A meeting of the Olympic Park Neighborhood Council Budget Funding & Finance Committee (BFFC) will be held on Friday, July 2, 2010 – 7:00 PM at The Eco-LogicalART Gallery, 4829 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90019. Click on the Agenda to the left to view or download here: BFFC Agenda-dnlQuestions? Send us an email.
To provide greater transparency and openness in its budget review, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power will hold workshops for customers to review the proposed fiscal year 2010-11 budget, ask questions and provide comments on Tuesday, June 8, in the San Fernando Valley and Saturday, June 12, in Downtown Los Angeles. The workshops will provide opportunities for the public to learn about LADWP’s strategic priorities and proposed spending plan for the 2010-11 fiscal year. Customers can also view a summary of the budget and submit questions and comments online.
WHEN & WHERE
MORE INFORMATION:
The proposed fiscal year 2010-11 budget focuses on LADWP’s core business of providing reliable, safe water and power to the City’s 4 million-plus population, ensuring regulatory compliance, improved customer service and reduced spending in non-critical areas. It includes $263 million in cost reductions and deferrals. A simple, easy to understand presentation of the proposed budget is viewable by visiting the LADWP’s online newsroom at ladwpnews.com and looking under the “Hot Topics” section. Comments and questions can be submitted from the online newsroom by choosing “Submit Inquiry” under the “Contact Us” tab.
Please RSVP.
or visit the LADWP Home Page
The monthly Olympic Park Neighborhood Board of Directors’ meeting will be held on Monday, April 5, 2010 – 7:00 PM at the LAPD West Bureau Community Room – 4849 West Venice Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90019. Upcoming OPNC Board elections, budget issues and cellular telephone tower placement in residential neighborhoods are some planned topics of discussion. Stakeholders are invited to attend and learn about participating in the NC system. Click on the Agenda to the left to view or dowload here: OPNC AGENDA 040510
Contact admin@theopnc.org for further information.
Neighborhood Council Coalition
Info@lanccoalition.org
www.lanccoalition.org
The LANCC meets on the first Saturday of each month.
See our web site for details and agendas.
LANCC/BUDGETLA MEETING
This Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 10:00 AM
GUEST SPEAKERS
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
BudgetLA
February 27, 2010, 10:00 am
Hollywood Presbyterian Church
Upper Terrace Hall (enter on Yucca, park on Yucca)
1760 N. Gower Avenue, Hollywood , CA 90028
Leonard J. Shaffer
Chair, LANCCoalition
This is a re-post of an article originated from the BudgetLA website.OurLA, by Michael Cohen, 15 February 2010
At Saturday’s LANCC Budget LA meeting, moderator Stephen Box reminded us that when the oxygen masks on an airplane in distress are lowered we first put them on ourselves and then assist others. NCs need to take care of themselves because like the airline passenger we won’t be of help if we are incapacitated by defunding.
It was suggested in passing at City Hall? That to save the City money those NCs that didn’t show up to the BudgetLA meetings should lose all their funding.
A proposal to reduce DONE staffing by including NC volunteers something previously endorsed at the Feb. 6th LANCC meeting got some serious discussion. One queried can we get enough NC members to staff the 30 or so volunteer positions and another Paul Hatfield, was concerned about continuity in the DONE with NC volunteer turn over.
Doug Epperhart presented the plan in place of Shawn Simons, away in New York. He said the final numbers or conditions are not cast in concrete.
The Education and Neighborhoods Committee will take up the issue of DONE and NC structure and funding this Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. in the City Council chambers.
BongHwan Kim, General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, welcomes the changes put forth. He reminds us that the neighborhood councils are considered mini-city councils by the City , at least for the purposes of oversight. That requires NCs to have various department resources and support. That makes DONE an enforcer of numerous regulations and keeps it involved in many areas, diluting focus and requiring expertise in those areas. That is inefficient.
Community Partners, a non-profit was proposed to handle financial oversight of NC funding, taking a large workload off of DONE’s shoulders. BongHwan Kim felt that a non-profit could likely do it better and cheaper, largely because the non-profit wouldn’t be burdened by the City pension system.
When the NC pulse was taken to support outsourcing there was some hesitation with a split vote. The motion was amended to explore the possibility of outsourcing rather than recommending it presently.
At the LANCC BudgetLA meeting Feb. 6th a 7% charge for all transactions by Community partners was thought to be their fee. At Saturdays meeting Lupe Solorio of Community Partners said the fee could be 12%.
The hybrid plan presented Saturday consists of reorganizing DONE into four departments:
The total paid City personnel required is just 17 which includes a General Manager and Assistant GM. This is less than the proposed cut by the CAO to 19. The slack left by the reduced staff would be formally picked up by 35 NC unpaid positions staffed by NC volunteers, permanently assigned to DONE.
The reported savings to the City is at least $4 Million, again more than required by the CAO’s plan.
In exchange the NCs want minimal cuts leaving funding largely intact, re-instituted a one year rollover of unspent funds year, maintain the current system of bank cards for small disbursements and to allow NC involvement in determining expenditure categories.
