Congress Planning CommitteeI hope this newsletter finds you well. Last weekend was packed so full of Neighborhood Council events, I could only swing by a few myself. On Saturday, we had a great Congress debrief with the Congress Planning Committee on what worked and what can work even better next year. The planning for next year’s Congress is already starting so look for an announcement coming soon about how you can participate in organizing your Congress. Afterwards, I was able to pop by the LANCC to talk about funding, websites and online voting for the 2016 Neighborhood Council elections. Congress Planning Committee Chair Cindy Cleghorn and I also thanked and presented certificates to the committee members.I heard from our Commissioners

Eli LipmenMar Vista CC Pic and Lydia Grant as well NEA Tom Soong that Sunday’s Del Rey Day and the Mar Vista Fall Festival were super with thousands of people enjoying the festivities. Congratulations to Palms Neighborhood Council Secretary Len Nguyen, who was honored at the Mar Vista Fall Festival by Councilmember Mike Bonin for his work with the community!

On Monday, the Board of Public Works President Kevin James stopped by the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners meeting to let us know that he and his board will be taking their next meeting to the community. They will be meeting on Monday, October 27th at 7:00 p.m., in the Mar Vista Recreation Center Auditorium, 11430 Woodbine Street , Los Angeles.

We wrapped up our Funding Trainings and Townhalls on Wednesday in South LA. I am very appreciative of not only our funding team for conducting these trainings, but also of the Neighborhood Council leaders who came to learn and comment on the new funding program. You still have an opportunity to provide comments online until Friday, October 31st. Please help us with making final adjustments to the funding program for this fiscal year. Thank you!!

I received a letter this week from City Council President Herb Wesson on legislative proposals for Sacramento and Washington. If your Neighborhood Council has ideas to change specific legislation on the state and federal level to allow the City to work more effectively and efficiently, please let us know by November 26th to be included in our department’s response.

I bumped into Council President Wesson yesterday at the LA Hilton doing Neighborhood Council outreach at the invitation of Mid City Neighborhood Council’s Marguerite Davis. MINC President Michael Sonntag and I provided information to regional church leaders along about City community service providers along with LAPD Wilshire Station, whose great new app includes the Neighborhood Council contacts in their area, and the City Attorney’s Neighborhood Prosecutors Program. Michael filled me in on the awesome work MINC is doing in their community, including their partnership with United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council and Council President Wesson’s office to clean up Washington Blvd. tomorrow.

As always, thanks for all that you do to Empower LA! Have a relaxing weekend!

Best,

Grayce Liu,
General Manager
Department of Neighborhood Empowerment aka EmpowerLA