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Volume 2, Number 2 * February 2004 * www.cd13.com
Sign up for e*News at http://www.lacity.org/council/cd13/cd13optin.htm
| IN THIS ISSUE:
CITY HALL UPDATE:
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NEWS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT:
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Councilmember
Eric Garcetti | A Word From Eric
The daily routine of a City Councilmember includes endless interviews, but this week was the first time I faced down three questioners at the same time, each with a dozen questions, all in fifteen minutes. An aggressive start-up free weekly? A grilling on Hardball? Even better: I came face to face with three eighth graders from Silver Lake’s St. Teresa of Avila.
"What do you think of vouchers?" "What’s the difference between Democrats and Republicans?" "What force has pulled you through your hard and dark times?" "What kind of business did you start when you were eight years old?" Their notebooks were filled with questions, and I wanted to share everything I could with them.
St. Teresa students with their families | I had met these young people before, at their school. Their teacher Ms. Young had assigned David, Jackie, and Christine the task of interviewing politicians from two different parties.
I spent as much time as I could answering their questions about my own biography (born and raised in Los Angeles), what motivates me (my partner Amy; justice; the tragedies and triumphs of my constituents) and the political process (local elections are non-partisan because it doesn’t take a Republican or a Democrat to fix a pothole). At the end of the interview, however, I got a chance to do something that regular reporters don’t often let me do. I turned the tables and found out a little bit about each of them.
David Ixtlahuac’s mom works in real estate; she grew up in the shadow of Chavez Ravine, but now they live in Highland Park. His name is Aztec, and his family is originally from Mexico. He asked me what motivates me. Jackie Orellana lives in Sylmar; her father is from Guatemala. She had many questions about partisan politics. Christine Santikulanont’s family comes from Thailand. She was impressed to learn how "politicians try to improve things from the inside."
Christine, Jackie, Eric, and David | They were worried about the picket lines at grocery stores. "My mom’s friend is pregnant, and she won’t be able to work more much more. Her husband is on strike, so that’s going to be really tough," said Christine.
Jackie had been especially excited to meet an elected official. She is, after all, the president of her school, elected by a majority of her schoolmates at the end of 7th grade. "I’d like to run for City Council, and then Congress," she said. "City Council because there are a lot of streets that aren’t very good. But Congress so you can help a wider group of people." And beyond Congress? "You never know."
They had asked me what my concerns were for the district. What did I want to accomplish in my term-limited time in City Hall? I realized that I didn’t know how my goals and the commitments I had made to CD13 residents lined up with their own desires for their community. What did they think should be changed in their neighborhood? "We need more kid-friendly places," said Jackie. "Kids can’t even make a lemonade stand!" said Christine, concerned abut crime and public safety. Anything else? "Good grades!" (On that, I will not be bringing any direct councilmanic clout to bear.) "I like going to school in this neighborhood," offered David. It was good to hear.
It turns out that the kids and I are on the same wavelength. My office has already opened seven parks and gardens in the thirteenth district, and more are on the way. A safe and clean city tops my list of promises to the thirteenth district.
In making these neighborhood dreams realities, I make one more vow: that city government be accessible to all, from kids on up. That’s why I walk the neighborhoods on weekends, speaking with people who hadn’t thought about how they could use City Hall to better their homes or their neighborhoods, who never imagined that "the government" would listen to them. In fact, that's why this meeting happened at all; not two weeks before, one of their classmates had used my Saturday office hours, open to all, to meet with me to talk about this same assignment and his own hopes for his neighborhood and his city.
It’s my hope that if my staff and I work continuously to keep our doors open and make our process transparent, we will ignite the imaginations of the people whose energy fuels the vibrant streets of the thirteenth district.
Will it work? In a few years, we’ll just have to ask Congresswoman Orellana.
All my best,
Eric
How-To
I’ll be using this occasional e*news feature to explain how you can make use of public processes to make changes in your neighborhood, with the help of your neighbors. This month, let’s focus on speed humps.