Everyone is asked to arrive at Tuesday’s City Council meeting early to meet City Council staff and to attend the Education and Neighborhoods Committee meeting starting in the same chamber at 3 p.m.
Michael Cohen is a long time community activist and Reseda NC Council Liaison. He can be reached a mncohen@earthlink.netmncohen@earthlink.net
The organization BudgetLA will meet this Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 10am at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, Upper Terrace Hall, 1760 Gower Avenue (enter on Yucca, park on Yucca) and as part of their planned agenda will discuss the following topics:
Regenerative - DONE Reorganization - NC Collaborative Proposal
1) The “Hybrid” version of DONE - staff and volunteers
2) The Departmental Focus of DONE
a) Administrative
b) Public Relations
c) Government Relations
d) Training
3) Outsourcing Funding Oversight
4) The proposed budget
Collaborative - NC Funding and Structure - Forum
1) Rollover Funding - Proposed Elimination
2) Petty Cash Procedures - End BankCard System
3) Neighborhood Council Funding - 50% Cut
4) Transfer of Funding Program Oversight
BudgetLA supports the activities of several neighborhood council groups, all working together to pursue solutions to LA’s Budget Crisis. Participants include the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition, the Saving Los Angeles project, the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, the Mayor’s Budget Advisory Committee and representatives from neighborhood councils throughout the city. For more information visit http://BudgetLA.org where you will find a Calendar of upcoming events, the Speakers Bureau, an archive of BudgetLA videos and links to individual neighborhood councils. Join BudgetLA on Facebook and follow BudgetLA on Twitter (@BudgetLA) To get involved, join BudgetLA on Saturday, February 13 at 10:00 am for “Look for the Union Label” at Hollywood Presyterian Church, 1760 Gower Ave., Hollywood 90028.
Press Conference
Monday, February 1, 2010
12:30 pm
City Hall Rotunda
200 Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Budget & Finance Committee
Monday, February 1, 2010
1:00 pm
City Council Chambers
200 Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012LOS ANGELES – Neighborhood Council representatives from throughout the city are headed to City Hall to call on the Mayor and the City Council to honor the City Charter which established the neighborhood council system and which mandates appropriate funding. They take with them a BudgetLa Statement that says “At this time of financial crisis for the City, the solutions require a partnership between the elected officials at City Hall and the elected representatives of our 90 neighborhood councils.”
Neighborhood Councils exist to advise the Mayor and the City Council on City Budget priorities, to monitor the delivery of services, and to involve the community in the governance of the City of Los Angeles. The Charter goes so far as to call for periodic meetings with responsible officials of City departments.
As the CAO’s “City Restructuring Proposals” are considered by the Budget and Finance Committee on Monday afternoon, Neighborhood Council leaders will stand in defense of the neighborhood council system and will position the NC system as a Funding Solution, a Communication Solution, and as a Community Building Solution. Ultimately, the NC system is an ASSET, not a LIABILITY, and it is protected by the City Charter. To that end, neighborhood councils stand as partners with the Mayor, the City Council, and the City Staff in working together for “An LA that Works!”
BudgetLA has hosted two emergency workshops which have drawn 110 different members from 47 different neighborhood councils, all focused on working together to take on bankruptcy, pensions, the delivery of city services and the reorganization of the city system. The BudgetLA position starts with two basic premises, that “everything is on the table and must be considered as we work together to solve the budget crisis, and that neighborhood councils must be at that table as partners in the process.
The NC reps have taken a full-spectrum approach to the budget crisis and believe that it is essential that the community engage with our elected officials as well as city staff to pursue Revenue innovations along with Pension reform while maintaining prioritized delivery of City Services and the implementation of Organizational improvements, all of which work together to guarantee that Los Angeles take its place as a Great City.
This past Saturday, BudgetLA opened with Alex Rubalcava who addressed LA’s future on “The Road to Bankruptcy.” It also featured Department of Neighborhood Empowerment’s GM, BongHwan Kim and his “Vision for Neighborhood Councils” presentation. Visit BudgetLA CityWatchLAfor a details on Saturday’s BudgetLA workshop. BudgetLA will meet again on Saturday, February 13 and on Saturday, February 27 at Hollywood City Hall. Both BudgetLA sessions will start at 10:00 am.
BudgetLA supports the activities of several neighborhood council groups, all working together to pursue solutions to LA’s Budget Crisis. Participants include the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition, the Saving Los Angeles project, the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, the Mayor’s Budget Advisory Committee and representatives from neighborhood councils throughout the city. For more information visit http://BudgetLA.org where you will find a Calendar of upcoming events, the Speakers Bureau, an archive of BudgetLA videos and links to individual neighborhood councils. Join BudgetLA on Facebook and follow BudgetLA on Twitter (@BudgetLA) To get involved, join BudgetLA on Saturday, February 13 at 10:00 am for “Look for the Union Label” at Hollywood City Hall, 6501 Fountain Ave., Hollywood 90028.
