Category: City of Los Angeles

Citywide Economic Development Stakeholder Survey

LA Citywide Economic Strategy

The City of Los Angeles Economic and Workforce Development Department has been tasked with developing a Citywide Economic Development Strategy and Five-year Implementation Plan. Your feedback will help us identify the importance of various business, workforce, and community issues, as well as actions that the City’s economic development strategy should prioritize. This survey is critical to ensuring that the Strategy represents a robust and equitable Los Angeles economy in the years ahead. Take the survey at LAEconomicDevelopmentSurvey.com.

GHNNC Proposal Regarding the Future Permitting Process for Street Vendors in the City of Los Angeles

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https://ghnnc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/GHNNC-Street-Vending-10-2017.pdf

WHEREAS, on January 06, 2015, Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council recommended that the City of Los Angeles should prohibit all street vending within the City limits;

WHEREAS, on March 01, 2016, Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council reaffirmed its opposition to street vending, and further resolved that if the City of Los Angeles chose to support street vending then Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council would, in principal, support Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition’s conditions on such street vending;

WHEREAS, on February 15, 2017, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to decriminalize the act of vending food and products along the streets of the City of Los Angeles;

WHEREAS, Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council now seeks to provide a more definite statement on the conditions under which the community would support a street vending ordinance for the City of Los Angeles;

WHEREAS, the City of Los Angeles is one of the most diverse and populous cities in the world, and is comprised of neighborhoods with such substantially different characters and needs that those neighborhoods will desire significantly different types and amounts of street vending;

WHEREAS, each of the ninety-seven Neighborhood Councils recognized by the City of Los Angeles is in the best place to determine what types, amounts, and locations of street vending their own community will be willing to support, able to maintain, cause the least detrimental effects associated with street vending, and be to the most benefit to the community;

NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council supports the following conditions and requirements on the permitting of street vending, and urges the Los Angeles City Council to integrate these suggestions into any ordinance in the City of Los Angeles that establishes a legal framework for permitted street vending:

  1. Prior to the City issuing a permit, any applicant seeking a permit should be required to submit to a review and obtain an opinion from the Neighborhood Council(s) wherein they seek to engage in vending activities;
  2. There should be a process for the local Neighborhood Council(s) to be able to recommend to the permitting agency: (a) conditions on the hours of operation, (b) conditions on the location(s) in which the applicant may conduct business within the neighborhood, and (c) conditions on the types of products they may vend;
  3. Prior to a permit-holder being issued a renewal for an existing permit, the permit-holder should be required to return to the local Neighborhood Council(s) and obtain another opinion under the same conditions as for new applications;
  4. There should be different lengths of time that a permit can be valid prior to requiring a renewal depending on whether food it being sold at the location: (a) permits for the sale of non-food (products-only) should be able to be approved for a period of either one-year, two-years, or three-years; and (b) permits for the sale of food and non-food products, or only food, should be renewed every year;
  5. There should be different categories of permit for street vendors that will primarily sell their food and/or products: (a) at a stationary location, or (b) in a manner that is non-stationary (i.e. using handcarts, at multiple temporary locations, using trucks, et cetera);
  6. An applicant seeking a permit for a stationary location should be required to submit a plan that describes: (a) the proposed location of their merchandise, (b) their plan for any deliveries or drop-offs, (c) the proposed locations of any signs, and (d) how their proposed location will permit the free flow of (i) foot traffic, and (ii) automobile traffic;
  7. Any permits issued for a non-stationary street vendor should specifically delineate the boundaries within which they are permitted to vend;
  8. No permit for a stationary street vending location should be issued within 100 feet of a single-family residence or a school;
  9. Non-stationary street vendors should be barred from selling anything (food or products) within 100 feet of a school;
  10. After obtaining an opinion by the local Neighborhood Council(s), and prior to the issuance of any permit, the agency in charge of the permitting process should review the application for compliance with all relevant laws and deny the applicant if the applicant is not in full compliance;
  11. The agency in charge of the permitting process should take the opinion of the local Neighborhood Council(s) into consideration when determining whether to grant or deny a permit;
  12. The City should not set minimums on the number of permits the agency in charge of the permitting process should be required to approve;
  13. If an applicant seeks a permit with a component that includes the on-site preparation of food, the Department of Health & Safety and the agency in charge of the permitting process should review the application for compliance with all relevant food-handling laws and deny the applicant if the applicant is not in full compliance;
  14. Depending on the types of food or products that an applicant seeks to vend, the applicant should be required to demonstrate compliance with any of the following on an as-needed basis: a Food Handling Certificate, FTB Resale License, Los Angeles County Health permit, and compliance with relevant federal, state, or local statutes, ordinances, or regulations;
  15. Upon receipt of a permit, the permitted street vendor should be required to openly and visibly post their permit during all hours they are engaged in vending, including setting up and tearing down a stationary location;
  16. The permit should clearly and visibly list: (a) hours of operation, (b) the location(s) in which they may engage in business, and (c) the types of products they may vend;
  17. Failure to adhere to the permitting, display, or operational limitations and requirements should lead to incrementally more severe punishments, including but not limited to: (a) impounding of any products on offer by a noncompliant vendor, (b) a fine that can incrementally increase, and (c) up to 6 months in jail for egregious violations or repeated violations by the same person(s).