Speed humps—those big yellow bumps that stretch from one side of the road to the other to slow drivers down—aren’t for everybody everywhere. On Hoover, for example, we could never install speed humps because emergency personnel use it as a main route, even though it’s densely residential. But in many neighborhoods, speed humps can reduce vehicle speeds and lessen traffic without removing any parking spaces.
The first step in getting speed humps for your street is to request a study from the Department of Transportation. Call them at (213) 977-6464. DOT engineers look at the condition of the street and its traffic speed and volume to see if it meets their criteria.
If the street is eligible, the second step is signing petitions. DOT provides petitions that must be signed by 75% of the residents on either side of the street proposed for street humps. Following the collection of enough signatures, the residents may submit an application with the petition.
Once the petitions are approved, the speed humps go on DOT's list for installation. Congratulations!
The following subjects will not be appearing in upcoming editions of How-To: how to watch TV, how to clean your room, how to eat pho, or how to write a musical.
CITY HALL UPDATE:
Public Safety
I had the opportunity recently to speak to the Mayor of San Jose about the remarkable success that city had in turning around graffiti. San Jose's successful experiment combined an unprecedented mobilization of 2,000 volunteers with new technology to restore community pride. I believe we can do the same thing in CD13, and I will be rolling out anti-graffiti strategies soon.
Budget
As I discussed in January's e-news, the Governor recently announced that the state would appropriate $1.3 billion in local property tax revenues to patch up its budget, monies that would normally stay with cities and counties. Along with the Mayor and several of my colleagues on the Council, I traveled to Sacramento to plead the City’s case. It is important that our state officials know that the transfer of local revenue to patch up the state budget robs Peter to pay Paul.
Now the city is reviewing a statewide ballot initiative that would prevent the state from raiding local government coffers without a vote of the people in the future. In the meantime, we are making do with less and looking at the very real possibility of layoffs of city employees.
To hear your concerns and priorities for weathering the budget crisis, Budget Committee chair Councilmember Bernard Parks and I will take the committee on the road. We have tentatively scheduled a meeting for February 26th at Los Angeles City College. Let us know if you would like to attend.
Announcing the MHP award | Housing
Los Angeles continues to demonstrate innovation and determination in the field of affordable housing. We began February with the announcement that the state’s Multifamily Housing Project awards from voter-approved Prop 46 bond monies recognized our efforts to the tune of $36.6 million out of $117 million awarded. (We even got to keep the oversized novelty check!) In Hollywood, this will build 100 units of senior housing at Encore Hall and 56 units of family housing at Views at 270.
The Affordable Housing Trust Fund is at risk in the budget crisis, but cutting it would be shortsighted: by putting our trust fund money where our mouth is, Los Angeles is vastly more competitive for bond funds than other localities. Those funds pay for new homes and new construction jobs, and they ease the housing crisis.
Do you qualify for the EITC? |
Economic Development
Demand what you deserve! Hard-working, low-income Angelenos leave millions of public dollars on the table every year that are rightfully theirs, whether in financial aid for college, tax credits, health care programs or power bill credits. To truly build a city of opportunity, we must make sure that we access the 'cradle through college' assistance that eases the burden on working families.
Free Cash for College | In recent weeks, I’ve had the pleasure to help publicize two such programs: Free Cash for College and the Earned Income Tax Credit partnership. Find out if you qualify for either by clicking on the links, and get assistance with your taxes from the VITA network!
The Business Tax Advisory Committee recently heard a consultant’s report on amending the gross receipts tax to a combination square footage and net receipts tax. While this is moderately more fair, I do not believe it goes far enough. To quote my friends at VICA, we need to "ax the tax". I support weaning the City from the gross receipts tax completely, replacing it with a fair source of revenue. In this budget climate, it can’t happen overnight. But I have begun to research a ten-year phase-out of the gross receipts tax.
Jesse Jackson, Mayor Hahn and me at the UFCW | The United Food and Commercial Workers called for binding arbitration in their 100-plus-day strike. I joined them for the announcement. Combined with the passage, later this month, of Los Angeles’s Superstores Ordinance, we should see a climate where the grocery companies can recognize that their business model of creating quality jobs in a neighborhood-based industry is the right formula for California. It’s also important to remember that grocery workers won their health benefits only by giving up raises year after year. If they lose them, our public health system will suffer an enormous strain.