The OLYMPIC PARK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL Budget Finance and Fundraising Committee meeting will be held on Monday, June 8, 2009 (second Monday of the month) – 7:00 PM at the Los Angeles High School Community Room – 4650 West Olympic Blvd Los Angeles CA 90019. Click on the Agenda to the left to view or dowload here: OPNC BFFC Agenda 060809dnl
Agenda is posted for public review at the Queen Anne Recreation Center, 1240 West Boulevard, Los Angeles High School, 4650 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles Elementary School, 1211 South Hobart Boulevard, Queen Anne Elementary School, 1212 Queen Anne Place and Los Angeles Worker’s Center, 1251 South St. Andrews Place In compliance with Government code section 54957.5, non-exempt writings that are distributed to all or a majority of the Board members in advance of a meeting may be viewed at our website by clicking on the following link: www.theopnc.org, at a location given in the item number of the agenda or at the scheduled meeting. In addition if you would like a copy of any record related to any item on the Agenda, please contact the Olympic Park Neighborhood Council Treasurer Pamela Whittenbury (323) 734-1873 or email pwhittenbury@theopnc.org.
The OLYMPIC PARK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL Budget Finance and Fundraising Committee meeting will be held on Monday, May 11, 2009 (second Monday of the month) – 7:00 PM at the Los Angeles High School Community Room – 4650 West Olympic Blvd Los Angeles CA 90019. Click on the Agenda to the left to view or dowload here: OPNC BFFC 051109 Agenda
Agenda is posted for public review at the Queen Anne Recreation Center, 1240 West Boulevard, Los Angeles High School, 4650 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles Elementary School, 1211 South Hobart Boulevard, Queen Anne Elementary School, 1212 Queen Anne Place and Los Angeles Worker’s Center, 1251 South St. Andrews Place In compliance with Government code section 54957.5, non-exempt writings that are distributed to all or a majority of the Board members in advance of a meeting may be viewed at our website by clicking on the following link: www.theopnc.org, at a location given in the item number of the agenda or at the scheduled meeting. In addition if you would like a copy of any record related to any item on the Agenda, please contact the Olympic Park Neighborhood Council Treasurer Pamela Whittenbury (323) 734-1873 or email pwhittenbury@theopnc.org.
To: Neighborhood Council Friends and Colleagues
From: BongHwan (BH) Kim, General Manager, Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
This is to inform you that the Budget and Finance Committee will be recommending to City Council that the NC funding program be reduced to a total of $1M for next year - this roughly breaks down to $11,200 instead of the $50,000 per NC. There was no change to the current rollover policy and no changes to the Mayor’s proposed 20% reduction for the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. The City is faced with a budget deficit of roughly $500M and the Council recently approved moving ahead with the process of laying off over 400 people. This is the time for Neighborhood Councils to educate and advise your elected officials as to the importance of the NC funding program as they move through their deliberations.
The Budget and Finance Committee will convene on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 to finalize their complete recommendations to send forward to the City Council. The full City Council will then begin holding special meetings to consider the Committee’s budget recommendations on Monday, May 18, 2009. On or before June 1, 2009, the Council must approve or modify the Mayor’s proposed budget and submit it to the Mayor for approval. The Mayor then has 5 days to act on the budget as adopted by Council. Updated Budget and Finance Committee Agendas and City Council Agendas can be found on the City’s home page, City Meetings and Agendas calendar ( http://parc1.lacity.org/appldept/calendarme/filedocs/all/councilcalendar.cfm ).
If you wish to express your opinions and concerns about the Mayor’s 2009-2010 Proposed Budget, you can appear for public comment at both the Budget and Finance Committee and full City Council, submit Community Impact Statements via the City Clerk ( http://cityclerk.lacity.org/cis/ ), or send your letters and emails to your elected Councilmember. You can also follow the deliberations on your home computer via Live Streaming Audio here ( http://lacity.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=18&event_id=236 ), or on LA CityView, Channel 35, for live coverage.
The OLYMPIC PARK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL Budget Finance & Fundraising committee meeting will be held on Monday, April 13, 2009 – 7:00 PM at the Community Room of Los Angeles High School - 4650 West Olympic Blvd-Los Angeles, CA 90019. Click on the Agenda to the left to view or dowload here: BFFC Agenda 041309dnl
Agenda is posted for public review at the Queen Anne Recreation Center, 1240 West Boulevard, Los Angeles High School, 4650 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles Elementary School, 1211 South Hobart Boulevard, Queen Anne Elementary School, 1212 Queen Anne Place and Los Angeles Worker’s Center, 1251 South St. Andrews Place In compliance with Government code section 54957.5, non-exempt writings that are distributed to all or a majority of the Board members in advance of a meeting may be viewed at our website by clicking on the following link: www.theopnc.org, at a location given in the item number of the agenda or at the scheduled meeting. In addition if you would like a copy of any record related to any item on the Agenda, please contact the Olympic Park Neighborhood Council Treasurer Pamela Whittenbury (323) 734-1873 or email pwhittenbury@theopnc.org.