs for film productions can be lowered at city facilities.

"On-location food service is an important sector of the film industry," Krekorian said. "But the costs for these food services can rise dramatically when a city contractor is involved, spiking a production companies’ bottom line from hundreds of dollars a day to thousands.We need to evaluate our contractual policies to determine how we can best ensure that a simple thing like providing soda and fruit doesn't drive film and television production jobs out of our city, state or country."

In his motion, Krekorian calls for new policies and contractual guidelines of future food service contracts when productions film at city facilities, like parks, such as the Griffith Observatory, the zoo and other locations.

Krekorian worked with FilmL.A., which coordinates the permitting process for productions shot in the city of Los Angeles, to craft the policy. The motion was also born of complaints received from location managers across the city who have long decried the cost of using city contractors for food services, as opposed to using their own vendors, essentially depriving them of the cheapest option.

“Oftentimes costs trump creative decisions, so scripts are changed to take advantage of the lowest-cost location,” said Paul Audley, president of FilmL.A. “Councilman Krekorian’s motion gives film companies the flexibility to hire local Craft Services companies when filming at City properties. While not likely to be the determinant factor for a producer deciding where to film, it can help save thousands of dollars and help make L.A. as attractive on paper as it is scenic.”

The other motions Krekorian introduced last year – and set to be considered in the coming months - include more tools to curb runaway production and other instruments to reduce bureaucratic hurdles within the industry.

In his work as a state assembly member, Krekorian launched California's first successful tax incentive program, which was passed and signed by the governor as more than 40 states implemented their own programs to fleece the state's heritage industry.

Recently, FilmL.A. reported that on-location filming shot up nearly 15 percent in 2010. Factors attributed to the surge included an improved economy, more advertising and Krekorian's incentive package.

Read the motion:

You are Cordially Invited...

2010-12-06T16:05:00.000-08:00

Please excuse us as we shift from policy to party, but on Wednesday, Dec. 15, Councilmember Paul Krekorian - and his staff members - will host a holiday party/open house in Sunland-Tujunga.

Come mingle with Paul, our neighbors and the city staff members who day in day out work to make our district wonderful.

The festivities will kick off at 4 p.m. at our Sunland-Tujunga Field Office, 7747 Foothill Blvd., and will include light refreshments and beverages, though everyone is invited to bring a plate of holiday cookies for a special cookie contest.

All are welcome, but RSVPs are encouraged.

For questions, or to RSVP, please call us at (818) 352-3287.

We hope to see you there and Happy Holidays!

Councilman Krekorian Releases Neighborhood Council Report

2010-12-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES – Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the city’s Education and Neighborhoods Committee, released a comprehensive review today of local democracy following a nearly year-long study of Los Angeles’ 92 neighborhood councils. The report (below) encompasses the wide-ranging views of community leaders throughout Los Angeles.

"As Chairman of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, I have made it a priority to gather input from neighborhood councils and all other stakeholders interested in the future of the Department Of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) and the neighborhood empowerment movement,” Councilmember Krekorian said. “This report is a culmination of that effort and reflects the various views and opinions expressed at numerous neighborhood council meetings, regional alliance meetings, and many other events my staff and I have attended over the last 11 months.”

The report summarizes the input provided by those who participated in the two citywide town halls the office of Councilmember Krekorian conducted to gather specific information on neighborhood council elections, the role of DONE, the funding program and training and ethics requirements for neighborhood council board members.

“The global economic crisis and the fiscal emergency facing the City of Los Angeles has had a devastating impact on the DONE budget, which has resulted in a reduction of DONE staff by more than 50%.,” Councilmember Krekorian said. “While the budget crisis has presented us with unprecedented challenges, I also see it as an opportunity – an opportunity to make DONE more efficient, more effective, and more focused on the core function of empowering communities and helping neighborhood councils to flourish. Going forward, I will utilize these opinions in my policy making process on how to move forward with the challenge of reforming and improving DONE and the neighborhood council system.”

Read the report:

Councilmember Krekorian Releases Neighborhood Council Report -

Motion Calls for Greater Scrutiny of DWP Investigation

2010-11-04T03:32:00.000-07:00

In late October, the L.A. Times reported that:

Criminal charges were filed Thursday against two employees of the Department of Water and Power, accusing them of setting up a scheme to defraud the utility using the agency’s corporate credit cards.

The two men are accused of using about a dozen DWP “P-cards,” or purchasing cards, to buy at least $3 million in products on the utility’s behalf between July 2003 and December 2009. They allegedly bought goods at an inflated price and pocketed the difference

Less than a week later, the L.A. City Council sought to ensure the ensuring DWP investigation does not fall into the black hole of bureaucracy. On Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2010, the council introduced a motion that calls on the DWP to report back to city officials on the status of its investigation. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Paul Krekorian and brought forward by Councilmembers Bernard Parks and Jan Perry.

The motion will next be heard in the Energy and Environment Committee before it makes its way back to the council for a vote. Read a scanned copy of the original motion below the jump.

[Updated] Neighborhood Council Election Report

2010-10-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

In an effort to continue his open and transparent administration, Councilmember Paul Krekorian, on behalf of the Los Angeles City Clerk, encourages everyone to take a look at the recent summary of neighborhood council elections held between March and June 2010.

The report, which you can read here, details the neighborhood council election processes across the city, their cost, as well as provide some guidance for such elections going forward. The City Clerk will present these findings ~~Wednesday, Oct. 27 in City Hall, Room 1060, 200 N. Spring St. Los Angeles~~ soon. The meeting of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee for the 27th has been postponed. We will let you know exactly when and where the next meeting will take place and apologize for any inconvenience.

Recently, Councilmember Krekorian held a neighborhood council town hall where a discussion on elections was a main focus. For more information on that, please click here.

Click here to read the Neighborhood Council Election's Summary.

Live Blogging the Neighborhood Council Town Hall

2010-10-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

On October 24, Councilmember Paul Krekorian held his second Neighborhood Empowerment Town Hall near the Galen Center on the campus of USC. Below is the live-blogged transcript from that morning.

Councilmember Krekorian, speaking to
the town hall participants.

10:10 Good morning from the campus of USC. It's sunny and 61 degrees outside - a great day to talk about the future of grassroots democracy in Los Angeles. Soon, we will begin live-blogging the town hall, which will include remarks from our host, Councilmember Paul Krekorian, USC Professor Chris Weare, the deputy director of the Civic Engagement Initiative and Research Associate Professor within the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development and other special guests.

Then, the participants gathered here will break out into four sessions to talk about neighborhood council funding, elections, training requirements and support functions within the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. If you could not make it out here today, please feel free to join the conversation online. We will begin shortly...

10:34 Councilmember takes to the podium in the beautiful Founder’s Room of USC’s Galen Center. He welcome the crowd: "I'm glad you could all come up here to participate in this continuing dialogue about local empowerment." Note: neighborhood councils from across Los Angeles - from Sunland-Tujunga to South L.A. - are present.

10:37 Krekorian, chairman of the city's Neighborhoods and Elections Committee, tells the crowd that this forum allows residents a greater chance to voice their opinion than committees do. Later, he says, they will get a chance to expound on how neighborhood councils can move forward.