LA Considers Controversial Airbnb Regulations

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Proponents of short-term rentals say many depend on it to cover their mortgage while critics say it exacerbates the housing shortage.

A Los Angeles City Council Committee is set to debate Tuesday proposed regulations for Airbnb and short-term housing rental companies in an effort to please both passionate advocates of the practice and those who say it is contributing to the city’s housing shortage.

The highest concentration of listings appear to be in neighborhoods like Venice, Hollywood, Mid-Wilshire, Echo Park, Downtown, East Hollywood, Beverly Grove, Los Feliz and Sherman Oaks, according to a Department of City Planning report.

The Planning and Land Use Management Committee last discussed a proposed ordinance on home sharing in June, when it heard several hours of testimony from public speakers and also asked for a number of reports from city staff.

So many people showed up at the meeting an overflow area was set up outside on City Hall’s south lawn with an audio feed directly into the council chamber so that more people could voice their opinion.

The city does not have an ordinance regulating Airbnb, which connects travelers with hosts looking to rent out their home or a bedroom in their home, but struck a deal with the company last year for it to pay hotel taxes on behalf of its hosts under a three-year agreement, even though short-term rentals are illegal in many residential neighborhoods.

Among the most controversial parts of the proposed ordinance is limiting the number of rental days per host to 180 days a year. Other cities have enacted short-term rental limitations, with Santa Monica limiting them to 60 days and San Francisco limiting them to 90 days.

Los Angeles projects it could collect over $33 million in taxes from Airbnb for the upcoming fiscal year, and has banked on the number in its approved budget, but the company has warned that capping rental days would significantly cut into that number.

Many speakers at the last meeting told the committee that limiting the number of rental days could severely impact their finances or even their ability to keep paying their mortgage.

While Airbnb is fighting the 180-day ordinance, the city has been receiving pressure from other groups to pass a more stringent one. In March, a group that included representatives of the Venice Community Housing Corporation, the Coalition for Economic Survival and the California Hotel & Lodging Association called on the city to limit rentals to 60 days because it said Airbnb is helping create a housing shortage for L.A. residents.

At the June meeting, the committee asked the Department of City Planning to produce an analysis of the current state of short-term rentals in the city, best practices with other cities and provide answers to other related questions.

According to the department’s report, there are approximately 23,000 unique short-term-rental listings within Los Angeles. Of these 23,000 active unique listings, approximately 15,900 are “entire home” listings, of which there are a total of 11,400 renting for more than 90 days in the last year, with about 6,600 rented for more than 180 days.

