How Neighborhood Councils Can Support Mayoral Directives
Great Streets
Activate public spaces, provide economic revitalization, increase public safety, enhance local culture, and support great neighborhoodsNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1.Engaging their stakeholders in a dialogue with Surveys, Town Hall Meetings, Committees, and Events
2.Taking stand on elements of Mobility Plan
3. Partnering with LADOT, LAPD, City Planning, Public Works, Street Services, which work together to create and maintain Great Streets
4. Gathering information on community priorities for local streets Communicating local priorities with City Hall
Cybersecurity
L.A. relies increasingly on local and global computer networks to maintain services for our communities and the City is committed to protecting electronic infrastructureNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1. Make sure at least 3 people have access to digital assets
2. Set up Digital Policy that states where hardwhere is stored, who has access, when data is backed up, what the hierarchy of authority is
3. Set up emergency Preparedness: develop a plan so that analog communications can take place if digital is not available
4. Change your password on a regular basis
Open Data
To promote transparency and accountability, the City of Los Angeles will make publicly available raw data in easy-to-find, accessible formatNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
Track your activities and share the information with the City Departments working on them. For example, track how much trash is being cleaned up for the Clean Streets Initiative by volunteers in your community and work with the Board of Public Works.
Intergovernmental Relations
A unified voice and coordinated strategy are critical elements in ensuring effective advocacy on behalf of the City, with the goal of improving success in pursuit of legislative goalsNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1. Ensure that the Neighborhood Council has designated representative who are authorized to post Community Impact Statements
2. Agendize Community Impact Statements on the issues that are important to the Community
3. Follow the City Council Files and sign up for notifications on the issues that are relevant to the council
4. Speak up and follow up and pay attention to the legislative goals that have the capacity to improve the quality of life in the local community
Emergency Drought Response
L.A. is experiencing extreme drought conditions. Conservation efforts, including reducing imported water use, is of critical importance in creating a Water-Wise CitySpread the word about the Mayor’s Save the Drop campaign. Encourage citizens to follow the tips in the outlined in the effort. They can get money back for installing high-efficiency clothes washers, and smart controllers for their sprinklers.
Support Film Industry
Los Angeles is a Company Town. It’s the creative capital of the world and the film and entertainment industry is one of its most important industriesNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1. Appoint a Film Liaison that works with FilmLA to ensure industry and community are communicating. Phone: 213.977.8600. Email: info@filmla.com
2. Stakeholders can support film and earn money at the same time by registering locations, vehicles, and businesses that can be used in film projects
3.Host a link on NC resources page that takes visitors to FilmLA where they can get more info on filming
Sustainable City pLAn
The pLAn addresses the environment, economy, and equity together, and is a priority setting tool for moving LA toward a truly sustainable futureNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1.Select a NC representative to participate in Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance. Instructions to Join Here
2.Read the pLAn and looking at it from the unique perspective of the local community. Read the pLAn Here
3. Partner with city departments responsible for pLAn initiatives, e.g. Harbor councils with the Port of L.A., Westside Councils with LAWA, NE Valley with Sanitation, etc.
4. Engage your community on sustainability priorities
Clean Streets
The Clean Streets Initiative directs appropriate city department to ensure that the streets of Los Angeles are clean and free from litter and debrisNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1. Appoint a Public Works Liaison to work with Board of Public Works. Contact your respective NC Chair/President if you are interested in being appointed as a Liaison.
2. Direct volunteers to sign up at cleanstreetsla.org
Hire L.A. Youth
Summer Youth Employment Program: HIRE LA’s Youth and Mayor Eric Garcetti are committed to providing 10,000 summer jobs for young people ages 14-24 who live in the City of Los AngelesNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1. Encourage local youth to apply with Hire LA Youth. Application Here.
