Los Feliz Ledger [greetings from tom]
Happy NewYear! By Los Angeles City Coucilmember Tom LaBonge Every January, I enjoy reviewing the work that my staff and I have done over the past 12 months and setting goals for the year ahead. I’m very proud of several accomplishments from 2008, including the opening of the Griffith Park Adult Community Center in January. The temporary office trailers used during the restoration of the Griffith Observatory have been transformed into a lively Center serving seniors in six neighborhoods. We also worked steadily with volunteers throughout the year on monthly clean-ups and tree-plantings in Griffith Park. All of us who live near and love the park have watched with wonder and appreciation as the park has recovered from the devastating fire of May 2007. We broke ground and dedicated the Vermont Triangle in 2008. A former traffic triangle is now a patch of green that welcomes visitors to the Los Feliz business district. The Los
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POLITICS
improvements. We will continue raising funds to acquire the 138-acre parcel called Cahuenga Peak to expand Griffith Park to the west. My goal is to announce the acquisition by the City Councilmembers Tom LaBonge (2nd from left) and Council President Eric Garcetti (4th from left) are flanked end of the year. by community members: Ermanno Neiviller, Los Feliz BID Last, but by no President; Dora Herrera, Yucas; and Nelia Cacic of the BID means least, we plan and Washington Mutual/Chase at the Vermont Triangle Inauguration. to continue our efforts to make our school campuses Feliz Business Improvement greener and more beautiful District and Greater Griffith through various city planting, Park Neighborhood Council asphalt cutting and recycling did a great job of supporting programs. this project and pledging to Thank you for your supmaintain it. port for all of our efforts to My goals for the Los Feliz/ improve your community. Silver Lake area in 2009: I want to complete the restoration of Griffith Park by reopening the Bird Sanctuary, rehabilitating Captain’s Roost By Eric and finishing the repairs to the Garcetti Vista del Valle area. Los Angeles My office will continue City Council to oversee the improvements President around Thomas Starr King Middle School to make the Let’s take a moarea safer for pedestrians. This ment to reflect on what we have year, city crews will widen the accomplished as a community sidewalks around the school in the past year and the changes and install lighting in the freewe want to make in 2009. way overpass nearby. My office In the last 12 months, we and Council President Eric have seen great additions to our Garcetti’s worked to jointly neighborhoods, including the obtain a $900,000 state grant new walking path on the east to fund these much-needed
New Year Brings New Hope
side of the Silver Lake Reservoir, the new triangle median at Vermont and Hollywood Blvd. and the securing of nearly $1 million in state funding to make it safer for students to walk to King Middle School. In this tough economy, though, too many families found themselves facing lost jobs and homes in foreclosure. The city helped fund a hotline to connect families with free financial counseling to avoid foreclosure and is working to expand protection for renters who find themselves pressured to vacate their homes when their buildings fall into foreclosure. There is much more to do in 2009. I am excited about the new leadership coming to Washington to help put our country and our economy back on track. But we will not be able to fix all of our problems overnight. At City Hall, we know that we are going to have to make some very difficult choices regarding our budget. Even in our current fiscal year, we are already facing a deficit due to lower-than-expected revenues to the city, and the Mayor and City Council are reviewing mid-year budget cuts. My priority will be to ensure the city can fund the basic services to keep our neighbor-
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hoods clean and safe—police, fire, emergency response, trash collection, street repair and other key public works services. Keeping communities safe also means ensuring that our young people have something positive to do in a safe, supervised environment. Last summer, our At the Park After Dark program that kept targeted city parks open late into the evenings gave hundreds of kids a place to go when they needed it most. Now crime is down by doubledigits around these parks. During my seven years on the City Council, I have also worked with schools and community-based organizations to ensure that there is an afterschool program on campus or within walking distance from every public school in my district. Investing in our youth by supporting quality education and enrichment programs will also be an important priority for me in our city budget. These are the priorities and values that guide me as part of the transition team for the Obama Administration where I am fighting for investments in Los Angeles and our nation’s cities. We are key to America’s future success, and change will begin right here where we have been practicing it for eight years in our neighborhoods.
January 2009