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August 2006 During the last month in
OurLA...
- Reforming LAUSD: Our
efforts to reform the Los Angeles Unified School
District picked up speed this past month,
receiving key support from
a unanimous City Council and business, community,
and labor leaders from across the City. More
than 4,000 people attended the Mayor's town hall meetings
to have their voices heard on the reform.
The bill, AB 1381, passed with bipartisan support out
of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is currently
being debated on the Senate floor. The legislature is
working toward an August 31st deadline to pass the
bill. The governance structure outlined in AB
1381 will be the vehicle for achieving fundamental reform in
education by bringing in new leadership, creating greater
accountability, empowering educators and parents, and giving
local leaders a voice in their local
schools.
- Reducing traffic congestion:
We expanded the number of traffic control officers
deployed by the City from 50 to 70 officers and from 38
to 51 of the City's busiest intersections.
We also began a program to convert all traffic signal
lights to L.E.D. (light emitting diode)
technology. While increasing energy efficiency,
this conversion will reduce traffic caused
by burned-out lights.
- Fixing potholes: I
challenged the Bureau of Street Services to fill 300,000
potholes this year, a 15,000 pothole increase from the
challenge the Bureau met last year. Fewer
potholes means road safety and less
traffic congestion.
- Providing jobs to
Angelenos: We opened the LAX Job
Recruitment and Training Center that will recruit,
test, and train federal Transportation Security Officers and
Airport Police Officers. I was also proud to
announce that 2,000 jobs for young adults aged 18-24 were
pledged by small businesses and large
corporations as part of our Hire LA
18-24 Initiative. The program includes a Job
Readiness Training Program that prepares youth for full
and part-time work. This summer, the HIRE L.A.'s
Youth program funded 7,000 summer jobs.
- Fighting global
warming: I signed on to the Clinton
Climate Change Initiative, an historic
agreement among the world's largest cities to
protect our world's climate. This City is doing
its part by reducing our greenhouse gas
emissions at a faster rate than the rest of the state,
reducing pollution at the port and airport, planting 1
million trees, and converting the City's fleet to
alternative fuels.
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LA Spin
A Matter of Fiscal
Responsibility
Most are aware
of today's strike by City employees who are members
of the Engineers and Architects Association
(EAA).
The City negotiated in good faith
with EAA and the Council voted unanimously to impose a new
contract, but the offer has been rejected by EAA,
even after an independent fact-finder supported all of the
City’s major recommendations.
EAA-represented employees are
highly-paid compared to most other City employees. The
EAA represents the City’s accountants and auditors, hardware
and software systems experts, administrative professionals,
engineers and architects, surveyors and drafting
technicians. The average EAA employee will make
about $74,500 under the new agreement. The highest-paid
employees will make more than $125,000.
EAA-represented employees provide
important services to the people of Los Angeles. They
work hard and deserve a fair wage and benefits package.
They received the same cost of living adjustment that was
agreed to by all other civilian employees.
The Mayor
takes very seriously his fiduciary responsibility to protect
taxpayer-financed services of the City. He
will not break the city’s budget or deprive L.A.’s residents
of essential services like police, fire protection, and road
repair in order to meet unreasonable
demands.
Keep OurLA Green
Clinton Climate Change
Initiative
The Mayor stood with British Prime Minister Tony Blair
and former U.S. President Bill Clinton to launch the Clinton
Climate Change Initiative, an historic agreement among
the world's largest cities to combat global
warming.
The Mayor has already begun to answer the call
to action during his first year in office.
He
directed the City to get 20% of its electricity from
renewable sources by 2010, seven years before the rest of the
state. He is committed to planting one million
trees, converting more of the City's fleet to alternative
fuels, expanding and promoting green building and other green
technologies in the City, and expanding mass transit and
transit-oriented development.
For his remarks
from the launch, click here.