2. Inform local youth about L.A. Youth at Work, which offers job skills workshops from volunteer mentors.
3. Inform local businesses on how to hire youth through a summer job or sponsoring an internship. More information here.
Vision Zero
Vision Zero seeks to employ a strategic approach to engineering, education, and law enforcement in connection with streets and sidewalks so that they are safe for everyone who uses themNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
Partner with Los Angeles Vision Zero Alliance. LA0 coordinates citywide communications strategy, conducts policy advocacy and engages in grassroots organizing to galvanize support for neighborhood implementation.
Gender Equity
In order to provide good governance to our City, we must be inclusionary and nondiscriminatory, and equity among people of all genders is essential.NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1. Partner to provide outreach for City Departments looking to hire more women. For example, the Los Angeles Fire Department is launching new recruitment efforts and training programs specifically for women and girls. Spread to the word to their target audience, such as student athletes and veterans.
Domestic Violence
L.A. is committed to honoring the basic rights of all Angelenos to live free from violence and abuse.NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1.Working with youth on understanding and preventing dating violence
2.Work with LAPD to find out rates of domestic violence in the area and use those numbers to spread awareness
3.Provide educational seminars on the issue of domestic violence in the community by working with local non-profits
4.Partner with LAPD to provide support for Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART). Contact bettina@peaceoverviolence.org for volunteer opportunities.
Affordable Housing Development
L.A. is working towards streamlining the processes for housing development, as well as adding 100,000 new housing units by 2021NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1) Partner with City departments such as Planning, Building & Safety, and Housing & Community Investment Department to provide input on affordable housing initiatives
2) Participate with PlanCheckNC, which was created by Neighborhood Council stakeholders to promote more stakeholder participation in planning and land use issues including affordable housing initiatives and to make government more responsive to local community needs
El Niño Preparedness, Response and Recovery
To prepare for the upcoming stormy weather season and ensure L.A.'s fast recovery from natural disastersNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1. Share information about El Niño with stakeholders. Official city El Niño site, elninola.com
2. Attend El Niño Town Hall meetings that support Angelenos in prepartion. There will be participation from Fire Department, Police Dept., Bureau of Sanitation, Bureau of Street Services, and other City entities to help.
Equitable Workforce and Service Restoration
The City of Los Angeles is committed to revitalizing the ranks of City employees in a manner that aligns with our obligation to lead on employment equityNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1. Appoint a Budget Advocate representatives who will represent the council and join forces with other Neighborhood Council reps in reviewing the City’s budget and advocating on behalf of the council
2. Host a link on NC Resources Page that takes visitors to information on the City’s employment opportuntiies
3. Engage the community in Town Halls that give stakeholders an opportunity to speak up on local issues and solutions
4. Connect with the City Departments that deliver vital City services and ask how to advocate for the staff that the council wants
Implementation of the Comprehensive Homeless Strategy
A join planning process that engages local, regional, and national stakeholders, and that includes the voices of residents experiencing homelessnessNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1. Appoint a Homelessness Liaison that represents the council and connects with the City on the Homeless Strategies.
2. Host a link on NC Resources Page that takes visitors to information on the City’s Homeless Strategy
3. Engage the community in Town Halls that give stakeholders an opportunity to speak up on local issues and solutions
4. Connect with the City Departments that are a part of the City’s Homeless Strategy and create an opportunity for them to engage your community
Age-Friendly City Initiative: Purposeful Aging LA
The City of Los Angeles is evaluating its age-friendliness and is implementing changes to address our aging population's needsNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY:
1. Create a committee that represents the council and connects with the City on strategies for addressing our aging population’s needs.
2. Host a link on NC Resources Page that takes visitors to information on the City’s strategies for addressing our aging population’s needs.
3. Engage the community in Town Halls that give stakeholders an opportunity to speak up on local issues and solutions
4. Connect with the City Departments that are a part of the City’s strategy for addressing the needs of our aging population and create an opportunity for them to engage your community
A Safe and Healthy Workforce and Risk Management
Planning and Developing Housing and Transportation
NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS CAN PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE BY: