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Summer 2007
During the last month in
OurLA...
Water
Conservation: We called on residents
to reduce water use by 10% and launched three citywide
conservation programs: Water Recycling Program, Washing
Machine
Rebate Program and the Smart Sprinkler
Program.
Energy Conservation:
We called on residents and businesses to conserve
energy and reduce emissions caused by excessive electricity
use and outlined DWP's power reliability program to protect
the City against blackouts.
Multi-family
Recycling: Moving closer to our goal of diverting 70%
of our garbage by 2015, we kicked off the new multi-family
residential recycling program, ensuring that every apartment
building in Los Angeles will have access to free recycling at
their doorstep.
Summer Swimming Season:
We kicked off the summer swimming season by
re-opening Lanark Park Pool in Canoga Park. With the
addition of Lanark Park, 51 pools will be open to public
use this summer across the City.
Westwood
Flyaway: We expanded the LAX Flyaway
Express bus service to Westwood to ease airport-related
congestion on Westside roads and 405
Freeway.
Palmdale
Airport: Continuing our efforts to regionalize air
travel, we launched the first-ever commercial jet service at
LA/Palmdale Regional Airport. United Airlines will offer two,
daily, non-stop, roundtrip flights from Palmdale to San
Francisco.
Pothole Challenge: We challenged
the Department of Public Works and Bureau of Street Services
to fill and repair 350,000 potholes across the City over the
next year.
Green Locomotives: As part
of the Clean Air Action Plan at the Port, we unveiled new
"green" locomotives that emit 70% less diesel exhaust, produce
46% less smog-producing gases and burn 30% less fuel than
conventional engines.
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OurLA...Featuring
Water Conservation
Last
month, the Mayor called on all Angelenos to reduce their water
usage by 10%. The combination of record-low rainfall, the
second lowest snowpack recorded in the Eastern Sierras and a
very hot summer is a perfect storm that could put Los Angeles
into a drought.
Urging precaution, the Mayor launched
three water conservation programs from the Department of Water
and Power (DWP): a washing machine rebate program for
high-efficiency washers; water recycling at golf courses; and
a smart sprinkler program for parks and
residences.
Top 10 Simple Ways to Conserve
Water:
1. Take shorter
showers.
2. Use a broom, not a
hose to clean your driveways and sidewalks.
3. Fix leaky faucets
and pipes.
4. Run only full
loads in the washing machine and dishwasher.
5. Replace your old
washing machine with a new, high-efficiency model.
6. Don’t use your
toilet as a wastebasket.
7. Water your lawn a
little less.
8. Install a “smart”
sprinkler controller to help with watering your entire
landscape.
9. Replace a portion
of your lawn with native, LA friendly plants.
10. Fix your
sprinklers so you’re not watering your sidewalks and
driveways.
Visit http://www.bewaterwise.com/
to learn more about water conservation programs and tips
for indoor and outdoor water savings. DWP customers may
also call 1-800-DIAL DWP or email ccenter@ladwp.com
for more
information about water conservation.
Keep OurLA Green and Mobile
Riding
Metro
Moving Angelenos away
from our long-term dependence on the automobile is a key
component of the Mayor’s “Green LA Climate Change Action Plan”
launched this spring. Not so coincidentally,
during the recent internationally-televised “Live Earth”
concerts to fight global warming, one action item promoted was
to use public transit at least once a week. That’s a pretty good
idea, and here’s why:
According to the latest
figures from the American Automobile Club (AAA), the annual
cost of using a new vehicle – including current fuel,
insurance and maintenance expenses – can reach $10,000 per
year. That comes
to approximately 67 cents a mile, and doesn’t even
include parking!
Multiply that by the length of your daily commute and
you’ll quickly see it’s more than the high price of
gasoline that makes driving a financial burden these
days.
Compare this to the one-way fare for a ride
on the Metro bus or train system in LA
County,
only $1.25, or a day pass for just $5. It’s easily the best
transportation deal in town: you can ride 20 miles on the
Metro for $1.25 or spend an average of $13.40 driving your car
the same distance. Plus you can sit back, read and relax on
Metro.
So if you can make the
once-a-week public transit ride work for you, it will
repay you handsomely financially. And you’ll be doing a
good deed for the environment as well as your traffic-jangled
nerves. For more
information on Metro bus and train schedules and routes, visit
www.metro.net. You’ll be surprised
how far you can go.
OurLA...Featuring
Energy
Conservation
As part of his effort to protect
the environment and help Angelenos stay cool this summer,
Mayor Villaraigosa offered tips for conserving energy and
outlined DWP's "power reliability program," which will upgrade
the City's aging energy infrastructure and prepare the City
against future blackouts.
