Councilman LaBonge's Weekly Newsletter

[The information below was provided by the Office of Councilman Tom LaBonge.]

Get to Know was a Rousing Success

Hundreds of people turned-out for the Los Angeles launch of the "Get to Know Your Wild Neighbors" Contest at Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park on Saturday April 14th, 2012.  Kids of all ages enjoyed a beautiful day on the Observatory grounds, which offered a view of snow-capped mountains and the Pacific Ocean, as well as the iconic HOLLYWOOD Sign.  Kids loved moving from booth to booth, filling out their passport books with stamps and stickers and enjoying the hands-on educational displays.  One of the hits was a climbing wall, where the adventurous could harness-up for a challenging climb.  A pair of fire trucks were there, too, giving kids the chance to climb on them and take pictures with firefighters.

A couple of last year's "Get to Know" contest winners read their winning poems, and several of the original and very impressive art works were on-display.  Reporters and camera-crews -- including the Los Angeles ABC affiliate -- captured the fun and broadcast the festivities throughout the southern California area later that night.  What was great about the event is that invited guests were joined by lucky Observatory visitors, who just happened to be there for a Saturday morning outing, and were treated to a fabulous free event.

The highlight of the morning was the hike to the top of Mt. Hollywood, led by Councilman Tom LaBonge and "Get to Know" Director Mary Krupa-Clark.  Scores of kids and their parents made the trek up the 1625 foot peak to marvel at the spectacular view, get a little exercise and get to know nature.

The "Get to Know" Contest is underway April 7th - July 16th
Theme: Get to Know your Wild Neighbors ... an invitation to get outdoors, connect with your wild neighbors and celebrate nature through the arts.  Kids 19 and under can enter with Art, Writing, Video, Photography and Music.

Click here to enter the contest

Click here to see more photos of the event

Click here to see a video

Part-Time Closure of Glendale Boulevard

River Supply Conduit Improvement Project part-time road closure alert from April 2012 to December 2012

Glendale Boulevard/Rowena Avenue (west of the fire station) to Glendale Boulevard/Fletcher Drive.

LADWP's next construction work area for the RSC4 Project is along Glendale Boulevard, west of the fire station, and Fletcher Drive.  The first phase of this work will require a partial closure of Glendale Blvd./Rowena Ave./Lakewood Ave. for up to 3 months. 

Implementation of the entire work area will result in a part-time, one-way, southbound traffic pattern along Glendale Boulevard between Rowena Avenue and Fletcher Drive for up to 6 to 8 months.

Please anticipate noise and dust during construction hours and allow extra time to travel around this area.  Windows should be kept closed during construction hours.

Click here for more information on the project

or contact DWP Project Manager Sabrina Tsui
213-367-3331 or sabrina.tsui@ladwp.com

Redistricting Maps

The City Council approved new district boundaries for all 15 Council Districts on March 16th, which were created by the Los Angeles Redistricting Commission.  The final redistricting ordinance will come back for Council approval in May, and the new maps need to be finalized and in place by July in order to be ready for the 2013 Municipal Elections.  If you still have questions about who will be representing your neighborhood, see the below link.

Click here to see the latest Council District Maps

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books
Begin a lifelong love of reading ... rediscover your passion for books ... or nurture your inner biblio-phile.

The festival attracts people from all across Southern California and other parts of the country.  It's anticipated that over 150,000 will attend the free two-day public event highlighted by hundreds of author events, celebrity appearances, live music, storytelling, cooking demonstrations and poetry readings.
 

What's New for 2012?

This year’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at the University of Southern California is pleased to present the special dedication of U.S. stamps that honor 20th century poets (arranged by U.S. Postal Service selection committee member and USC faculty member, Dana Gioia); a “name the dino” contest for neighborhood elementary schools; a new and gently-used book drive especially benefitting students in the USC Family of Schools in South Los Angeles; an expanded outdoor food area at Cromwell field featuring food trucks and booths; and a new Health Pavilion with demonstrations and health screenings by practitioners from the USC Health Sciences campus.

Explore the Neighborhood

The University Park neighborhood is home to number of fun and educational destinations, including the California African American Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the California Science Center. Extend the festival experience (or weekend) with a visit to our neighboring cultural institutions.
Driving Directions and Parking
Get directions to the University Park campus via Google Maps. If you’re using another mapping program, enter the address for the campus center: 3351 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089. On-campus parking will be available for $10 per day.

Public Transportation

USC is easy to reach by  L.A. Metro bus and rail. Target also will operate a free Bullseye Bus shuttle running between Union Station, Los Angeles Convention Center and USC. And USC’s Intercampus Shuttle will provide service between the University Park campus, Union Station and the Health Sciences campus on both festival days.

USC Health Pavilion
The University of Southern California is pleased to introduce a new Health Pavilion that features a number of free screenings, demonstrations, and hands-on activities for the whole family, courtesy of the Keck Medical Center of USC, The USC School of Pharmacy, USC Occupational Therapy, and USC Physical Therapy.

Visit the festival of books website


City of Los Angeles Proposed 2012-2013 Budget  Released
LOS ANGELES – Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2012-2013. The proposed budget closes an estimated $238 million deficit through expenditure cuts, operational efficiencies, and revenue maximization efforts. Nearly two-thirds of these measures are on-going and will permanently reduce the General Fund structural deficit.  The Mayor’s proposed budget also strengthens the City’s cash reserves by establishing a $211 million Reserve Fund.  As a percentage of the General Fund, this is the largest reserve set aside since 2002. 

“This budget reflects our unwavering commitment to making Los Angeles a city with safe neighborhoods and strong communities and a city that protects core municipal services,” 
Mayor Villaraigosa said. “In order to preserve these services and priorities, this budget makes long-term structural changes to move Los Angeles towards a fiscally sound and sustainable 
future.” 

The Mayor’s proposed budget makes public safety a priority and maintains the size of the Los Angeles police force at its current strength. Maintaining the size of the LAPD has helped bring  violent crime in the City down to levels not seen since the 1950s. The proposed budget also provides funding for the Fire Department for the operation of six new ambulances and one  Valley engine company, the restoration of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) captains, and the recruitment and hiring of new firefighters. 

Additionally, the Mayor’s budget underscores the importance of private sector job creation by setting aside $2.5 million in start-up funding for a new economic development organization. 

The creation of the new organization comes on the heels of the dissolution of the CRA/LA and its goals will be to create private sector jobs, generate revenue, and encourage economic 
opportunity. 

Villaraigosa’s proposed budget also includes funding for: 
• The replacement of the Fire Department’s Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system 
• A third party analysis of the Fire Department’s deployment model 
• The City’s comprehensive Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) program  
• The Domestic Abuse Response Teams (DART)  
• The expansion of public library hours on Monday and Wednesday nights, as well as Friday mornings, at all 63 branch libraries  
• New park and recreational facilities 
• The Homeless Shelter Bed Program and the Senior Meals Program
• The re-writing of the City’s 75 year old Zoning Code 
• Continuing work on 7 new Community Plans 
• The expansion of the pavement preservation program by nearly 10%, from 735 miles to 800 miles, using local return fund from Measure R 
• 50,000 new pothole repairs, a 17% increase from the prior year (from 300,000 to 350,000) 

In addition to preserving City priorities such as public safety and private sector job creation,  Villaraigosa’s budget proposes targeted and considered cuts to City spending and creates a more efficient and effective City government.

The Mayor’s proposed budget includes an eight point pension reform plan for new civilian employees that will 1) increase the retirement age from as early as 55 to 67, 2) cap the maximum retirement allowance at 75% (down from 100%), 3) reduce the retirement factor to a maximum of 2% at age 67, 4) restructure how final compensation is calculated to prevent  “pension spiking,” 5) reduce pension cost of living adjustments (COLAs), 6) obtain better control of retiree health costs by reducing monthly caps, 7) ensure the cost neutrality of the government service buyback program, and 8) share the risk of future retirement cost increases with employees.  

The budget also calls for the reduction of the Citywide workforce by eliminating 669 civilian positions, 231 of which are currently filled, as well as an eight percent cut in the Mayor’s and Council’s budgets. 

The proposed budget now goes before the City Council for approval.
To read the entire budget document, visit budget.lacity.org.  


Budget Hearings get underway soon
Now that Mayor Villaraigosa has released his proposed budget for fiscal year 2012-2013, the BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
will hold a series of S P E C I A L   M E E T I N G S

SCHEDULE OF THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
CONSIDERATION OF THE MAYOR’S 2012-13 PROPOSED BUDGET
CITY HALL - JOHN FERRARO COUNCIL CHAMBER - ROOM 340
200 NORTH SPRING STREET
LOS ANGELES, CA  90012
MEMBERS: COUNCILMEMBER PAUL KREKORIAN, CHAIR
COUNCILMEMBER MITCHELL ENGLANDER
COUNCILMEMBER TONY CARDENAS
COUNCILMEMBER PAUL KORETZ
COUNCILMEMBER BILL ROSENDAHL
(Erika Pulst - Legislative Assistant - 213-978-1075; emailerika.pulst@lacity.org)
See City Internet address: www.lacity.org/Councilcmte/budget/index.htm for budget 
documents on-line

