NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-Los Angeles has always been a destination city – oranges and oil, the sunny Pacific and movie stars. But sometimes it can use a little help.
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-Who can forget “Chinatown”? Who has not complained about the increasing cost of water in Los Angeles?
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-According to a 2002 U.S. Geographical Survey, one-third of the water consumed by the four million residents in the central and west coast portions of the Los Angeles basin is ground water.
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-I was driving down the highway the other day, when the Beatles stand-by came on the radio. Started humming along. Then went into shock because 64 wasn’t “many years from now.” It was now.
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-Where does the money for repaving our streets just prior to elections come from?
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-2019 welcomed a number of new players vying for open City Council seats. Some are from the Neighborhood Council system and have a better-than-average understanding of the city’s political structure, while others are longtime activists dedicated to the well-being of their communities.
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-Do you hear us? While the Ethics Commission does good work in overseeing campaign finances as well as addressing malfeasance by city officials and employees, there are ways they should go further.
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-Is the LA Animal Services Department (LAAS) going down the rabbit hole of violating the First Amendment rights of its most qualified volunteers? The volunteers, as well as the animals they care for, deserve better.
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS- Let’s talk about getting back-to-the-basics in these days of government-by-for-profit-interests.
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS-Malfeasance at City Hall? No. Never in Los Angeles! Ah, but the use and abuse of power has as long a history here as elsewhere.
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL BUDGET ADVOCATES-The citizenry of Los Angeles want more services, but they want to pay less in taxes.
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL BUDGET ADVOCATES-This is part of a series about various Los Angeles City Departments based on interviews and research by the Budget Advocates in the fall of 2019.
Sewage? Garbage? Cleaning up homeless encampments?
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL BUDGET ADVOCATES-Do you want to make a difference in your community but don’t know where to begin? Some Angelenos volunteer as Budget Advocates. Would you be interested?
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL BUDGET ADVOCATES-Spay/neuter of dogs, cats, and rabbits saves the City a tremendous amount of money in the long run.
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL BUDGET ADVOCATES-This is the third in a series of articles on the history of the Budget Advocates.
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL BUDGET ADVOCATES-This is the second in a series of articles on the history of the Budget Advocates.
WHO’S LOOKING AFTER YOUR MONEY?--(This is the first in a series of articles on the history of the Budget Advocates.) If you have ever tried to get anything done through our city’s bureaucracy, such as fixing a pothole or trimming a tree, you know it can be a frustrating experience.
BUDGET ADVOCATES-After meeting with Mayor Eric Garcetti on July 24, the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates made the following recommendations to the Mayor for his consideration when he is preparing his Fiscal Year 2020-21 Budget and Policy Goals.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES-Our first article, published on April 25, 2019, discussed the role of the Los Angeles Animal Services Department (LAAS) and the status of its No-Kill goal for dogs in the City animal shelters. The second article, dated May 2, 2019, dealt with the No-Kill goal for cats and the role of the Budget Advocates in the City budget process.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES-The first article in this series, published on March 28, 2019, discussed the role of the Los Angeles Animal Services Department (LAAS) and the status of its No-Kill goal for dogs in the City animal shelters.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES--After many years in which thousands of animals were killed in our City shelters for lack of space, the City has finally reached No-Kill for dogs.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES-The first article in this series, published on March 28, 2019, discussed the role of the Los Angeles Animal Services Department (LAAS) and the status of its No-Kill goal for dogs in the City animal shelters.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES-The first article in this series, published on March 28, 2019, discussed the role of the Los Angeles Animal Services Department (LAAS) and the status of its No-Kill goal for dogs in the City animal shelters. The second article, published on April 1, 2019, dealt with the No-Kill goal for cats and the role of the Budget Advocates in the City budget process. The current article will discuss the specific budget proposals made by the Budget Advocates to achieve and maintain No-Kill. The next article will discuss the proposals to increase volunteer support for the animal shelters and to provide adequate staffing for LAAS.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES-Los Angeles has not yet achieved No-Kill for cats. I think the main reason is because of the Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) Injunction against the City.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES--After many years in which thousands of animals were killed in our City shelters for lack of space, the City has finally reached No-Kill for dogs.
USE YOUR VOICE-Our city of Los Angeles oversees dozens of departments which provide services to over four million people.
BUDGET ADVOCATES-“The City’s priorities are reflected in its budget, and how the government allocates its resources is the clearest explanation of what the government values,” explained Budget Advocate Vice Chair of Administration Barbara Ringuette in her training.
BUDGET ADVOCATES--On August 30, City Administrator Officer (CAO) Jacob Wexler held his first session with Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates to provide a general description of the adopted 2018-19 City Budget, General Fund of $6.1 billion.
BUDGET ADVOCATES-On June 23, after a savory catered breakfast in the art-deco rotunda of City Hall,
INVITATION TO ALL ANGELENOS-The Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates invite all Los Angeles residents and stakeholders to their annual Budget Day at City Hall on Saturday, June 23rd, 2018.
BUDGET ADVOCATE NEWS-Last Saturday the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates held their annual meeting at City Hall.