This total represents “a relatively small portion of the 1.45 million total housing units in the city,” the report found, but added that the “fast growth of the practice and its concentration in certain neighborhoods threatens housing availability, affordability and residential stability of an increasing number of communities throughout Los Angeles.”

https://patch.com/california/northridge/s/g9hzh/la-considers-controversial-airbnb-regulations

The Tripping Point Summit – The Valley Edition

Tripping-Point

9:30AM – 2PM (breakfast served at 9AM)
Panorama High School – 8015 Van Nuys Blvd, Panorama City, CA 91402

For over 40 years, our sidewalks, crosswalks, and bus stops have gone mostly unimproved in the City of Los Angeles. The Tripping Point goal is to highlight the importance of these public amenities on our quality of life. Come join the movement to support an even better Los Angeles with safe, accessible, and dignified travel options for all.

This past June we hosted a free Advocacy Summit to organize residents and build a constituency that can effectively advocate for fixing sidewalks, crosswalks, bus stops, and planting more trees in our communities. We hosted over 150 residents from across the City in Boyle Heights (recap here), and this month we’re taking this organizing effort to the Valley in Panorama City on Saturday October 21.

Food, childcare, and English/Spanish translation will be provided all at no cost. Please register so we know how many people to expect. And help us spread the word to your neighbors, friends, and family. No experience necessary – come learn with us! Register today! 

Come join your neighbors, elected officials, and department staff and learn how to improve your neighborhood! 

  • How to Communicate with Decisionmakers
  • How to get a Street Tree
  • How to get a Sidewalk Ramp
  • Sidewalk Repair Program basics
  • Learn about the People St program
  • Meet local elected officials and City of LA staff
  • Help grow the movement for fixing #LAsidewalks by adding in your ideas and experiences

With an incredible lineup of workshops and trainings, you’ll gain new skills, strategies, and insights that will help you champion positive change in your community.

Register here for the Tripping Point – the Valley Edition
LA has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to align billions of dollars, and leverage transportation funds like Measure M, SB1 and Willits Settlement funds, to prioritize and address these concerns. Learn how to make change, who to ask for what, and when to make your voice heard to improve your neighborhood for all.

Thanks to all our partners working to make this happen: Los Angeles Walks, LURN, Southern California Resource Services for Independent Living, Koreatown Youth Community Center, AARP, American Heart Association, EmpowerLA, Outfront/JCDecaux, Kaiser Permanente, First 5 LA, and Transit Center! 

The Sidewalk Repair Program Environmental Review Has Begun

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The City has engaged in a massive Sidewalk Repair Program in part to repair and upgrade sidewalks and curb ramps adjacent to City-owned pedestrian facilities, so that they are compliant with applicable accessibility requirements.  Street tree removals and replacements, along with utility relocations, may be needed, as well. Additionally, the City may adopt policies and/or ordinances to assist in the administration of the proposed Sidewalk Repair Program and its objectives.

In order to do this, the City must engage in an environmental review of the project. A Notice of Preparation (NOP) and Initial Study (IS), which describe the proposed Sidewalk Repair Program and the anticipated scope of the Environmental Impact Review, are available for public review and comment at the following website: sidewalks.lacity.org/environmental-review-process.

Ways to provide input:  Read more »

City of Los Angeles Releases Much Anticipated Draft Cannabis Regulations

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After more than a year of working directly with residents and stakeholders, City Councilmembers encourage an ongoing public dialogue of new rules in the months to come

Los Angeles City Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr. was joined today by Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield, Paul Koretz and Nury Martinez in releasing the city’s draft regulations governing commercial cannabis activity. The City Council has been engaging in an open and public dialogue over the last year about how to best regulate all aspects of the cannabis industry citywide. Today marks another step forward in the transparent process with the beginning of a 60-day public comment period prior to any further action by the City Council.