Top 10 Energy Saving Tips for the
Home
1. Adjust thermostat to 78
degrees.
2. Limit the use of appliances during peak
hours of the day.
3. Ventilate your home at night to
clear out the heat and allow cooler air to
circulate.
4. Turn off lights and equipment when they
are not in use.
5. Replace incandescent light bulbs
with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) wherever
appropriate.
6. During the heat of day, close your
draperies and blinds.
7. Use ceiling fans or whole
house fans for comfort cooling - they cool a home faster and
reduce the demand on A/C.
8. Clean or replace your
air-conditioner's filter(s) every month to keep it running
more efficiently.
9. Buy energy-saving "Energy Star"
labeled appliances.
10. Limit the time you run your
pool pump: Summer (six hours a day), Winter (four hours a
day).
Top 5 Energy Saving Tips
for the Office
1.
Turn off your desk and overhead lights, and meeting room
lights, if they are not needed.
2. Turn of all computer
equipment when you leave the office or when they are not being
used.
3. Be sure your computer equipment goes into
sleep mode when not in use (80% savings in energy
use).
4. Go paperless when possible. Reduced printing
and copying translates into reduced energy use.
5.
Promote "casual Friday dress" as a means of raising the
cooling settings on thermostats.
Check out http://www.ladwp.com/ for
more energy conservation tips and how to qualify for DWP
energy efficiency rebates.
Keep OurLA
Safe
Crime is Down again
Mayor Villaraigosa and
Chief Bratton announced reductions in overall crime, gang violence and
gang-related homicides during the first six months of
2007. By targeting the worst gangs in Los
Angeles, gang homicides are down
nearly 29 percent.
Since the beginning of the year, crime is down three
percent and violent crime has dropped seven percent. In
addition, homicides in the City are down more than 21 percent
and gang-related homicides have decreased by nearly 29 percent
from one year ago.
In January, Mayor
Villaraigosa and Chief Bratton announced that overall crime in
Los
Angeles had dropped for the fifth
consecutive year in 2006. However, gang violence rose by 14
percent. Pledging continued success in crime reduction and a
renewed effort to combat gang activity, the Mayor and Chief
reiterated their commitment to hiring 1,000 new police
officers and implemented their comprehensive gang reduction
strategy.
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It's
OurLA
Looking for a way to make your mark in
OurLA? Start today by participating in one of
the ways below.
 
HIRE LA's Youth 2007
Offer
a summer job to a local youth, part of our summer youth
job program. The job should be for a minimum
of six weeks during the summer months. Help in the drive
to provide work opportunities for the City's young adult
population. If you have opportunities for youth or would
like to apply for a job, go to http://www.hirelayouth.com/
or call 3-1-1.
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.
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 http://www.connectinglosangeles.com/.
Million
Trees LA
One million new trees in the City of Los
Angeles will create an extraordinary environmental legacy that
will change our landscape and neighborhoods for
generations. To participate and get your tree go to
http://www.milliontreesla.org/.
Intern with
us
The Mayoral
Intenship Program is seeking applicants for the fall to
work with the Mayor's staff at all levels. The application
deadline is August 31st. Call 562-901-0769 or
click
here for more info.
OurLA
Events
We hope you check out these
events in OurLA.
Grand Performances
Join us
downtown for a summer series of free performances
featuring world music and eclectic sounds from Los Angeles
artists.
California Plaza
350 S. Grand Ave.
Los
Angeles, CA 90012
For a schedule of performances,
visit www.grandperformances.org
or
call 213-687-2159.
Central Ave
Jazz Festival
Saturday, July 28 and
Sunday, July 29,
11 am to 7 pm
Park and shuttle at
King Blvd. and Central Ave.
Visit http://www.centralavejazz.com/
for details or call
213-473-7009.
Music
LA
Music students wanted, ages 2-18. Sign up NOW
for a summer full of music and fun with Music LA.
Workshops sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs
began July 9.
Visit www.culturela.org/musicla for
details or call 213-202-5561.
Regional Black
Chamber of Commerce: "Community-Wide American Soldier
Concert"
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Woodley
Park
6350 Woodley Ave.
Van Nuys, CA 91436
For more
information,
please call
818-377-7424
Dead Sea Scrolls
Exhibition
The San Diego Natural History Museum's
exhibition Dead Sea Scrolls is the
largest, most comprehensive ever assembled in any
country. Spanning two floors and 12,000 square feet, 27 Dead
Sea Scrolls will be on display.
Visit www.sdscrolls.org for details.
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