Congratulations to all of our award winners for this year’s EmpowerLA Awards!

Neighborhood Council Civic Award Los Angeles Vanguard (NCCELAV) Award

Winner:  Mohammad Blorfroshan, Senior Transportation Engineer, Department of Transportation

Nominated by the Del Rey Neighborhood Council
The Del Rey Neighborhood Council Land Use and Planning Committee had long sought to engage with LADOT on traffic safety concerns that had been unaddressed for years in their community.  Mo readily agreed to meet on a bi-monthly basis with a working group and over the past two years, with the assistance of Councilmember Mike Bonin, the Del Rey community has received several traffic improvements thanks to Mo’s collaboration, including a new stoplight at Culver/Slauson, a lighted school crossing at Inglewood and Beatrice, left turn arrows at Centinela and Sanford, and a stop sign on Short at Mascagni are just some of the projects Mo has supported.  Mo has been accessible and proactive.  When a solution is not forthcoming, Mo doesn’t say ‘no.’  He works to find a way and in doing so is improving the lives of Del Rey stakeholders.  Thank you to Matt Wersinger from Del Rey Neighborhood Council for nominating Mo.  Thank you to Mo for his outstanding collaboration with the Del Rey Neighborhood Council and to LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds for all of their great work.  

 

Neighborhood Council Spirit Awards

Winner:  2016 Congress of Neighborhoods Planning Committee
Chair Cindy Cleghorn, Colette Amin, Glenn Bailey, Dave Brown, Charletta Butler, Carolyn Caravan, Barbara Chikosi, Vanessa Contreras, Freddy Cupen-Ames, Dorsay Dijon, Garry Fordyce, Ann-Marie Holman, Corinne Ho, Heinrich Keifer, Matsuno Kolei, Suzanne Lewis, Rueben Martinez, Lisa Morocco, Vincent Neil, Grohel Punam, Sarah Ramsawack, David Rockello, Velinda Rockello, Nina Royal, Samuel Oh, Marlene Savage, Matthew Sheehan, Ivan Spiegel, Rhonda Spires, Conrad Starr and Tony Wilkinson.  

These amazing Neighborhood Council volunteers work hundreds of hours to plan the 2016 Congress of Neighborhoods where we had over 700 people in attendance for amazing workshops and presentations.  They’ve already started meeting to plan this year’s Congress so please join them if you want to make a wonderful impact for the Neighborhood Council system.  Their outstanding efforts make Neighborhood Councils successful in connecting Angelenos to City Hall.  Thank you for your generosity, support and volunteer spirit!

 

Winner:  Jill Banks Barad, Founder of the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils
This Neighborhood Council Spirit Award for Jill Banks Barad is because of her innovation in starting the first Neighborhood Council alliance 14 years ago.  Despite opposition from the City at the time, Jill persevered to create the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils for the 34 Councils in the Valley and has served as the Chair all this time.  She then went on to teach other areas of the City to create their own alliances, and today, there are 12 Neighborhood Councils citywide.  Her outstanding efforts make Neighborhood Councils successful in connecting Angelenos to City Hall.  Thank you for your generosity, support and volunteer spirit!

 

EmpowerLA Award Nominees and Winners

North Valley

Northridge West Neighborhood Council
The Northridge West Neighborhood Council collaborated with the Division of Urban Forestry to remove dying trees on the Tampa Median and also partnered with Northridge Sparkle to install a drip system to help save additional trees.

Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council – Submission 1
The Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council Beautification Committee worked for two years to paint over 20 Department of Transportation boxes transforming these boxes with beautiful artwork.

Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council – Submission 2
The Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council board created a Youth Advisory Council Committee to elevate the voices of youth in the community to promote more participation in local government issues.

Winner:  Northridge West Neighborhood Council
After listening to the requests of their stakeholders, who have complained for years about the dying trees on the 6 Tampa medians stretching a mile long, the Northridge West Neighborhood Council collaborated with the Division of Urban Forestry to remove dying trees from drought and bark beetles damage, spending $3650 of their own funds.  They then worked with the Division of Urban Forestry and Northridge Sparkle to install a drip system to help save the remaining magnificent pines for their community.

South Valley

Canoga Park Neighborhood Council – Submission 1
The Canoga Park Neighborhood Council has been active for many years in the community including participating in farmer’s markets, Memorial Day parade, Senior Symposium, and community clean-ups of the LA River and Canoga Park streets including many different stakeholders in the process.

Canoga Park Neighborhood Council – Submission 2
The Canoga Park Neighborhood Council has also been very active with the Homeless Count and very involved in human trafficking issues in coordination with Los Angeles Police Department.

Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council
The Health/Public Safety Committee of the Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council has been a leader in helping train residents, teachers, school staff, parents, and stakeholders from throughout the San Fernando Valley to learn the importance of learning and practicing CPR/AED techniques.  

Neighborhood Council Valley Village
The Neighborhood Council Valley Village has encouraged members to be proactive on emergency preparedness efforts including participation and has purchased ham radios to help communication between neighborhood block captains in case of emergencies.

Reseda Neighborhood Council
The Reseda Neighborhood Council has created an environment and community space utilized by thousands of community members coming through its doors and has successfully launched “I Love Reseda” and corresponding “Neighborhood Pride” initiative.

Tarzana Neighborhood Council
The Tarzana Neighborhood Council and its Animal Welfare Committee have helped institute programs at the City’s West Valley Animal Shelter to cut down on the killings of dogs and cats and has also partnered with Rockin’ Rescue to assist with local rescue operations.

West Hills Neighborhood Council
The West Hills Neighborhood Council has developed a multifaceted communications program that includes a professionally written and designed monthly electronic newsletter which covers the full of activities of the West Hills NC and also has recently redesigned its website featuring events, agendas, minutes, public documents, and contacts.

Woodland Hills – Warner Center Neighborhood Council
The Woodland Hills – Warner Center Neighborhood Council has produced and developed a newsletter of 20 pages which is distributed to over 34,000 households and businesses including many stakeholders in the community.

Winner: Reseda Neighborhood Council
The Reseda Neighborhood Council has created an environment of trust between the community and City Government through a series of actions as a liaison between their stakeholders and City Hall.  The have created a community space utilized by thousands of community members coming through its doors and has successfully launched “I Love Reseda” and corresponding “Neighborhood Pride” initiative that spotlights the diversity within their community.  Their “I Am Reseda…Where Diversity Lives” campaign has been successful in creating community and making stakeholders interested in participating in the Neighborhood Council system.  This is Reseda Neighborhood Council’s second EmpowerLA Award.

West

Bel Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council
The Bel Air Beverly Crest Neighborhood Council promotes citizen participation in government and makes government more responsive to local needs by encouraging stakeholder participation through various committees including Emergency Preparedness, Land Use, and Outreach.

Mar Vista Community Council
The Mar Vista Community Council recognized the importance of viewing issues through the prism of how they will impact the impact the needs of older adults in the community and created an Aging in Place Committee with speakers addressing the needs of the diverse community of seniors.

Palms Neighborhood Council
The Palms Neighborhood Council has engaged many stakeholders in the past 8 months, including through increased voter engagement, significant rise in social media engagement followers, new strategic road map with City Hall, and holding developers accountable to the community.

South Robertson Neighborhoods Council
The South Robertson Neighborhood Council organized a Homelessness Town Hall to educate the community about the homelessness crisis and to help them understand the plight of those experiencing homelessness.

Venice Neighborhood Council
The Venice Neighborhood Council has developed a number of innovative programs to address homelessness and public safety and has increased voter participation in Neighborhood Council elections.

Winner: South Robertson Neighborhoods Council
In 2016, the community of the South Robertson Neighborhood Council began to experience an increase in homelessness with encampments popping up at their numerous freeway off ramps and underpasses and people digging through trash for food. Community members begged SORO to “get rid of them.”  Instead, the Council organized a Homelessness Town Hall at the Peltz Theater in the Museum of Tolerance with nonprofits, local businesses and service providers to educate the community about the homelessness crisis and to help them understand the plight of those experiencing homelessness.  This is the South Robertson Neighborhood Council’s second EmpowerLA award.

East

Echo Park Neighborhood Council
The Echo Park Neighborhood Council partnered with the LA Tenants Union to host an event at Elysian Heights Elementary School where parents of students in the Council boundaries were invited to hear about their rights as renters.

Glassell Park Neighborhood Council
The Glassell Park Neighborhood Council is a leader in submitting Community Impact Statements (1-3 each month) in the Neighborhood Council system, ensuring the voice of Council in legislation affecting the community and making government more responsive to local needs.

LA 32 Neighborhood Council
The LA 32 Neighborhood Council sponsored its Annual Kite Fest for families to reconnect in honor of Earth Day, which has become one of the largest community events in the area.

Winner: Echo Park Neighborhood Council
The Echo Park Neighborhood Council saw a need to provide education on renters’ rights for the stakeholders in their community when there was a sharp increase in rents and an accelerated problem with displacement.  They partnered with the LA Tenants Union to host an event at Elysian Heights Elementary School where parents of students in the Council boundaries were invited to hear about their rights as renters.  All parents were invited and simultaneous translation was available, allowing many in the audience to fully participate and have their questions addressed.  The Echo Park Neighborhood Council is recognized with the EmpowerLA Award for their creative outside the box thinking of meeting the needs of their community.

Central

Mid City West Community Council
The Mid City West Community Council has revitalized Rosewood Garden park through collaboration with the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks and Fairfax High School helping revitalize the space by cleaning up the park and installing new drought tolerant plants and landscaping.

Olympic Park Neighborhood Council
The Olympic Park Neighborhood Council helped support the 4 day Korean Festival, embracing the diverse array of stakeholders in the service area of the Council.

Winner:  Mid City West Community Council
The Mid City West Community Council has revitalized Rosewood Garden Park, one of the smallest parks in the City of Los Angeles.  Proving that communities can do big things with small spaces, Mid City West spent 2 days cleaning up the park, which had not been maintained for some time, planting new drought tolerant and California native plants and re-painting through collaboration with the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks and Fairfax High School.  They have worked with Councilmember Paul Koretz’s office to find a permanent solution for maintaining the park by partnering with LAUSD, which will cost $15,000 in City funds, providing daily maintenance. This is Mid-City West’s second EmpowerLA Award

South

Empowerment Congress North Area Neighborhood Development Council
The Empowerment Congress North Area Neighborhood Development Council has participated in the Clean Streets Challenge, addressed community needs and provided advise/resources to stakeholders, and reviewed the new South LA Community Plan.

Empowerment Congress Southwest Neighborhood Development Council
The Empowerment Congress Southwest Area Neighborhood Development Council has conducted events that have empowered stakeholders, including community clean ups, economic/job placement workshops, and ballot measure forums which embody the spirit of inclusiveness and civic engagement.

Empowerment Congress Southeast Neighborhood Development Council
The Empowerment Congress Southeast Neighborhood Development Council has held two board retreats each year to revisit the purpose and spirit of the Neighborhood Council system to ensure stakeholder outreach and community participation.

United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council
The United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council has been a leading force along with the Office of City Council President Wesson to hold major oil companies accountable for what is happening in the community leading to the City of Los Angeles hiring the first Petroleum Administrator the City has had in over 60 years.

Watts Neighborhood Council
The Watts Neighborhood Council participated in a recent CicLAvia connecting communities in Southeast Los Angeles to promote healthy communities and inclusiveness in the community.

Winner:  United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council
The United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council has a long standing history of being a prime example of how successful Neighborhood Councils can be for their communities.  Their board is reflective of their extremely diverse community, and they are very successful in their planning and land use issues for their historic communities.  We are recognizing the United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council for being a leading force along with the Office of City Council President Wesson to hold major oil companies accountable for their negative effects on their community.  This consistent work has lead to the City of Los Angeles hiring the first Petroleum Administrator the City has had in over 60 years.

Harbor

Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council
The Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council has created a LGBT+Allies Committee, which has worked to engage and educate the youth and stakeholders in the community.   

Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council – Submission 1
The Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council organized Trunk or Treat & Santa’s Holiday Express, which were two projects that involved many members of the community.

Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council – Submission 2
The Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council organized the Holiday Express sleigh tour project, including constructing a sleigh from scratch and allowing children to visit with Santa with may stakeholders participating.

Harbor City Neighborhood Council
The Harbor City Neighborhood Council partnered with all four schools in its service area to ensure that the voices of parents and students were being heard in Harbor City and in community.

Harbor Gateway North Neighborhood Council – Submission 1
The Harbor Gateway North Neighborhood Council is committed to making the community more livable and sustainable and included projects such as clean-up days, environmental justice work, and hosting CERT training for stakeholders.

Harbor Gateway North Neighborhood Council – Submission 2
The Harbor Gateway North Neighborhood Council participated in the Clean Streets Initiative including coordination of clean-ups and also worked on environmental justice issues by partnering with CD 15, AQMD, and Building and Safety including many stakeholders in the community.

Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council – Submission 1
The Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council partnered in helping organize Trunk or Treat providing fun activities for the community to enjoy and worked to keep the town clean and safe.

Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council – Submission 2
The Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council organized events for the community together: 5th Annual Pathways to Employment conference, 2nd Annual Movie at Peck Park, Candy Cane Lane, and native plant educational event.

Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council – Submission 3
The Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council organized a water bottle campaign to help preserve the environment.

Winner:  Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council
Recognizing the need to address Lesbian Gay Bi and Trans issues in their community, the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council created the LGBT+Allies Committee, which has worked to engage and educate the youth and stakeholders in the community.  This amazing committee is working to break down barriers, provide safe spaces, promote strength in numbers and advocate for their stakeholders. The committee formation was a rally for over 50 San Pedro High School students to be empowered and excited to affect change in their community.