After shepherding Measure M to a historic 80.5% passage rate, Wesson immediately began the process of gleaning best practices from neighboring cities and states who had already established responsible cannabis regulations. Wesson who chairs the Rules, Elections, Intergovernmental Relations, and Neighborhoods committee which has overseen the crafting of the draft regulations. Since beginning the process Wesson has held over a dozen meetings, including in the evenings, inviting members of the public, industry experts, and regulators from other states including Colorado, Oregon, and Washington to provide testimony.

“We will continue to have a robust dialogue about the regulatory framework and a healthy debate of Los Angeles’ growing cannabis industry prior to final recommendations being considered by the City Council, said Los Angeles City Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr. “I’m calling on all residents and stakeholders to provide comments and feedback on the draft documents to ensure the pending regulations are inclusive of all communities.” Read more »

Report Shows Fiscal Improvement for LA

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As the City of Los Angeles nears the end of its current fiscal year, a new report from the City Administrative Officer shows a significant decrease in the city’s budget deficit. Although the city is not out of the woods just yet, Los Angeles has narrowed it’s 2016-2017 fiscal year from $245 million to $57 million, thanks to work by the Budget and Finance Committee, an increase in revenues, and the discipline of city departments. The city’s Reserve Fund is also set to remain at levels higher than it has been in decades.

Next month, the Budget Committee reviews the Mayor’s 2017-2018 budget proposal. Once the budget is released and hearings begin, the committee will meet with all of the various city departments to hear about their needs and listen to the public’s input.

LA City Council Unanimously Votes to Bring the 2024 Olympics to Los Angeles

Councilmember Krekorian, Mayor Garcetti, IOC member Angela Ruggiero and former Olympian and LA 2024 Vice Chair Janet Evans celebrate the City Council’s vote.

This week, the Los Angeles City Council, alongside dozens of Olympic athletes who call Los Angeles home, voted to approve the LA2024 bid for the Olympic and Para-Olympic Games.

Los Angeles is a cultural and industrial mashup unlike anywhere else in the world. Residents from over 100 countries are held together by a collective optimism, a push for progress, and a dedication to sport. The spirit of our community is based on harnessing creativity and curiosity for the purpose of imagination and reinvention. The Olympic and Para-Olympic Games continue to spark passion for Angelenos throughout Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is currently competing against Paris and Budapest to host the summer 2024 games. The International Olympics Committee is slated to announce its decision in September 2017. If selected, LA would become a three-time host of the summer games.

Click here to read the full bid for the 2024 Olympic Games. Read more »

Sidewalk Vending Hearing – December 12

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Councilmembers Joe Buscaino (CD 15) and Curren Price (CD 9) have put forward a new Street Vending Proposal.

Here are the key elements:

  • Street vending will be allowed Citywide from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
  • Vending will be prohibited in residential neighborhoods with the exception of roaming pushcart vendors.
  • 2 vendors per block in commercial areas with the consent of the adjacent business or property owner and other protections.
  • Ability of neighborhoods to opt-out with some limitations.
  • Enforcement by LAPD and Bureau of Engineering is discussed but specifics have not yet been provided.
  • A review of this policy within one year.

A copy of the letter outlining their proposal is attached below.

There will be a public hearing on this proposal on Monday, December 12 at 1:00 in Council Chambers.

English: sidewalk-policy-letter-cf-13-1493

Spanish: sidewalk-policy-spanish-cf-13-1493

Recap of LA’s 2016 Congress of Neighborhood Councils

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This year’s Congress of Neighborhoods for the Neighborhood Councils (NCs) was up in attendance by the hundreds and consistent in quality as previous years. The program was well planned out and consisted of workshops from gaining knowledge of City departments’ protocols to improving pertinent management skills required of NC board members for successful interactions in increasing City engagement. There were 39 workshops coordinated with presenters, some with moderators and panelists that included City officials.

The LAPD Cadets served as hospitality hosts, adding charm and formality to the NC Congress. Their elegance was all around the rotunda of the 3rd floor at City Hall, providing directions to arriving visitors. “In that direction,” said one as she pointed with her white gloves.