10:39 Krekorian now introducing Professor Weare, who has been studying the NC movment for "about as long as they've been in existence," Krekorian says.

10:40 Weare says "there's plenty of improvements to be made in the NC system...though at best they are a mixed success...the question was, [when they started 10 years ago] if you build it will they come? And the answer has been a resounding Yes...I've seen lot's of real success stories out there."

10:42 Weare says NCs "play a critical role in reducing the really egregious forms of corruption," citing the troubles in Bell and Vernon, small cities that lacked oversight. Still, he says, people don't recognize NCs as a legitimate form of local empowerment. Why is that? NCs have not gotten political support from the upper echelons in City Hall. "NCs have gotten a lukewarm response from mayoral administrations," he says. "You really need to ask yourself, how can we help the mayor."

10:46 Other NCs problems, he says, are outreach and lack of administrative resources, citing the fact that Portland gives $10 for ever $1 L.A. spends on NCs. Interesting fact. Also, he says, NC meetings are set up too much like City Council meetings, including the fact that NCs tend to rule themselves by the traditional rules government often adheres, such as speaker cards, etc.

10:49 Weare's suggestions? Grants for NCs and holding participatory forums such as these to hash out concerns/issues/solutions on a regular basis, which he says "empower NCs." He also recommends improving the structure of NC meetings, including allowing individual NC members to set up their own sub committees without them getting voted down to improve the "positive cycle of participation." He wraps up to applause an CM Krekorian is back up at the podium.

10:52 Krekorian: "Now more than ever...this is the time when we have to reach out and lean more heavily on the leaders of our neighborhoods, not frustrate them...we need to take advantage of the eyes and ears of our community...yes we know the city is facing fiscal challenges, but the one place we don't want to cut back is the very program that provides energy, vitality and encourages participation in 92 different neighborhoods around this city...but we all know the status quo is not sustainable."

10:57 Participants will soon begin breaking out into individual groups to talk about, as we mentioned, NC funding, NC elections, training requirements for NC members and support functions within the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. To those in the audience, Krekorian says: "This is not the time when any view is subject to being criticized. We are all here to learn from each other."

Staff member Damian Carroll leads a
focus group about NC funding programs.

11:05 We are going to cover parts of each breakout session, starting with the funding program for NCs. Damian Carroll, our district director and Mshak Ghazarian, a field representative overseeing Van Nuys, North Hollywood, etc., are leading this session.

11:15 Some funding issues, this group says, include hindrances from the City Controller's office as they try to clamp down on rogue NCs and the department that oversees NCs., called the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which has been decimated by staff shortages and budget cuts. Still, one says, it's not that theyre understaffed, it's that they "don't know what they're doing." Not so, says another. They're doing their best in a bad situation.

The first question Damian asks is: "Does your funding program work?" Answers range from "It's been a disaster" to "It works." What about yours? But, when asked if the city hinder their funding process, everyone in this group says there are too many complications.

11:17 We're moving on to training requirements, led by staff members Jackie Keene and Daniel Lopez. This is another robust discussion of about a dozen NC members, including Greg Nelson, a former leader of DONE. Jackie asks, "How can we make training sessions better?" One says, make DONE's website more user friendly. "We can't find the training [manuals]...and the wording and linking are not consistent or easy to navigate."

11:22 Nelson says that if they redo the website, DONE should include NC input, upload files of old NC transcripts, upload videos and make it more user-friendly. Another says that, re: training requirements, community organizing leadership training would be important for NC members. And if DONE can't do it, she said, they should get someone else who can, such as unions. Another says the conduct of meetings is an issue and that there is some confusion about parliamentary procedures and the Brown Act.

Staff member Pat Davenport leads a
session about DONE support functions

11:36 Groups are now shifting and so will we. Next on our stop is a session led by staff members Pat Davenport and Geoff Yazzetta on DONE support functions. In this group, we have NC members from Baldwin Hills, Studio City, Encino, Venice, Watts, Sherman Oaks, etc.

11:42 Pat kicks off the session asking what support functions does DONE provide? One says, when I started working in the NCs, I had no idea who/what DONE was. Another says "they tell me what we can't do," while another praises DONE's efforts to reach out. "I have to tell you," she says, "I saw very little people there where all these things were discussed." That said, says another, their communication can be better.

11:49 Pat asks: What should the core mission of DONE be? Lydia Grant, from Sunland-Tujunga, says, DONE should post a list of all meetings online. Another NC member says, they should teach us how to be community organizers, train us and then "get out of the way." Others say DONE should change their name to something that better reflects neighborhood councils. "When I hear DONE," one says, "I think, are we finished?"

11:59 We are moving on to the election functions of neighborhood councils, the final stop on our mini-tour of breakout sessions. This one is led by Nate Jones and Heather O'Connor, who each work in our Sunland-Tujunga office. Some are frustrated by the job of DONE in administering elections, saying that NCs should operate their own elections, not the department.

12:03 Others say an "elections task force" should be formed to find out exactly what the issues are. "This will take time," resident says, while another says there needs to be "outside independent reviews" of NCs to ensure that outreach is actually being completed and that everyone knows local NC elections are being held.

12:08 Groups are shifting now and this is a good opportunity to tell you that each session, which is moderated by our staff, includes a note taker who is jotting down each item of discussion. This week, we will synthesize this info and put it up on this blog, allowing you to not only read these ideas, but rate them as well. Stay tuned and, if you have not done so already, you can sign up to receive updates via email by clicking on the button to the right.

12:34 We're just about ready to wrap up for the day. Don't forget that you can always go on to our website, cd2.lacity.org and this site for more information and to keep the conversation going. Thanks to those who followed along and to the great input we received online!

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It's Official: Second Neighborhood Council Workshop Set for October 24

2010-10-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

Following the rousing success of the first Neighborhood Council Workshop, Councilmember Paul Krekorian is poised to host the second such town hall on Sunday, Oct. 24 on the campus of USC.

The workshop lasts from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will allow neighborhood council members from around Los Angeles who may not have had the opportunity to attend the first workshop to speak in detail about the future of local empowerment, including the chance to help shape that movement through a series of break-out sessions.

The second Neighborhood Council Workshop follows September's session, in which more than 100 residents hashed out the future of local democracy. At that event, participants helped shape the future of neighborhood councils during four group sessions in which issues such as funding, ethics and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) were discussed. See videos and a recap here.

The workshop will take place in the Founder's Room of USC's Galen Center, 3400 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles on Sunday, Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Click here to see more details or to print a copy for your neighborhood.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Neighborhood Empowerment Town Hall Report

2010-09-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Results of the Neighborhood Empowerment Town Hall Survey:

On Sunday, Sept. 19, Councilmember Paul Krekorian hosted a workshop to build a foundation for the future of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which oversees the city's 92 neighborhood councils. During the four-hour session, respondents were asked to offer their feedback about the town hall and how the next workshop - planned for October at USC (a specific date will be released soon) - can improve.