Keep OurLA
Safe
Airport Security
Jobs
The Mayor
joined U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, federal
Transportation Security Administration and local airport
officials to open the LAX Job Recruitment and Training
Center.
The 22,000-square-foot facility
will house the testing, recruitment, and training
programs for Transportation Security Officers and Airport
Police Officers.
The Center will serve the
community by making job opportunities available to the
public and contributing to airport security.
For
the complete press release, click here.
OurLA
... Featuring
Sept. 4th - City's 225th Birthday and
Pobladores Walk
Join the Mayor and fellow
Angelenos as they retrace the footsteps of Los Pobladores, the
first settlers of the City of Los Angeles.
The day's
events begin at 7am in San Gabriel for the 9-mile
walk or at 9am at Lincoln Park for the 3-mile
walk.
The walks end at Olvera Street, where there will
be music and festivities for the entire family, including a
Fun Zone for kids.
To sign up for the walk or for more
information, go to www.lacity.org/225.
Sept.
9th - Community Budget Day
Seize the opportunity to have a
voice in the City's budget decisions on Saturday, September
9th from 8am to noon at City Hall.
At Budget Day, you
will have access to information and updates on the City
budget
and have the opportunity to discuss ways for
Neighborhood Councils to represent their communities for the
2007-2008 fiscal year.
For more information and to RSVP
online,
go to lacityneighborhoods.com.
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What OurLA is thinking...
What would you be willing to do to combat
global warming? Here's how OurLA readers
responded:
80% of those polled would be willing
to:
Recycle, buy a fuel-efficient
car, use energy
efficient light bulbs at home, and plant a
tree.
The majority of OurLA readers
were unlikely to carpool, walk or bike to work, or fly
less to combat global climate
change.
It's
OurLA
Looking for a way to make your mark in
OurLA? Start
today by participating in one of the ways
below.
Become a Mentor! Studies
have shown that students with mentors are 70% more likely to
graduate from high school. 90% of these graduates
go on to college. Make a difference by going to connectinglosangeles.com.
Are you between the ages of 18 and 24 and
looking for a job? Find a job through HIRE
L.A.'s Youth summer job program. Entry level full-time
and summer positions available at Ralphs, Universal Studios, Starbucks, McDonald's, UPS, FedEx,
Bank of America, Comcast, and others. For more
information, visit hirelayouth.com.
Volunteer for the City's Crisis Response
Team! Please contact Jeff Zimerman at
213-978-0697 or via email
to get involved. The program is especially in need of
people who speak Spanish or Korean.
Volunteer or become an intern in the
Mayor's Office. To get involved, contact Gaby
Ortiz via email.
OurLA
Events
We hope you check out these events in
OurLA.
African
Marketplace and Cultural Faire
Aug 25-27
& Sept 2-4,
10am - 9pm
Rancho Cienega
Park
5001 Rodeo Rd.
Los Angeles, CA 90016
For
info, click here.
Sunset Junction Street Festival
2006
Aug 26 - 27, 10am -
11pm
3600 to 4400 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
For
info, click here.
City's
225th Birthday & Pobladores Walk
September 4,
2006
7am - Walk from San Gabriel
9am - Walk from Lincoln
Park
10:30am - Music, birthday cake, artisan booths, and
festivities at Olvera Street. For more info, click here.
National
Latino Congreso
Sept 6-10, 8am - 9pm
Sheraton
Los Angeles
711 S. Hope St.
Los Angeles, CA 90017
For
more information, call
1-800-928-4674.
Community Budget
Day
Sept. 9, 8am - noon
City Hall, Council
Chambers
200 N. Spring Street
Los Angeles, CA
90012
For more info, go to lacityneighborhoods.com.
East
Los Angeles Mexican Independence Parade: "Fiestas Patrias
Mexicanas"
Sept 10, 11am
Lorena &
Cesar Chavez
For more information, call
323-587-6177.
Stay tuned for the announcement of
our next Citywide Day of Service
in November!
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