Mayor Hahn, Councilmember Wendy Greuel and I created the Small and Local Business Advisory Committee, which will have its first meeting on Thursday, February 12, at the Marvin Braude Service Center in Van Nuys. Please join us, and let us know how the City can make life easier for small businesses, the engines of our local economy. Let my legislative deputy Alex Paxton know if you’re interested in attending.
Open Space and the Environment
I’m pleased to announce that we are making a very important and overdue stride forward in our City recycling program. Many Hollywood multi-family apartment buildings will be among the 100,000 apartment buildings citywide to begin recycling. For too long, Los Angeles has dragged its heels in providing recycling services to renters, who produce 21 percent of the city’s annual 3.5 million tons of trash, an estimated 35 percent of which can be recycled--more than a quarter of a million tons.
The Department of Water and Power’s Renewable Portfolio Standard was in the news again, as the Board of Water and Power Commissioners voted to try to reach the same clean-energy standard required of private utilities: 20 percent of our energy should come from renewable sources by the year 2017. DWP and other public utilities were exempted from the standard when Gray Davis first signed it into law, and now 50 percent of power is generated from coal, leaving a trail of pollution in the Western states where our power originates. LADWP has an obligation to step up to the plate and protect our public health, air and climate. I will continue to push to enforce these standards with benchmarks along the way to maximum renewability.
Neighborhood Empowerment and Access
Even when you're out and about, government is still just three buttons away! Nextel and Sprint have announced that they will provide 3-1-1 service to their cell phone users; Cingular and T-Mobile already do. 3-1-1 can connect you to any of 1,500 services, including my office (if you don't already have me on speed dial), so next time you're out and you see some graffiti or a pothole, call it in! Callers outside the city of Los Angeles but within the five-county area - Los Angeles, Ventura, San Bernardino, Riverside and Orange - or any callers using a pay phone or non-participant cell phone can dial 1-866-4LACITY. If dialing from outside of the five counties, 3-1-1 can be reached by dialing 213-978-3231.
With small budgets and great missions, Neighborhood Councils have been inventive in getting the message out. On his website, blogger Jason Lyon keeps tabs on crime, community events, and the progress of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment from the perspective of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council.
Cable
I’m curious to know your thoughts on cable refranchising. The city is about to go into negotiations with its cable providers on the future of cable service. We will definitely have enforceable, high standards of customer service on the table. I’m also curious to know about your viewing habits: do you watch channel 35? Local public access? Have you ever made your own content for broadcast on your cable system? Let me know.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT:
Atwater Village
The annual Atwater Village Street Festival has always been a great way to get outside and meet neighbors. This year, it’s expanding to include an arts component. If you want to bring your creative expression to this community outlet, please contact Jan Murree, the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council’s Special Events chair.
At last tally, we had repaired 15 blocks of sidewalks in Atwater Village and installed more than a dozen traffic improvements. We are also pleased to have moved up the tree trimming on the Bureau of Street Services' schedule. Maintaining service levels will be a challenge through our budget straits, but count on my staff and me to squeeze everything we can out of what we’ve got!
Thanks, too, to everyone who has been making the neighbor-to-neighbor program a success. Come join us in the upcoming months as we walk door-to-door with community members, our senior lead officer Robert "Red" Falconer and CD13 staff members!
Glassell Park
Congratulations to the new officers of the Glassell Park Improvement Association. It was an honor to be able to swear in the new officers at the River Center and share their great progress.
Get ready for grass stains! In January, construction finally began on the new soccer field at the Glassell Park Recreation Center.
George Brauckman is leading the effort to refurbish the Crestmoore Place Steps, using a $10,000 Neighborhood Matching Fund Grant that was approved last year. In a beautifying touch, river rock will be applied to the walls of the steps.
Helene Schpak organized a Neighborhood Watch 101 for the community. My office assisted in the presentation along with Northeast LAPD, the City Attorney's office and Council Districts 1 and 14 to discuss how to start a Neighborhood Watch. About 30 people attended.