Respondents rated the workshop via a series of five questions from 1 - the lowest rating - to 5 - the highest. According to the survey, the workshop proved exceedingly beneficial as exemplified by the answers below:

More than half - 51% - rated the workshop a 5, with one going above and beyond by rating the overall event a 6.
The overwhelming majority - 79% - rated the workshop either a 4 or 5;
The average rating of the entire event was 4.2;
The highest rated question, asking if people felt they were able to effectively communicate, received an average rating of 4.39;
The lowest rated question, asking if respondents believe the information gathered will be used effectively, received an average rating of 4.02;
Asked about their overall impression of the event, respondents offered an average rating of 4.18;
The highest rated response - 33 people rated it a 5 - was the question asking if respondents would encourage others to attend our next town hall.

The questions and videos from the workshop's presenters:

The survey asked:

1) Overall, how would you rate the organization and format of the event?
Average rating: 4.18

2) Were the breakout sessions organized and were the facilitators and note-takers effective?
Average rating: 4.04

3) Do you feel you were able to effectively communication your feelings/opinions in this setting?
Average rating: 4.39

4) Do you think the information gathered today will help the City Council and Mayor create a more effective and balanced department for neighborhood councils?
Average rating: 4.02

5) Would you encourage your friends/colleagues who did not attend this town hall to attend future ones?
Average rating: 4.37

Al Abrams, president of the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners:

Greg Nelson, former GM of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment:

Members of the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils:

Dr. Daniel Wisman, Member of the West Hills Neighborhood Councils:

Bong Hwan Kim, general manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.

Council Opens Lane of Bike Communication With Community

2010-09-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Sept. 22, Councilmembers Greig Smith and Paul Krekorian introduced a motion to strengthen local empowerment while improving the bicycle community. Their motion establishes an outreach process for the Department of Transportation to get feedback from neighborhood councils before bike lanes and other improvements are implemented in their neighborhoods.

Photo by Alex Thompson, via Flickr | Used with permission.

“Today’s motion is a step toward creating an expanded community outreach process that gives a voice to neighborhood leaders throughout our city on transportation issues and in creating a future L.A. where bicycles and cars peacefully share the road,” said Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee. “It is vitally important to ensure that our neighborhood council members – who know their communities better than anyone – have a central role in setting priorities and addressing the array of specific transportation issues that impact their diverse communities.”

Councilman Greig Smith, who shepherded the motion through the council, said: “Traffic improvements can have a huge big impact - positive or negative - on safety, travel time and convenience for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, so it is crucial that community stakeholders' voices are heard.”

Read the motion:

[Updated] First Neighborhood Council Workshop a Smashing Success

2010-09-20T17:15:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Sept. 19, more than 100 neighborhood council members from throughout Los Angeles gathered to change local democracy in Los Angeles. The first of two Neighborhood Council Workshops, hosted by Councilmember Paul Krekorian, allowed residents the opportunity to present their own vision on the future of neighborhood councils and participate in breakout sessions to address specific problems they think plagues the NC system.

While all the data from Sunday's event - including more videos - are still being processed, culled and meticulously arranged (we will have a detailed round up on this blog soon), we wanted to thank every one who spent Sunday afternoon with us, making the future a little brighter for local empowerment.

Watch Councilmember Krekorian kick-off the event:

Take Action! Urge the Governor to Sign Anti-Mobile Billboard Law

2010-09-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

On March 30, Councilmember Paul Krekorian introduced a motion, with the councilmember from district two, to ban trailer-based mobile billboards throughout Los Angeles. These increasingly common annoyances are unsightly, take up much-needed parking and can even endanger public safety.

Call the Governor and tell him
to sign AB 2756!

Now, state legislation authored by Assemblymembers Bob Blumenfield and Mike Feuer would assist cities throughout California in eliminating this mobile blight. Their legislation, Assembly Bill 2756, passed the State Legislature and is on the Governor’s desk.

It is important for all of us to let the governor know how we feel about mobile billboards. Please call Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today at (916) 445-2841 and kindly urge him to sign AB 2756. You can also email him by clicking here.

Councilmember Krekorian personally took the opportunity to tell the Governor about why this issue is so important and our efforts to curb mobile billboards.

In his letter, Councilmember Krekorian said, in part:

"In the San Fernando Valley, mobile billboards have exploded in popularity recently, to the great annoyance of outraged residents and business owners. We have seen many of these pesky trailers blown over into traffic lanes, endangering drivers. Business owners have complained that they take up valuable parking spaces. Cyclists have reported that they cut down on bike lanes, forcing riders to veer dangerously into traffic. Governor, we need your help."

Read the whole letter:

The Honorable Arnold SchwarzeneggerGovernor of the State of CaliforniaState CapitolSacramento, California 95814

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

I am writing to urge you to sign AB 2756 into law.
Much of Los Angeles, and especially the San Fernando Valley, has been besieged by a proliferation of mobile billboards. These signs are an unsightly blight and a drain on usable parking spaces, and they often constitute a public safety hazard.

Earlier this year, I took action to eliminate mobile billboards in Los Angeles when I introduced a motion in the City Council, co-authored by Councilmember Dennis Zine, to ban unhitched trailers that display advertising. The effectiveness and enforceability of that citywide ordinance will be significantly enhanced by AB 2756, authored by Assemblymembers Bob Blumenfield and Mike Feuer, which would clarify that Los Angeles and other cities have the power we so desperately need to eliminate mobile billboards.

In the San Fernando Valley, mobile billboards have exploded in popularity recently, to the great annoyance of outraged residents and business owners. We have seen many of these pesky trailers blown over into traffic lanes, endangering drivers. Business owners have complained that they take up valuable parking spaces. Cyclists have reported that they cut down on bike lanes, forcing riders to veer dangerously into traffic.

Governor, we need your help. I urge you to sign AB 2756 and help California residents and business owners declare victory, once and for all, against these offensive and dangerous trailers.

Very truly yours,

PAUL KREKORIAN Councilmember, Second District

cc: Hon. Bob Blumenfield, Hon. Mike Feuer

School Safety Tips

2010-09-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Sept. 13, Councilmember Paul Krekorian, LAUSD Board Member Tamar Galatzan and the LAPD held a news conference to promote traffic safety on the first day of school. During the event, Councilmember Krekorian reminded parents to "slow down and be aware," especially when approaching schools and students. Below are some important tips issued by the police.

Your Chance to Help Shape the Future of Local Empowerment

2010-09-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, September 19, join concerned residents throughout Los Angeles for the first Neighborhood Council Workshop to discuss the future of local empowerment. The workshop will take place in the Marvin Braude Constituent Service Center, Conference Room 1B, 6262 Van Nuys, Blvd., Van Nuys.

From 1 to 5 p.m., you will have the chance to hear from Councilmember Paul Krekorian, Department of Neighborhood Empowerment General Manager Bong-Hwan Kim and others.

In addition, you will get to have your own say during a series of break-out sessions to discuss neighborhood council funding, the mission of DONE, ethics training and much more.

You will also have the opportunity to present your own vision on the future of neighborhood councils. Audio-visual equipment is available upon request, but because of time constraints, each presentation will be limited to five minutes and we must be notified of each one by September 12.

For more information, or to RSVP, please call us at (213) 473-7002 or send your name, phone number and what neighborhood council you represent to Daniel.Lopez@lacity.org. Space is limited, please RSVP as soon as possible and feel free to print out the attached flier for distribution among your neighborhood council.

