Do you have feedback and insights to share regarding the delivery of City services in your community? LA’s annual Budget Day – happening Saturday, June 23rd at City Hall – is your opportunity to share your thoughts on how City services unfold in your area, and advocate for the services your community needs most. Click to learn how you can represent your NC at Budget Day 2018.
This week, Council District 12 received the results for the 2018 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. The results show that our Neighborhoods FIRST strategy is working with a reduction of homelessness by almost 20% within Council District 12.
By funding both increased outreach services and code enforcement, our all-hands-on-deck approach is turning the tide by reducing the total number of individuals experiencing homelessness on our streets. This crisis is far from resolved, but Neighborhoods FIRST provides a blueprint for how we can help those living on our streets while protecting the health and safety of neighborhoods.
The 2018 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count surveyed 700 homeless individuals living within Council District 12. This is a reduction from 869 in 2017 and a peak of 906 in 2016.
Neighborhoods FIRST began in late 2016 with the Clean Streets Clean Starts Initiative which paired individuals experiencing homelessness with job skills training through a neighborhood beautification program. In exchange for attending regular neighborhood clean ups, participants received drug treatment, job training, food gift cards, and access to housing. The program model has since spread to communities across Los Angeles.
In 2017, Councilmember Mitchell Englander began directing office resources to fund additional deployments for LAPD HOPE teams and LA Sanitation workers. These teams work jointly with homeless outreach services to ensure that encampments don’t threaten public health and that individuals living on the street are given the option of immediate shelter and access to LAHSA’s Coordinated Entry System.
Additionally, Neighborhoods FIRST has involved launching public-private partnerships with the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission including fund raising for two mobile shower units to provide approximately 1500 showers per month per unit along with outreach services, Donuts & Donations drives to support the Mission, and the 250LA Project to engage local small businesses in supporting homeless services.
The full 2018 Greater Homeless Count is available on the LAHSA website.
Councilmember Englander’s office has worked with L.A.’s Bureau of Engineering and the Department of Recreation of Parks to ensure that the Granada Hills Pool will be operational and open for use during the hot summer months.
The pool is decades old and has developed leaks which threatened the ability to keep it open for summer. However, by working with various departments, the Councilmember’s office was able to make sure the necessary repairs were done to keep it open. They have also fully-funded and developed plans for a new aquatic center at the location which will replace the old pool in time for the 2020 swim season!
Aquatic centers such are important community gathering spaces during summer months that provide a safe and fun place for youth and families to gather while school is out and the weather is hot. See you at the pool!
Here’s the first look at renderings of the proposed gondola that could take fans from Union Station straight to Dodger Stadium.
Here’s the first look at renderings of the proposed gondola that could take fans from Union Station straight to @Dodgers Stadium. pic.twitter.com/E2WQIbLG63
— Mayor Eric Garcetti (@MayorOfLA) April 26, 2018
This week, Councilmember Mitchell Englander joined LADWP Chief Operating Officer Marty Adams, LADWP Chief Sustainability Officer Nancy Sutley, Los Angeles County Business Coalition President Mary Leslie, Actor/Environmental Activists Ed Begley Jr. and Matt Walsh, and students from Porter Ranch Community School to introduce legislation calling for LADWP to explore options to install “floating solar” panels on Los Angeles reservoirs.
Floating solar is an emerging and extremely efficient form of renewable clean energy. By covering the surface of reservoirs, floating solar conserves water by reducing evaporation and prevents harmful algae growth by blocking sunlight. Additionally, there is no land costs associated with the installation and there is greater efficiency of output due to the cooling effect of water.
Los Angeles reservoirs provide hundreds of acres of local surface area that can be used as a platform for capturing solar energy. The initial pilot calls for approximately 11.6 MegaWatts of solar installation on DWP reservoirs. That is enough energy to power approximately 3,190 homes per year and the offset 15.9 million lbs. of CO2 emissions per year or the equivalent of removing 1,567, cars from the road. LADWP estimates that Los Angeles Reservoirs have an achievable potential of 53 MW which translates to the electrical use of 21,000 homes annually or the equivalent of taking 10,320 cars off the road.
According to the State Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), retail sellers and publicly owned utilities are required to procure 50 percent of their electricity from renewable energy resources by 2030.
Los Angeles is in a unique position to lead the country in the adoption of clean, renewable energy. With our geography, our climate, and our city-owned and operated utility, we have all the ingredients necessary to push for the wide-use and adoption of solar energy. By co-locating these panels on city-owned reservoirs, we eliminate the land-use cost and impacts of traditional solar panels.
Read the motion, here and watch news coverage below.
http://abc7.com/science/la-councilman-proposes-floating-solar-panels-on-reservoirs/3366827/
Thank you to EmpowerLA’s Octaviano Rios for letting us share this thoughtful overview of Mayor Garcetti’s 2018 State of the City address, which Octaviano originally wrote for the Harbor area Neighborhood Councils that he supports. He highlights the Mayor’s callouts to Neighborhood Councils, and issues that Councils might wish to partner with the Mayor on during the coming year.
In his State of the City address Monday morning, Mayor Garcetti said that he needs the help of Angelenos to improve our quality of life in Los Angeles. This coming fiscal year, please consider joining the Mayor, the City Council, City departments, and community partners to spur economic growth in key industries, improve regional infrastructure connectivity, and ensure everyone benefits from the progress of the City.
In his address, the Mayor said the word “neighborhood” 25 times, which is a call not just to City Departments to take action, but a partnership opportunity for all Neighborhood Councils to engage in those instances where resources are being planned for neighborhoods. Here are a few objectives for the year: Read more »