The Glassell Park Chamber of Commerce membership drive is on! Whether you’ve already signed up or you just want more information, please come to the Chamber breakfast meeting at Applied Graphics on Thursday, February 26th. Applied Graphics is a linchpin of CD13’s economy, employing 250 people in the heart of Glassell Park. My field deputy Mitch O'Farrell has more information.
Demolition and restoration have begun at the Van de Kamp Bakery building, soon to be an extension campus of Los Angeles City College. The historic exterior will remain a testament to this landmark, but the "guts" will soon be a state-of-the-art college campus.
Elysian Valley
Join me for a neighborhood walk this Saturday, February 7th. We’re leaving from Dorris Place Elementary at 9:30 am to talk to neighbors in Elysian Valley. I began doing neighborhood walks to meet people who wouldn’t otherwise get involved with City Hall and to hear what their concerns are. Next issue, I’ll report on the folks we spoke with in Elysian Valley.
The Department of Recreation and Parks has submitted a grant proposal for $1.5 million to build the first phase of new parkland on Riverside Drive.
The New Yorker ran a long article by Tad Friend on the efforts, led chiefly by poet and activist Lewis MacAdams, to restore the Los Angeles River. It was great to see a long article on two centuries worth of river history, as well as the political and environmental struggles that face its restoration. I had a chance to speak to the author about guiding river development with local community priorities—especially in Elysian Valley—and about the opportunity to link the River’s restoration to our federally required water pollution control as well.
 Echo Park
The Department of Public Works's Adopt-A-School program has picked Logan Elementary in Council District 13. The Department will arrange field trips to places like the Tillman Japanese Gardens Water Reclamation Plant, the Hyperion Waste Water Treatment Plant, or the city’s recycling centers. It’s a great way to learn about the city—I strongly recommend volunteering to chaperone if you have a child at Logan.
The fire road near Avon and Valley View was recently re-graded by the Department of Recreation and Parks maintenance crews due to recent water runoff damage and trail erosion. A longer-term solution is needed and the Department is currently looking for ways to fund those efforts.
LAHSA has provided assistance and outreach to to the homeless people who had been congregating at the Alvarado Vons.
You may have noticed the lights going out on Echo Park Avenue. Fortunately, we've been able to fix the problem by replacing the brittle, malfunction-prone aluminum wiring with more resilient copper wires.
Come clean up Echo Park! This Saturday, February 7th, community members will meet to spruce up the neighborhood, starting at 10 am at the 1400 block of Scott Avenue. We should be done by 12 noon.
The recycling center on Allessandro has responded to requests from our office and has begun to clean up its lot.
 Historic Filipinotown
Our streetscape meeting on January 21st was a terrific success. Fifty people showed up, and consensus formed around planting purple orchid trees along Temple Street.
Diagonal parking may be a reality for Carondelet between Temple and Beverly. DOT has approved funds for a feasibility study of the street. This came about based on one constituent's visit to my Saturday office hours. As I mentioned in my letter, no matter how big or small your idea is, if you think it would make your neighborhood safer, cleaner or just easier to park in, sign up for office hours and let me know about it.
Get involved with the Coronado Community Association, whose next community clean-up is scheduled for February 28th. Marcela has more information.
Silver Lake
The Silver Lake Neighborhood Council Public Safety Committee is sponsoring an Emergency Preparedness Training.
Some liquor stores in Silver Lake have been sore spots for crime and blight, and we’re working with Senior Lead Officer Dawn Lewis to make them follow the law or pay the price. Barb Dakin of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council has been especially helpful in addressing this problem, assisting in the drafting of petitions to get the stores to follow their permit conditions. Help us identify nuisance locations and develop proactive strategies. Email Shane to get involved.
I was proud to sponsor a plot in the Manzanita Community Garden for a longtime neighbor on Manzanita. I can’t wait to see the first flowers bloom and vegetables sprout! It’s been great to see a steep, weedy, trash-covered lot turn into a community cornucopia.