In the opening session, City Council President Herb Wesson, Chair of the L.A. City Neighborhood Councils Committee, opened with brief Read more »

Two-Year Moratorium on LA Developments Qualifies for Ballot

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A proposal calling for a moratorium on building projects so big they require zoning or land-use exceptions, has qualified for the ballot.

The city clerk said today proponents of a ballot initiative that would temporarily halt development in Los Angeles have turned in enough signatures for the measure to go before voters.

The city clerk’s office examined a random sampling of the 103,816 signatures turned in by the Coalition to Preserve L.A. and found that the group’s petition met the minimum threshold of 61,487 valid signatures needed to qualify the measure for the ballot.

The City Council now has 20 days from Sept. 16 — the official issuance of the clerk’s sufficiency certificate — to decide if it wants to adopt the proposed ordinance as-is, without any changes, or put the issue before voters in a special election or regularly scheduled city or county election, the earliest of which would be in March.

The initiative would temporarily ban, for up to two years, projects that are denser, taller or contain more floor area than is allowed in existing zoning and land-use rules for the area.

Developers must routinely ask the city to grant exceptions — known as general plan amendments — for those types of projects to be built. The coalition contends the process has become standard practice and creates cozy relationships between City Council members and developers.
Read more »

Your 2016 Granada Hills North Neighborhood Newsletter is Now Available

2016 Newsletter-1

This year, we filled 8 pages to create the most informative newsletter we’ve ever created.

Some of the topics addressed include:

  • Robocalls
  • Emergency Preparedness
  • Neighborhood Council Elections
  • A New Project at the Sunshine Canyon Landfill
  • Illegal Sign Posting
  • Neighborhood Watch News
  • and Aliso Canyon Gas Spill Updates

Click here to download the 2016 Newsletter, or just read it below.

Read more »

L.A. Budget Advocates’ City Services Report Card

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The Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates have created a Service Report Card for citizens of Los Angeles to rate their local City Services.  Every community is different and every community has their own set of problem areas.  Here is your chance to let the Mayor’s office, Los Angeles City Council and the City Hall Departments know exactly what matters to you the most! The due date to complete this service report card is on Friday, January 15.

English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/servicereportcard2015

Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/reportedeservicio2015

With over 1300 responses to the survey so far, the Budget Advocates have collected more than a thousand more responses than the Mayor’s own Department of Budget and Innovation this year.  As elected officials to the City of Los Angeles, the NC Budget Advocates represent each and every stakeholder in the City of Los Angeles.  This survey is designed to help pinpoint the problem areas in our city as well as highlight the areas that are successful.

2015 LADWP Industrial, Economic, and Adminstrative Survey – City Controller’s Office

LADWP Industrial, Economic, and Adminstrative Survey

Below is a link to the Charter-mandated evaluation of DWP that’s done every five years.  Navigant is the consultant that performed the work.  It’s almost 600 pages so we’ve included the 10-page Executive Summary…..and in case you haven’t already seen it there’s also a link to yesterday’s Daily News story about the survey.

Items of particular interest to you might include Community Outreach Section 10,  Section 9 Customer Service, and Section 8 Rates Benchmarking.

Feel free to send your thoughts, questions, comments, suggestions to:
Greg Bartz, LADWP Community Liaison
City Council Districts 4, 6, 7 & 13
East Valley & North Central L.A. Areas
(213) 367-2800

Clean Streets Resources

MyLA 311 Service Request City of Los Angeles

The City’s Implementation Plan for the Clean Streets Citywide Program (Council File: 15-0600-S78) aims to provide a comprehensive program to improve Angelenos’ quality of life by cleaning up our streets. This plan includes the effort to promote the City of Los Angeles’ free service to pick up discarded bulky items such as mattresses, furniture, and appliances. Please help the city discourage the abandoning of trash on the street by dialing 3-1-1  or going online to request free bulky item pick up.