Hope to see you there and all are welcome!

Sincerely,

Your CD2 Team

To see the flier, which you are more than welcome to distribute to your neighborhood council, please click here or see below:

Krekorian Continues Efforts to Spur Local Film Production

2010-08-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

Councilmember Paul Krekorian, on the Sony Studios backlot with Glenn Gainor,
vice-president of physical production at Screen Gems | Ausgut 19, 2010.

LOS ANGELES - Last week, multiple news agencies reported that Councilmember Paul Krekorian introduced a slate of motions to incentivize local film production and make the production of movies easier on those who help fuel one of our biggest economic engines.

Councilmember Krekorian, vice-chair of the Jobs and Business Development Committee, is a former California State Assemblymember who authored California's first successful bill to incentivize local film production. His legislation has had a direct and immediate impact by generating at least $500 million in wages and more than 11,000 jobs since its passage in 2009.

Read all three motions by clicking on this link. (.pdf)

Community Cheers "Very Major" Council Vote to Improve Neighborhood Empowerment

2010-08-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

That big sigh of relief you heard this morning was from the city's 91 neighborhood councils, who cheered a vote by the City Council Wednesday on a motion to they say will strengthen community empowerment.

The motion, by Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chair of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, restored five positions to the embattled Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) and transfered $1.3 million to it from the Community Development Department (CDD).

"This is a budget-neutral action that does not cost taxpayers a dime, but still allows the department to function in support of neighborhood councils," Krekorian said. "DONE's budget and staffing have been decimated of late, so this fiscally prudent move was an important step to strengthen community participation in governance."

In fact, DONE itself was close to decimation after the mayor proposed rolling the department into CDD during this year's budget negotiations. Neighborhood councils railed against that proposal, fearing it would be the death knell for the community empowerment department after its funding - and staff positions - had been steadily siphoned off.

As late as 2008, DONE operated with 72 staff members to help the city's neighborhood councils flourish. Earlier this year, as the city's fiscal situation worsened, the department's budget was greatly reduced as its staff was cut to 36 people. Later, that figure was slashed in half again, to 18, where it stood before Wednesday's action.

"Today's vote was very major," said Barbara Monaghan-Burke, chair of the Studio City Neighborhood Council's Government Affairs Committee. "This is just the beginning of restructuring [DONE] as an independent system so we can operate most effectively."

The 2010-11 adopted city budget provides $1.34 million to the CDD for functions that had been performed by DONE. Pursuant to the reccomendation of Krekorian's committee, that amount of funding was transfered out of CDD and into DONE. The additional positions are to be paid for out of that existing funding.

"We've never wavered in our support for this," said Nina Royal, a member of the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council and chair of the public safety committee. "This is great. It will strengthen DONE and give us better service."

While many of DONE's staff fan out across the city, helping the city's neighborhood councils solve a plethora of problems, the five new positions will work internally to help the department function and maintain a high level of accountability.

While Krekorian cheered Wednesday's action, he added that it was one step on the road to ensuring greater neighborhood empowerment.

"Today, we sent an important message to Los Angeles that we value the importance of neighborhood councils, and my office will always stand with those who care passionately about community empowerment," he said. "However, this is not an end, but another important step as we continue to reorganize and improve one of our city's most important movements."

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City Council Strengthens Neighborhood Council Department

2010-08-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

BREAKING: The City Council, just moments ago, unanimously approved a motion (.pdf) to add five positions to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which oversees the city's 91 neighborhood councils. This is a budget-neutral move, transferring $1.3 million from the Community Development Department to ensure DONE can continue its important work as a stand-alone department.

Story to follow...

Krekorian Motion Aims to Increase Transparency

2010-06-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES - Councilmember Paul Krekorian continued his fight this week against third-party political donations known as independent expenditures. After years of fighting against them in the state, Krekorian introduced a motion in the City Council Tuesday that aims to increase the transparency of spending by independent expenditure groups which have grown exponentially this decade.

Paul, announcing his candidacy for the
City Council in Valley Glen in 2009

“Elections should not be bought and paid for by special interests," Councilmember Krekorian said. "This motion will help ensure a high level of transparency and accountability throughout Los Angeles without ceding the basic democratic values we all hold dear.”

Krekorian's motion outlines three basic strategies to curb the pernicious effect of independent expenditures, a political activity intended to assist or oppose a specific candidate for office that is made without their cooperation, approval or direct knowledge. If approved, Krekorian's motion would:

1) Triple the penalties associated with violations of the disclosures required by the city's municipal code;

2) Require broadcasts or mass mailings by a committee making independent expenditures to include a disclosure statement. That statement would have to include the name of the committee, the names of the persons making the two highest cumulative contributions of $5,000 or more in a 12-month period, and, a statement that clearly identifies the economic or other special interest of the donors who contribute $5,000 or more;

3) Require a committee making independent expenditures to disclose the name and telephone number of its committee.

As a state Assemblyman, Krekorian authored two pieces of sunshine legislation that sought to peel back the layers of shadowy independent expenditure spending. While his legislation was thwarted twice by special interest groups in the state Legislature, Krekorian vowed not to ease his fight to increase transparency.

During his recent campaign for the City Council, though Krekorian took home 56% of the vote, he was outspent more than 2-1 in overall campaign dollars and more than 13-1 in independent expenditure donations.

Some of the tumult surrounding the expenditures during the campaign centered on a group called Working Californians, a group supporting Krekorian's main opponent.

Working Californians sued the city of Los Angeles to overturn a 24-year-old city ethics law that had barred independent expenditure groups from collecting more than $500 from individual donors. The group said L.A.'s law was preventing it from contributing en masse to his opponent in her bid for the council.

Two weeks after the suit was filed, a federal court judge denied Working Californians' request for a temporary restraining order. In response, Krekorian said: "By filing this lawsuit, the downtown power brokers proved that they aren't satisfied just trying to steal this election for her- they want to hide their tracks too."

"I was very proud to defend the ethics laws that the voters of Los Angeles enacted and have relied upon for nearly a quarter century."

The City Attorney now has 30 days to report back to the council on a new ordinance reflecting Krekorian's motion, which you can see below:

Council Nixes DONE Consolidation

2010-06-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

Today, at the behest of Councilmember Paul Krekorian, the City Council voted 12-0 against the mayor's proposal to consolidate the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and the Community Development Department.

This action followed months of debate in the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, which Krekorian chairs, and will be followed by many more meetings throughout the city to determine the future of neighborhood councils. Read more about this ongoing debate from our past live-blogs: here, here and here.

In addition to opposing the consolidation, Krekorian introduced an amendment that instructs the city's Chief Administrative Officer to ensure DONE can continue serving neighborhood councils: A proposal to reorganize DONE and improve support to the Neighborhood Councils is going to require additional time to work with the City staff and receive input from stakeholders.

To ensure continued support for the Neighborhood Councils, I move to instruct the CAO to report back in 15 days to the Education and Neighborhoods Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee with a proposal to continue operating DONE as a standalone Department for up to six months while the Council and Mayor develop a new organization structure for DONE. It should be the goal of this proposal to ensure cost neutrality, but the CAO should report, in any event, on any budgetary impacts.