BUDGET ADVOCATES-Far too many are caught up in the housing transition policy as the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) fail at parceling out resources to the neediest in our homeless population.
BUDGET ADVOCATES-Lean Six Sigma provides a means to improve the delivery of services using a disciplined, project-based approach.
BUDGET ADVOCATES--Los Angeles Community College District is the largest community college district in the United States, and one of the largest in the world. The district consists of 9 campuses, and covers an area greater than 882 square miles.
BUDGET ADVOCATES-Caring about your neighborhood means that you care about your community. Caring communities make great cities, and that’s why many become part of neighborhood councils as committee members, board members and stakeholders.
BUDGET ADVOCATES-Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates (BAs) met for Regional Budget Day on Saturday, January 20, at the LA Zoo’s Witherbee Auditorium.
BUDGET ADVOCATES-The Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates of are not only charged with advising the Mayor’s office on the budget but also with making recommendations to improve city services. BAs Valaida Gory, Ivette Alé, Jon Liberman, Glen Bailey, and Estuardo Ruano met with transportation staff Monique Earl, Assistant General Manager, and Angela Berumen, Chief Management Analyst to give the following recommendations to the department:
BUDGET ADVOCATES-The Los Angeles Sanitation Department (LA San) operates with an annual revenue budget of over $1.1 billion, only about 2 percent of that coming from the City’s General Fund. Most of its funding comes from fees and special funds.
BUDGET ADVOCATES-As a City Budget Advocate, I volunteered to chair the Cannabis Committee for this year’s White Paper which will be submitted to the Mayor early next year.
ADVOCATING FOR YOU-Los Angeles is a city of many neighborhoods, 97, if you consider the number of neighborhood councils currently working to make the Mayor’s office and City Council more responsive to local needs. Each neighborhood faces unique issues but there are also problems shared by just about every resident in this city. The city is expansive, from downtown to Gardena, from Hollywood to the Valley.
ADVOCATING FOR YOU-Nothing runs without money. No trash pickup, no street cleaning, no public services. One important function of the 97 Neighborhood Councils is contributing to a priority list of neighborhood needs that will be presented to the Mayor as part of the City’s yearly Budget preparation.
BUDGET ADVOCATES-In nearly every public address they give, our City Councilmembers and Mayor mention how far our City has come in providing Angelenos an efficient and transparent government.
LA WATCHDOG-The Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates, elected by the Budget Representatives from the 97 charter-authorized Neighborhood Councils, believe that the Mayor and the City Council have failed to address the long term financial issues facing our City. At the same time, the City is resorting to financial gimmickry to eliminate next year’s projected $270 million budget gap.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES-The City faces numerous challenges, many due to the crumbling infrastructure, as well as increases in liability claim expenditures related to Transportation and LAPD. These challenges were addressed at the meeting between Budget Advocates and City Attorney staff members.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES-The Budget Advocates met November 18 to address numerous issues pertinent to their roles as advisors to the Mayor and Mayor’s Office, as well as being a liaison regarding budget and city services between the Neighborhood Councils and the Mayor’s Office and city departments.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES—LA Neighborood Council Budget Advocates Janet Kim, Carol Newman, Michael Menjivar, and Ricardo Ramirez met with Chief of Staff Leela Ann Kapur and Budget Director Michiko Reyes from the City Attorney’s office to share recommendations, challenges, and successes concerning the city’s liability issue and lawsuits.
ADVOCATING FOR YOU-Los Angeles is home to the largest, most diverse system of grassroots governance in the world, the LA Neighborhood Council System. Except, in our city of 4 million people less than 1% of us know what a Neighborhood Council (NC) is or the amount of influence they hold.
ADVOCATING FOR YOU-I moved to Los Angeles for the little things. The weather, cruising around the city on beautifully kept roads with manicured trees, enjoying the parks and public spaces I can use 365 days a year. Except, I've lived here for a decade now and like most Angelenos, the chances to enjoy those are things have been few and far between. But, you might say, “why should I care? I don't have the time to worry about this.”
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--Now that two neighborhood councils have been subjected to the new sub-division policy, let's review the outcomes and the flaws in the system:
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--Grievance panels and election challenge panels are one and the same. And they don't work.
In 2 different election/referendums, the appointed panelists were over ruled by the general manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE).
NEIGHBORHOOD POLITICS--Last week at the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners meeting, a startling new policy was allowed in the new Hermon Neighborhood Council Bylaws.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES--After the releases of the City o Los Angeles Budget Summery on April 20, 2017, we went out into the community to get their perspective on the city's Budget Proposal.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES--The Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates (NCBAs) are in the throes of "Budget Season".
BUDGET ADVOCATES--On Thursday April 20, at 10 a.m., Mayor Garcetti will present the 2017-18 budget at City Hall.
NC BUDGET ADVOCATES--The city of Los Angeles allows developers to build without adequate parking spaces per unit then tickets vehicles for parking in desperation anywhere they can.
BUDGET ADVOCATES--The Budget Advocates of Los Angeles have been in existence for 13 years … a group of citizens dedicated to the people of Los Angeles and watchdogging the city's budget.