Sustainable City pLAn for Los Angeles

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Earlier this year Mayor Eric Garcetti launched several Executive Directives, one of which was the first ever Sustainable City pLAn. Sustainability is about more than combating climate change and reducing pollution: it encompasses economic development, social development, and environmental protection. The pLAn looks at ways the whole city of Los Angeles: citizens, communities, and businesses, can be more cognizant about responsible waste, clean energy, water conservation, efficient transportation, improved air quality, and the creation of green jobs. Sustainability is about making sure that the natural resources we have today are available for future generations tomorrow.

Mayor Garcetti has taken a proactive approach in Los Angeles becoming a leader in sustainability. On Monday, Mayor Garcetti joined Vice President Joe Biden and leaders in the clean-technology industry for a roundtable discussion on ways to develop clean technology. Vice President Biden sees Los Angeles as leading the country in innovation and sustainability as Mayor Garcetti has pledged an aggressive goal for the City to cut emissions 80% by 2050, stop using coal by 2025, and embedding sustainability into everything that City Hall does. In addition, last week Mayor Garcetti announced a campaign called the Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge (LABBC) or ‘Drop 100’ where commercial buildings will take the necessary steps to save 100 million gallons of water every year. This campaign helps by conserving water for the drought, as commercial buildings account for 19% of the city’s water supply. Learn more about the Mayor’s Sustainable City pLAn.

With the Mayor taking a proactive stance on sustainability, Neighborhood Councils can also engage with this important campaign by exploring new areas and ways in which they can help the city reach sustainability goals, specifically by submitting a Community Impact Statement on reducing greenhouse gas in the city as proposed in Council File #14-0907. A CIS is an opportunity for NCs to influence legislation. To learn more about Community Impact Statements, attend an upcoming EmpowerLA CIS training workshop!

Community empowerment starts with you, so thank you for your continued interest to stay connected, engaged, and empowered.

Bringing Awareness to Adoption Opportunities

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This week, a public hyperlink was established on the City’s website directing users to the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services’ website to provide information on adoption opportunities.

Every child needs a loving, supportive and nurturing family. Sadly, in the United States, there are 400,540 children in the foster care system with 104,236 children ready and waiting to be adopted. In California, there are 55,851 children in the foster care system with over 13,178 children ready and waiting to be adopted. In Los Angeles County, there are over 18,000 children in the foster care system with over 500 of them ready and waiting to be adopted.

The City of Los Angeles’s website: www.lacity.org is the main portal in which residents can access public services and receive vital information. The City’s website is also an important tool to facilitate instant and direct access to public resources for residents, and can be utilized to encourage people to consider adopting a child.

This link brings greater awareness about the need for permanent and loving homes for children in foster care and assists those interested in the adopting process, making it smoother and easier to navigate.

Click here to view the new link.

LA County Housing Offers New Web Application

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Looking for affordable housing? There is a new resource available from the Los Angeles Housing + Community Investment Department (HCIDLA).

Los Angeles County Housing Resource center, together with HCIDLA launched this new web-based ADA accessible application tool to match qualified tenants with affordable housing.

This application is 100% free and features searchable vacancies based on household amenities and location criteria. It can be accessed online or via toll-free phone and provides a platform for owners to list and update rentals.

The website updates regularly to reflect available units and can be found at http://housing.lacity.org/.

L.A. to require that stored handguns be locked up or disabled

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Los Angeles lawmakers voted unanimously Tuesday to pass a new law requiring Angelenos to lock up or disable their handguns at home if they aren’t close at hand.

In an impassioned speech before the vote, City Councilman Paul Krekorian argued that the new rules would help prevent deadly accidents and youth suicides by stopping the guns from falling into the hands of curious children or despondent teenagers. Krekorian said more preschoolers are killed with guns annually than police officers.

“It’s unacceptable to live in a country where it’s more dangerous to be a preschooler than to be a police officer — and we can do something about that today,” Krekorian said.

Under the new law, Angelenos who violate the storage requirements could face a misdemeanor charge. Gun rights activists have warned they may sue over the rules, arguing that city lawmakers shouldn’t decide how people choose to protect themselves in their homes. Read more »

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