Stay tuned to CD2Policy for updates on what lies ahead for neighborhood councils and, as always, let us know your thoughts.

What Lies Ahead for the Proposal: Live-blogging the E & N Committee meeting

2010-06-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

On June 4, 2010, the Education and Neighborhoods Committee held a special meeting to discuss a proposal that would have consolidated the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment with the Community Development Department. Below is the audio from and the live-blog from the hearing.

Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Janice Hahn listen as
residents chime in on the consolidation proposal, June 4, 2010. | Photo/CD2

Education and Neighborhoods Committee meeting, June 4, 2010

1:47 PM: Councilmember Paul Krekorian, head of the Education and Neighborhoods committee, kicks-off the meeting, apologizing for the late start due to the conclusion of today's City Council meeting. There is one item on the agenda, and on everyone's mind today: Whether the council should adopt the mayor's proposal to consolidate the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) and the Community Development Department (CDD). First up is mayoral aide Aaron Gross.

1:51 Gross: "I think we established the need to look at the future of neighborhood councils (NCs)...we need to figure out the next steps to best serve NCs." [During last week's committee meeting, about two-dozen NC members spoke against the proposal. No one spoke in favor of it.]

1:56: Gross and, by extension the mayor, signal a willingness to go back to the drawing board. "We will put a halt on the 45-day clock and discuss with the community when is the appropriated place to start a new process." Per the city charter, the council has 45 days to act on the consolidation. If no action is taken, the consolidation would go into effect.

2:00: Krekorian, who has been driving the debate, agrees and says he wants to develop a "consensus vision...for how we can move forward, more effectively." He goes on to say he wants to work with the mayor's office to develop a broader vision with NCs and wants to set up a dialog across the city "in the coming weeks and months...before we have a complete architecture on the larger policy."

2:03 Committee member Councilmember Janice Hahn speaks of her trepidation about the proposed consolidation. "I feel like we're doing this backwards," she said. "We should have been getting the input of NCs...to focus on the future of NCs. I think we've wasted a lot of time and money working on a proposal that was not well thought out."

2:09 Hahn said, "If we don't have a positive, good thought-out plan, NC funding will run out." Krekorian clarifies that NC funding is not part of the discussion and will not be affected by this proposal.

2:13 Mayor isn't rescinding the consolidation idea, Gross says, but it's one proposal and there are a number of other ideas out there. What are yours?

2:15 Krekorian proposes disapproval of mayor's proposal. "That will be the end of that," he says. Going forward, he vows to work with the mayor on a new proposal, but will start with input from NCs, other council offices, etc. "We will drive the policy making, but will do so with the mayor."

2:18 Gross vows mayoral participation with the council, in general, and with this committee, specifically.

2:25 It's public comment with those in attendance hoping NCs remain part of the discussion to shape their future and one resident calling for outgoing DONE GM, BH Kim, to stay on to oversee whatever transition takes place.

2:36 Krekorian officially recommends the committee deny the mayor's proposal and, going forward, "draw input from the 91 NCs."

2:48 Committee continues to hear public comment...

2:53 Meeting is adjourned. Stay tuned for how the committee intends to work with NCs throughout L.A. to ensure they remain viable, efficient and important stewards of local democracy. Thanks for following this live-blog and, as always, we welcome your comments.

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Alert: Special Meeting Tomorrow to Address the Future of Neighborhood Councils

2010-06-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

Special Alert: A special meeting of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee has been called for tomorrow, Friday, June 4, 2010, at 1:30 p.m.

During the session, committee chair Councilmember Paul Krekorian, and others, will address the mayor's plan to consolidate the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and the Community Development Department. This important meeting, which has numerous implications for the future of neighborhood empowerment in our city, will take place in room 1010 of Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring St.

Click this link for the agenda (.pdf)

At last week's committee meeting, (a recap of which you can read here), dozens of community activists and neighborhood council members spoke against the proposal. Councilmember Krekorian pressed the mayor's representatives on what cost savings the city might achieve from the plan and how the proposal will increase transparency and accountability while still allowing neighborhood councils to remain viable forms of community empowerment.

Have your say by attending the meeting or joining the conversation, right here, as we live-blog what should be an interesting session.

Thank you,

Your CD2 Policy team

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Neighborhood Council Election Results Are In

2010-05-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

The unofficial tally is in and available from the City Clerk's Election Division. Click this link (.pdf) and check the Region C results for the 11 neighborhood councils that held elections Thursday.

Congratulations to everyone who participated, especially to those whose heady task of empowering their communities lay head.

You can check the individual NCs on the city clerk's website, but we wanted to share with you the turnout figures from across the east and west Valley showing that nearly 2,000 residents from just 11 communities voted in this round of elections.

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Neighborhood Council Elections Today - Find Out Where to Vote

2010-05-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to neighborhood council election day. In this morning's Daily News, Councilmember Paul Krekorian had this to say in an opinion piece:

THROUGHOUT the San Fernando Valley today, neighbors will be coming together to select their community's leadership in neighborhood council elections. The results of this latest step forward toward neighborhood empowerment will impact our communities for years to come.

Neighborhood council members play an active role in shaping the present and future of our community. The neighborhood councils are critical partners for me and my staff as we serve the people of the Valley, and they help inform my thinking about development, transportation, quality of life and public safety in my work in City Hall.

Every Valley resident who wants a say in shaping the future of our community should participate in these neighborhood elections.

Read the whole piece by clicking here.

If you live or do business in Reseda, Tarzana, Lake Balboa, Encino, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Greater Valley Glen, Mid-Town North Hollywood, Valley Village, Studio City and/or Greater Toluca Lake, you may vote from 2 to 8 p.m.

A complete list of polling locations:

Encino

Balboa Sports Center

Clubrooms 2 and 3

17015 Burbank Boulevard

Encino, CA 91316

POLL HOURS: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Greater Toluca Lake

Ramsey - Shilling Lobby

10205 Riverside Drive
Toluca Lake, CA 91602
POLL HOURS: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Greater Valley Glen
Los Angeles Valley College
Cafeteria Conference Room
5800 Fulton Avenue
Valley Glen, CA 91401
POLL HOURS: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Lake Balboa

Lake Balboa Studios
Recreation Room
7412 Balboa Boulevard
Lake Balboa, CA 91406
POLL HOURS: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Mid-Town North Hollywood

Victory Vineland Recreation Center
Conference Room
11117 Victory Boulevard
North Hollywood, CA 91606
POLL HOURS: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Reseda

West Valley Municipal Building
Conference Room
19040 Vanowen St.
Reseda, CA 91335
POLL HOURS: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Sherman Oaks

Sherman Oaks Presbyterian Church
Chapel
4445 Noble Avenue
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
POLL HOURS: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Studio City

Studio City Recreation Center
Gym
12621 Rye Street
Studio City, CA 91604
POLL HOURS: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Tarzana

Tarzana Recreation Center
Community Room
5655 Vanalden Avenue
Tarzana, CA 91356
POLL HOURS: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Valley Village

Faith Presbyterian Church
Fireside Room
5000 Colfax Avenue
Valley Village, CA 91601
POLL HOURS: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Van Nuys
Independent Living Center of Southern California
Transition House Garage
14141 Haynes Street
Van Nuys, CA 91401
POLL HOURS: 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m

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Live Blogging the Education and Neighborhoods Committee Meeting

2010-05-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

The Education and Neighborhoods Committee met May 26, 2010 to discuss the proposed consolidation of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment with the Community Development Department, a proposal that ultimately failed. Below is the entire audio and live-blog from that meeting.