My thanks go out to the city’s Human Relations Commission for its work on the Gateways/Community of Friends project. By being patient and firm with all the groups involved, Patricia developed a model for working relationships that will prove useful time and time again as Los Angeles develops to meet its many needs. Bravo to all involved in this sensitive, much-needed development.
Come clean up Silver Lake! The Silver Lake Neighborhood Council will be handing out the gloves and trash bags on March 6th, starting at 8:30 am at Laurel & Hardy park on Vendome, and fanning out from there until it wraps up at 1 pm.
East Hollywood
LA Bridges and People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) will host a Town Hall meeting in March. Senior Lead Officers Juan Franco and Patti Brendle will answer your questions about public safety in the area around Virgil Middle School. Final details will be available soon from Marcela.
Belmont groundbreaking | I joined Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member Jose Huizar, Superintendent Roy Romer, and District F Superintendent Richard Alone for the groundbreaking of the new Belmont Elementary School on Commonwealth Avenue. I am breathless from going to LAUSD groundbreakings—it’s truly impressive to see our representatives’ dedication to relieving the school overcrowding crisis, and the commitment of the voters to support bond measure after bond measure for our schools is awe-inspiring.
Not two weeks later, ground broke once again for another school.
Discussing Hollywood |
Hollywood
I was pleased to offer my third annual "State of Hollywood " address to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in January. This was the year, I said, that Hollywood got to be Hollywood. We were ready for prime time—not to mention late night—with the arrival of Jimmy Kimmel’s and Ryan Seacrest’s live shows to the Boulevard. With KROQ moving into studio space at Hollywood and Highland, and with nightly broadcasts by Extra! just next door, we are seeing our entertainment strategy become our economic development strategy. Sales have doubled at stores in Hollywood and Highland, and many days, the garage is full. ‘Live from Hollywood’ is driving visitors back to the Boulevard in numbers we haven’t seen for decades! I also spoke about our revitalization efforts and our deep and vital connections to each other in the community. I invite you to read the whole speech on my website.
The Academy Awards will be here before the next e*news, and I want to take a minute to describe just how spectacular this annual spectacular is for our economy. A feature story in the L.A Times last year estimated that the Awards generate $650 million in local spending. Boldly trumping the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation’s previous estimate of $61 million, the Times based their "informed estimate" on the sum of spending on parties (fun for you, employment for many), television advertising, "For Your Consideration" promotion efforts, the shot in the arm that the return of the Oscars delivered to Hollywood Boulevard, and the money we all spend on pizza the night of the show. In honor of the Oscars' home in CD13, I’ll send a set of Eric Garcetti-label district-made scented candles to one person who can guess the Best Picture winner. Please, just one entry per person—we’ll draw the winner randomly from all right answers. Who will win?
.....Nonetheless, the security and set-up needs of the Oscars slow us down a little on the streets of Hollywood. As the ceremony approaches, check the Academy's website for up-to-date information on street closures. It's only because of your patience that this show can be such an economic engine.
February isn’t too late to say Happy New Year once more! The Lunar New Year Parade went off beautifully, with celebrations in Hollywood and at City Hall.
The Hollywood Teen Community Project held a conference for people who work with youth to discuss methods of fighting teen pregnancy. In California, there are 44 births per every 1000 teen girls aged 15-19. Fortunately, the teen birth rate has declined slowly but steadily from 1991 to 2002 with an overall decline of 31% for ages 15-19. Kudos to the work of Susan Rabinovitz at Children’s Hospital for developing the HTCP from a grant from the California Community Foundation.
The Hollywood Studio District is the name for the new Neighborhood Council in formation south of Hollywood Boulevard between El Centro and Western. Steve Whiddon and Chris Shabel have been making enormous strides in bringing neighborhood council representation to this area, and their first meeting featuring representatives from the Departments of Transportation and Sanitation was a great success. Expect another meeting in March; to get involved in the meantime, e-mail Steve.
Lexington Park's green playspace for toddlers is a Hollywood success story, and it may have an older brother on the way! CD13 was awarded the money to finance a complementary pocket park, Lexington Pocket Park II, for older children. This new park will soon become a reality!