FRIDAY- APRIL 27, 2012
1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.*
Presentation of the Proposed Budget by the Mayor’s 
Office
Overview of the Proposed Budget by the CAO
General Managers to answer questions on the following 
budgets, CAO comments follow.
Administrative and Support Services
City Controller
City Attorney
Office Finance/Treasurer
Los Angeles City Employee Retirement System
Pensions Department
Public Comment

MONDAY - APRIL 30, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.*
General Managers to answer questions on the following 
budgets, CAO comments follow.
Public Safety
Police
Fire
Community Services 
Recreation and Parks
Library
Cultural Affairs
Administrative and Support Services - continued
General Services
Information Technology Agency
Personnel (includes Human Resources Benefits)
Public Comment

TUESDAY - MAY 1, 2012
1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.*
General Managers to answer questions on the following 
budgets, CAO comments follow.
Public Services
Board of Public Works
Bureau of Sanitation (includes Special Funds)
Bureau of Street Services
Bureau of Engineering
Bureau of Street Lighting
Bureau of Contract Administration
Department of Transportation (includes Special Funds)
Planning Department
Public Comment

Upcoming Events

Neutra 4k/8k Run-Walk for Health
Earth Day, Sunday, 
April 22nd, 2012
7am
Start and End location at the Silver Lake Meadow, across the street from the Neutra House
2300 Silver Lake Blvd.
Click here to see flyer

Hike for Health in Griffith Park
Councilman LaBonge will lead his annual Hike for Health on
Thursday, April 26th
830am
from the Charlie Turner Trailhead near Griffith Observatory.  Several 4th and 5th grade classes from CD4 elementary schools will be bussed to the observatory for a field trip designed to acquaint the kids with the natural resource virtually at their doorstep -- Griffith Park -- and hopefully to stimulate a life-long love of physical fitness and the great outdoors.
See video of last year's hike




Healthy Kids Day at the Hollywood YMCA
April 28, 2012
1553 North Schrader Blvd. 
10am - 2pm
Hollywood, CA 90028
Make it a play date! Join us on April 28, 2012 at 1553 North Schrader Blvd. from 10am-2pm for Healthy Kids Day, our annual community health and wellness fair. Bring your friends and family to enjoy a day of entertainment and activities focusing on health, wellness and the importance of play. This event represents the coming together of an entire community; a full city block is transformed into a free community-wide event where a host of youth and family oriented organizations distribute information, provide services, and offer games and prizes for attendees including: Free health screenings, health & nutrition activities and booths. Also, you can sign up for YMCA summer camp and Jr. Lakers. Enjoy face painting, jumpers, arts & crafts, food, entertainment, a dunk tank to dunk your favorite Program Director and more! Healthy Kids Day is a FREE event that will be held outside the YMCA at 1553 North Schrader Blvd. For more information, please contact Kitty Gordillo at kittygordillo@ymcala.org.

Traffic Safety Community Meeting for Silver Lake
Monday, April 30th 2012
4:30pm - 6pm
Ivanhoe School
2828 Herkimer St. 
Los Angeles, CA 90039   
Councilman LaBonge brings together LAPD, LADOT, DWP, Planning Dept. and Contract Administration and the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council to discuss traffic safety issues in Silver Lake.
More info?  Contact
mary.d.rodriguez@lacity.org



Los Angeles River 
5k Fun Run/Walk
May 6, 2012
730am
Registration and Bib pickup
May 4 (12pm - 7pm and May 5 (10am - 6pm)
at A Runner's Circle Running Shop
3216 Los Feliz Blvd.
LA, CA 90039
Race-Day Registration
615am - 715am
Entry Fee $15.00
(includes a tech-shirt and a medal)
Make Checks Payable to Runner's Circle Inc.
Register Online

Pancake Breakfast at Fire Station 86 in Toluca Lake
In celebration of Fire Service Day
The 8th Annual Old Fashioned Pancake Breakfast
Saturday May 12, 2012
8am - 12pm
Fire Station #86
4305 Vineland Avenue
Toluca Lake
Guided Tours, Live Music, and surprise guests
$5 donation
Proceeds to benefit FS 86 and the Widows and Orphans Fund
Questions: call 818.458.2218

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