Education and Neighborhoods Committee meeting | May 26, 2010

3:30 Hello and welcome to another live blog from the office of Councilmember Paul Krekorian. For information on this website, click here or visit cd2.lacity.org.

3:43 Mayor's office detailing consolidation proposal and touts "interactive" new website they say are the direct result of collaboration b/n neighborhood councils and city.

3:45 Mayor's office now describing problems DONE is having. The "perfect storm" consists of: economy; controller's audit that "spoke to lack of accountability, lack of controls...that didn't paint NCcs in the light they deserved to be painted."; DONE is almost entirely made up of work staff not protected by union agreements. i.e., they could be fired.

3:50 Mayor's office says CDD is doing some of the same things DONE has done. "CDD would be a good partner," he said, "Because we are already in the community."

3:54 As staff continues to sing the praises of consolidation, let us introduce ourselves. This is a live-blog from the staff of Councilmember Paul Krekorian. We do this in an attempt to increase transparency and accountability. Today's meeting will take up the proposed consolidation of DONE, the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, into CDD. Check the agenda of the meeting here. (.pdf).

3:58 Krekorian asks: What is the anticipated cost savings the mayor expects to realize? The answer: $1.5 million annually. Krekorian presses for more specificity. "I've heard that number, but I have not seen the breakdown," he said.

4:01 Most of the cost reductions come from the drastic cut in staffing - from 36 to 18 - of DONE.

4:04 Before I can consider supporting something like this, "I wanna have a high level of confidence the budget savings are real," CM Krekorian said. i.e.: Prove to us we will actually save money.

4:07 Mayor's office says best use of DONE staff, with consolidation, would not be to attend NC meetings but to "sit in an office and provide answers." Says that many NC's are high functioning and don't need city staff there to watch, "except to observe the amazing projects they are doing."

4:11 Councilmember Zine, a member of the committee, is skeptical that the city will realize a robust amount of savings. "How much of it is real money, how much of it is fluff money?" he asks. "The $1.5 million doesn't seem like much. I thought it would be a substantial cost savings."

4:15 Krekorian calls the proposed consolidation a "roll of the dice" and says it could "endanger" the future of neighborhood councils. "That's a risk I'm not willing to take," he said.

4:17 Mayor's staff says $1.5 m is significant cause the city is in a deep budgetary hole AND the cut would be 10 percent of DONE's budget.

4:20 Zine also skeptical: "I see us doing a lot of talking...than we're doing things to support and help them."

4:24 Getting to the nuts and bolts, Krekorian says under the consolidation he's concerned that the NCs and city would suffer from a loss: of accountability and transparency. Under this proposal, the head of what would be the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment would be two steps removed from the mayor.

"It seems to be that would have the tendency of minimizing accountability and oversight form the mayor's office," Krekorian said, "and sends a signal to the city and NCs that the neighborhood empowerment is less of a priority for the city than it used to be."

4:28 As the two councilmembers on the committee wax skepticism of the proposal, let us remind you that, according to our poll, 82% of you agree that the current consolidation may not be the best way to go to foment neighborhood empowerment.

4:34 Mayor's staff answers Krekorian's question about transparency: "If you're going to impose new restrictions on NCs that the controller (et al) calls for, the best way to impose those are by the best and the brightest in the city. That is the CDD. It's really the only way we can see to have those things that need to happen from a financial standpoint to save taxpayer dollars while continuing to make sure neighborhood empowerment continues to thrive."

4:35 Krekorian says some of the best and brightest are also on NCs. Says we should take advantage of their expertise.

4:44 Krekorian tells crowd that there will not be a vote today, but that "this is a first opportunity for everyone to provide input." With that, the committee will now hear public comment from the dozen or so NC members in the room.

4:50 NC members saying that they need to be more engaged in their future. "This is a great opportunity," one says.

4:54 Judy Price, of Valley Glen, says consolidation "would be a disaster."

5:13 NC members from throughout the Valley Los Angeles are here, including West Hills, Studio City, Valley Glen, Northeast L.A. and elsewhere.

5:20 Unanimity from NC members here against the proposed consolidation. What do you think?

5:36 More public comment as residents continue to rail against the proposal.

5:42 A total of 22 folks support about the proposal...all of them in opposition.

5:44 Ed Novy, of Sunland-Tujunga, cites dearth of racial and ethnic diversity in audience. Says the committee should "take its show on the road to showcase real L.A."

6:01 Speakers' session is over and Krekorian adjourns the meeting, promising that this will be the first step on the path toward greater neighborhood empowerment.

6:02 Thank you for following this discussion and please feel free to continue the conversation in the comments section below. We welcome all opinions.

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Tell Us What You Think About the Future of Neighborhood Councils

2010-05-21T05:52:00.000-07:00

Mayor Antonio Villaraiogsa has proposed consolidating the Community Development Department into the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which many of you know as DONE.

This is a potentially historic moment for neighborhood councils as it could prove to be a monumental fork-in-the-road for the future of neighborhood empowerment. Tell us what you think of the proposal by taking this poll and feel free to give us your ideas in the comments section on how to reform DONE.

[polldaddy poll=3237067]

Neighborhood Elections Approaching

2010-05-17T21:39:00.000-07:00

Neighborhood Council elections are fast approaching for many communities in CD2, including Mid-town North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Valley Glen and Van Nuys. The elections, slated for Thursday, May 27, from 2 to 8 p.m., will allow you to have a say on issues that affect your neighborhood on a daily basis. For more information, email our office and please don't forget to vote!

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Tell Us What You Think About the Future of Neighborhood Councils

2010-05-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

Mayor Antonio Villaraiogsa has proposed consolidating the Community Development Department into the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which many of you know as DONE.

Neighborhood Elections Approaching

2010-05-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

City Receives Slight Boost from Council Funds

2010-04-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

As noted, in addition to the $455,140 in CD2 funds due to be transfered, Councilmember Krekorian is also in the process of transferring $340,860 to the general fund. In total, $800,000 in funds alloted to CD2 - money that had been reserved for specific projects in our district - will now be used to ease the heavy fiscal burden under which Los Angeles sits right now.

(Note that the reference to AB 1290 refers to a 1993 Assembly Bill that reformed the process by which city's can apply for redevelopment funds. More info on that can be found here.)