CORRECTIONS: Last month’s e*news referred erroneously to a CPAB meeting in Hollywood on February 3rd. There is no such meeting; the CPAB meeting in February (not until the 24th) will be focused on the consent decree in a discussion led by Captain Downing. Thanks to Gary Minzer for catching that one. My e*news deputy has been duly chastised. I'll let you know when I'm next to appear at CPAB.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Community Strike Support Network writes: Community members will show their support for supermarket employees who have been on strike or locked out for over 100 days at a march and rally in Eagle Rock on February 7th. We will send a message to the big three supermarket chains that the community is behind the workers, and we will not cross the picket line! Join us at the Albertson's at 4211 Eagle Rock Blvd at 2 pm on Saturday, February 7th.
The Dodgers Job Fair will be held on Saturday, March 13th from 10 am to 1 pm at Dodgers Stadium.
Do you have ideas about how to end homelessness within 10 years? Please join "Bring L.A. Home" for a community meeting on Thursday, February 26th from 2:30-4:30 pm at Hollywood Presbyterian Church at the corner of Gower and Yucca.
The Hollywood Media BID wants to make the streets of Theater Row as spectacular to look at as the plays that take place upon their stages. On Thursday, February 12 at 3:00 p.m. in front of the Hudson Theaters, 6539 Santa Monica Boulevard, regional artists, actors, producers, business and civic leaders will officially raise banners to promote the opening curtain to a revitalization of the theater district, a somewhat hidden but precious Hollywood jewel.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE), and AARP all provide sites to assist low-income and senior citizens with FREE tax preparation. VITA sites are for low-moderate income taxpayers (under $35,000 is the usual guideline). These sites prepare only BASIC returns, 1040EZ, 1040A or basic 1040 with Schedule A, itemized deductions, the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Education Credit. Many sites are set up for E-filing (electronic filing) which can save lots of time. Further, using VITA protects you from shady operators who charge steep fees for tax preparations. You can also reach them by phone at (800) 601-5552.
The Silver Lake Art Collective sponsors art walks and facilitates the local art community. Mark your calendars for their group show on April 9th, and check out their website. www.Silverlakearts.com.
Walter Cotten | Gallery 4016 at 4016 Santa Monica Boulevard will be showing the work of Walter Cotten. An artist’s reception on February 6th from 7-10 pm is open to all.
The network of SAFE (solvents, automotive, flammables and electronics) Collection Centers operated by the City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Bureau of Sanitation has served 19,652 residents (2,302 from CD 13) who have dropped off a total of 1,908,535 pounds of residential special materials, including electronic waste, since the first center opened a year ago. Drop off your SAFE items at the Central L.A. SAFE Collection Center in operation at 2649 E. Washington Blvd.
Libby’s Vintage Home & Garden has moved and is celebrating a new location, now open, at 3815-1/2 Sunset Blvd.
John Chiang of the State Board of Tax Equalization will offer a property tax seminar for registered domestic partners and unmarried couples at 7 pm on February 10th at the Village at Ed Gould Plaza on McCadden near Santa Monica. E-mail rsvp@boe.ca.gov for more information, or call Charles Taylor at (213) 239-8517. CONTACT US
Councilmember Eric Garcetti represents the Thirteenth Council District which includes all or part of the communities of Glassell Park, Atwater Village, Elysian Valley, Echo Park, Historic Filipinotown, Silver Lake, East Hollywood and Hollywood.
Councilmember Garcetti serves as Assistant President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council. He chairs the Council‘s Housing, Community, and Economic Development Committee, is the Vice-Chair of the Environmental Quality and Waste Management Committee, and sits on the Information Technology and General Services and Budget and Finance Committees. He also sits on the Council‘s Ad Hoc Stadium Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee on the Los Angeles River.
Councilmember Garcetti and his staff can be reached via e-mail at garcetti@council.lacity.org or by mail or phone at City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Room 470, Los Angeles, CA 90012, (213) 473 7013 and 3525 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026, (323)913-4693.
www.cd13.com
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