The motion, which was passed without dissent, reads, in part:

I MOVE that the matter of the communication from the City Administrative Officer on the Fourth Financial Status Report for Fiscal Year 2009-10 and the Budget and Finance Committee report relative to the Fourth Financial Status Report for Fiscal Year 2009-10, Item 3 on today's Council Agenda (C.F. 09-0600-S203), be AMENDED by substituting Recommendation 4 of the Budget and Finance Committee report with the following:

4. INSTRUCT the Community Redevelopment Agency (Agency) Chief Executive Officer, or designee, with regard to the use of Assembly Bill CAB) 1290 funds as part of the $12 million transfer in Council Funds pursuant to Council File 09-0853, to:

a. TRANSFER $4,497,382.72 in available AB1290 funds to the City's General Fund. The funds will come from the project areas within the following Council Districts, to be determined by the Councilmember. (After the transfer amount is incorporated into the City's General Fund, the AB1290 funds will not be transferred back to the Agency)

City Receives Slight Boost from Council Funds

2010-04-20T04:59:00.000-07:00

On April 14, 2010, councilmembers Bernard Parks and Paul Krekorian led the charge in the City Council when they pushed to transfer nearly $4.5 million in council funds to L.A.'s General Fund. The motion was part of a series of steps each council district is taking to share in the sacrifice of this recessionary period to balance Los Angeles' budget.

As noted, in addition to the $455,140 in CD2 funds due to be transfered, Councilmember Krekorian is also in the process of transferring $340,860 to the general fund. In total, $800,000 in funds alloted to CD2 - money that had been reserved for specific projects in our district - will now be used to ease the heavy fiscal burden under which Los Angeles sits right now.

(Note that the reference to AB 1290 refers to a 1993 Assembly Bill that reformed the process by which city's can apply for redevelopment funds. More info on that can be found here.)

The motion, which was passed without dissent, reads, in part:

I MOVE that the matter of the communication from the City Administrative Officer on the Fourth Financial Status Report for Fiscal Year 2009-10 and the Budget and Finance Committee report relative to the Fourth Financial Status Report for Fiscal Year 2009-10, Item 3 on today's Council Agenda (C.F. 09-0600-S203), be AMENDED by substituting Recommendation 4 of the Budget and Finance Committee report with the following:

4. INSTRUCT the Community Redevelopment Agency (Agency) Chief Executive Officer, or designee, with regard to the use of Assembly Bill CAB) 1290 funds as part of the $12 million transfer in Council Funds pursuant to Council File 09-0853, to:

a. TRANSFER $4,497,382.72 in available AB1290 funds to the City's General Fund. The funds will come from the project areas within the following Council Districts, to be determined by the Councilmember. (After the transfer amount is incorporated into the City's General Fund, the AB1290 funds will not be transferred back to the Agency)

Paul on Which Way L.A.?

2010-04-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

Selected quotations from Paul include:

"The [DWP] rate increase proposal that was put forth was not acceptable to begin with. It had not been sufficiently transparently proposed and wasn't defensible, in my view, on the merits."

"In the three months I've been here, I've been trying to have a dialog with general managers and others about what this city's core services are and have us focus, not on picking a number of employees to lay off or picking some other way we as a council should compel a reduction in cost, but rather turning to our general managers - smart people who know how to run their departments - and saying, We need to reach a certain level of cost reduction, what's the best way to do that? That hasn't been the process that's going on."

"There is a need for an immediate solution...but we need to focus on what the core services of this city are...to keep this city functional."

Listen to Councilmember Krekorian on Which Way L.A.? and chime in below with your thoughts on the budget.

Paul on Which Way L.A.?

2010-04-08T04:21:00.000-07:00

On April 7, Councilmember Krekorian appeared on KCRW's Which Way L.A.? with Warren Olney. On the program, he shared his thoughts on ways the city can move forward collectively without denigrating our core services. Paul proceeded the mayor, who offered his thoughts on the budget as well.

Selected quotations from Paul include:
[caption id="attachment_233" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Which Way L.A.?"][/caption]

"The [DWP] rate increase proposal that was put forth was not acceptable to begin with. It had not been sufficiently transparently proposed and wasn't defensible, in my view, on the merits."

"In the three months I've been here, I've been trying to have a dialog with general managers and others about what this city's core services are and have us focus, not on picking a number of employees to lay off or picking some other way we as a council should compel a reduction in cost, but rather turning to our general managers - smart people who know how to run their departments - and saying, We need to reach a certain level of cost reduction, what's the best way to do that? That hasn't been the process that's going on."

"There is a need for an immediate solution...but we need to focus on what the core services of this city are...to keep this city functional."

Listen to Councilmember Krekorian on Which Way L.A.? and chime in below with your thoughts on the budget.

Sunland-Tujunga NC Election

2010-03-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

More information on Neighborhood Council elections can be found here, via the City Clerk's website. Candidate profiles for residents who have previously submitted that information to the clerk's office is linked below. If the candidate is not linked, no profile was submitted to the City Clerk. Extra information about the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council election is here.

Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council

Time: 1 to 7 p.m.

Polling Place: Northeast Valley City Hall – Auditorium

Address: 7747 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga 91042 (map)

Candidates

President:

Antoinette “Nina” N. Royal
Steven J. Vanover
Dan R. McManus

First Vice-President:

Tomi L. Bowling

Second Vice-President:

David G. Cain

Region 1 Representative:

John P. Laue
Janet L. Linsalato
Randall L. Abbeglen [certified write-in candidate]
Dana Miller Coburn [certified write-in candidate]

Region 2 Representative:

None Filed

Region 3 Representative:

Barbara D. Johnson

Region 4 Representative:

Belinda J. Woodruff
Edmund Novy

Treasurer:

Mark Seigel

Secretary:

Cynthia E. Cleghorn

Stakeholder Group Representatives:

Nanci K. Caillouet
Olina F.R. Lowe
Lydia Grant
Cara M. DeCaro
Richard V. Stewart
Thomas J. Macauley
Jodie Brittain [certified write-in candidate]
John “Blue” Herget [certified write-in candidate]

North Hollywood Northeast NC Election

2010-03-17T21:54:00.000-07:00

More information on Neighborhood Council elections can be found here, via the City Clerk's website. For additional information on the North Hollywood Northeast NC election, click here.

North Hollywood Northeast Neighborhood Council

Election: Saturday, March 27^th,2010

Time: 2pm – 8pm

Polling Place: Los Angeles Family Housing Corporation – Waiting Room

Address: 7817 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood 91605

Candidates:

Business Representative:

Ernie M. Moscoso

Community Based Organizations Representative:

Monica Austin-Jackson

Resident Representative:

Benjamin D. Moore

Foothill Trails NC Election

2010-03-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

More information on Neighborhood Council elections can be found here, via the City Clerk's website. Candidate profiles for residents who have previously submitted that information to the clerk's office is linked below. If the candidate is not linked, no profile was submitted to the City Clerk. For more information on the Foothill Trails NC election,

click here (.pdf)

Foothill Trails Neighborhood Council Election

Election: Saturday, March 27,2010

Time: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Polling Place: Shadow Hills Presbyterian Church – Parlor

Address: 10158 Johanna Ave., Sunland 91040. (Map)

Candidates by Area:

Area 1 Representative:

Kevin J. Davis
Linda J. Hornick

Area 2 Representative:

Dariush Bakhtar
Billy RM Hayes
Alfonso Edeza

Area 3 Representative:

Richard Townsell
Erwing Davis
John “Blue” Herget

Area 4 Representative:

Area 5 Representative:

Terry M. Kaiser
Mary Ann Geyer

Area 6 Representative:

Ken S. Keeble
Nancy W. Woodruff

At-Large Representative:

Community Interest Representative:

Robert D. Arnold

Neighborhood Council Elections

2010-03-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, March 27, four neighborhood councils in CD2 will be conducting elections to determine the next round of leaders in Shadow Hills, North Hollywood, Sun Valley and Sunland-Tujunga.

If you live in any one of these four communities, please make some time learn about the candidates and vote. Neighborhood Councils are an integral part of our communities' growth and help the City Council office determine how best to serve our district.

On this blog, we will detail the elections in these four NC areas. The profiles of candidates who have filed statements with the City Clerk’s office will be linked on our site and any NC official who wants to add extra information can comment on our site or email us. All information comes from the City Clerk's office, which has a website (.pdf) devoted to NC elections.

The next round of elections in CD2 is slated for May 27. They will include, the Greater Valley Glen NC, the Midtown North Hollywood NC, the Sherman Oaks NC, the Studio City NC, Neighborhood Council Valley Village and the Van Nuys NC.

Neighborhood Council Elections

2010-03-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, March 27, four neighborhood councils in CD2 will be conducting elections to determine the next round of leaders in Shadow Hills, North Hollywood, Sun Valley and Sunland-Tujunga.

If you live in any one of these four communities, please make some time learn about the candidates and vote. Neighborhood Councils are an integral part of our communities' growth and help the City Council office determine how best to serve our district.

On this blog, we will detail the elections in these four NC areas. The profiles of candidates who have filed statements with the City Clerk’s office will be linked on our site and any NC official who wants to add extra information can comment on our site or email us. All information comes from the City Clerk's office, which has a website (.pdf) devoted to NC elections.

The next round of elections in CD2 is slated for May 27. They will include, the Greater Valley Glen NC, the Midtown North Hollywood NC, the Sherman Oaks NC, the Studio City NC, Neighborhood Council Valley Village and the Van Nuys NC.

Foothill Trails NC Election

2010-03-17T09:05:00.000-07:00

More information on Neighborhood Council elections can be found here, via the City Clerk's website. Candidate profiles for residents who have previously submitted that information to the clerk's office is linked below. If the candidate is not linked, no profile was submitted to the City Clerk. For more information on the Foothill Trails NC election, click here (.pdf)

Foothill Trails Neighborhood Council

[caption id="attachment_195" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Photo via the Foothill Trails Neighborhood Council"][/caption]

Election: Saturday, March 27,2010

Time: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Polling Place: Shadow Hills Presbyterian Church – Parlor

Address: 10158 Johanna Ave., Sunland 91040. (Map)

Candidates by Area:
Area 1 Representative:

Kevin J. Davis

Linda J. Hornick

Area 2 Representative:

Dariush Bakhtar

Billy RM Hayes

Alfonso Edeza

Area 3 Representative:

Richard Townsell

Erwing Davis

John “Blue” Herget

Area 4 Representative:

Michael N. Carpenter

Jill A. Knesek

Robert D. Gibson

Area 5 Representative:

Terry M. Kaiser

Mary Ann Geyer

Area 6 Representative:

Ken S. Keeble

Nancy W. Woodruff

At-Large Representative:

Jeffrey Woodruff

Fritz Bronner

Royan V. Herman

Kjell E. Myhre

Community Interest Representative:

Robert D. Arnold

North Hollywood Northeast NC Election

2010-03-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

More information on Neighborhood Council elections can be found here, via the City Clerk's website. For additional information on the North Hollywood Northeast NC election, click here.

North Hollywood Northeast Neighborhood Council

Election: Saturday, March 27^th,2010

Time: 2pm – 8pm

Polling Place: Los Angeles Family Housing Corporation – Waiting Room

Address: 7817 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood 91605

Candidates:
Business Representative:

Ernie M. Moscoso

Community Based Organizations Representative:

Monica Austin-Jackson

Resident Representative:

Benjamin D. Moore

Sun Valley Area NC Election

2010-03-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

More information on Neighborhood Council elections can be found here, via the City Clerk's website. Candidate profiles for residents who have previously submitted that information to the clerk's office is linked below. If the candidate is not linked, no profile was submitted to the City Clerk. Extra information about the Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council election is here.

Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council

Time: 1 to 7 p.m.

Polling Place: John H. Francis Polytechnic High School – Auditorium

Address: 12431 Roscoe Blvd., Sun Valley 91352 (map)

Candidates:

At-Large Stakeholder Director:

Alex Garcia
Nicholas Dalton-Pawle
Guy M. Dionne
Stephen E. Franklin
Julie Monroy
Fern L. Romans [certified write-in candidate]

Business/Property Owner Stakeholder Director:

Elidia Vazquez
Gerardo A. Prieto
Mike L. O’Gara
George R. Dahlquist [certified write-in candidate]
Karina Valles [certified write-in candidate]

Residential Stakeholder Director:

Art A. Kalantarian
Robert V. Lim
Stella I. Arrington
Susan A. Bartlett
Angelica M. Duenas
James F. Hilfenhaus
Wesly M. Hernandez
Victor Hernandez
Daniel H. Evans
Monica B. Vacas
Samuel D. Palomino
Imelda Padilla
Carmen Perez
Yvette E. Martinez
Felix J. Martinez
Luis O. Medina

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Sunland-Tujunga NC Election

2010-03-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council

Time: 1 to 7 p.m.

Polling Place: Northeast Valley City Hall – Auditorium

[caption id="attachment_223" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Aftermath of the Storm in Sunland-Tujunga | Photo by David "Doc" DeMulle o fthe Foothills Paper"][/caption]

Address: 7747 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga 91042 (map)

Candidates
President:

Antoinette “Nina” N. Royal

Steven J. Vanover

Dan R. McManus

First Vice-President:

Tomi L. Bowling

Second Vice-President:

David G. Cain

Region 1 Representative:

John P. Laue

Janet L. Linsalato

Randall L. Abbeglen [certified write-in candidate]

Dana Miller Coburn [certified write-in candidate]

Region 2 Representative:

None Filed

Region 3 Representative:

Barbara D. Johnson

Region 4 Representative:

Belinda J. Woodruff

Edmund Novy

Treasurer:

Mark Seigel

Secretary:

Cynthia E. Cleghorn

Stakeholder Group Representatives:

Nanci K. Caillouet

Olina F.R. Lowe

Lydia Grant

Cara M. DeCaro

Richard V. Stewart

Thomas J. Macauley

Jodie Brittain [certified write-in candidate]

John “Blue” Herget [certified write-in candidate]

DONE/CDD Consolidation: Voice Your Opinion

2010-03-10T22:03:00.000-08:00

Today [March 3, 2010], the Education and Neighborhoods Committee will take up the proposal to roll the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment into the Community Development Department. While the committee, led by Councilmember Paul Krekorian, will not likely take any action on the item today, they will hear the concerns of residents who want to chime in on the issue.

The meeting will take place at 2 p.m. in room in 1050 in City Hall, 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles. All are invited to voice their opinion during the meeting at that time, or on this blog at any time. As always, this site will be updated with news as it happens.

The agenda can be seen here