Thank you for visiting my website!

When I was first elected to the City Council in 2001, I promised to work with all the communities in my district to clean them up, make them safer, and expand opportunities for the families and businesses in them. Eight years later, we have made great progress -- but there's still a lot of work to do.

I hope you will continue to visit this site to learn more about the important issues facing our communities, take action in support of change that will make a real difference in our lives, and learn about occasional service opportunities where you can get directly involved in bettering our local communities and the city at large.

There is much more to do, and I am looking forward to continuing the job we started nearly eight years ago. Together, we will continue to make Los Angeles a safer, cleaner, and more prosperous city for everyone.

Thank you for electing me to serve you for another term on the City Council!

We have started a movement for change that begins not at City Hall, but in our neighborhoods.  People from all walks of life -- students, seniors, small business owners, working men and women, immigrants, teachers, police officers, firefighters, and more -- played an important role in this campaign.   

I am convinced that the diversity and the strong commitment of my supporters and volunteers were our campaign’s greatest assets.  And I am committed to working hard every day to make our vision of a safer, healthier, cleaner, greener Los Angeles a reality.    

I want Los Angeles to be a place where people feel connected to their community and to each other.  And I want Los Angeles to be a city that is safe, strong, and full of opportunity for every family. 

If you share this vision, I hope you will join me. 

During my campaign, hundreds of volunteers walked with me and knocked on doors to talk to their neighbors about how we can make Los Angeles a better city.  In the next four years, I want to continue walking -- door-to-door, in neighborhoods, on campuses, along our river, through our parks.  Along the way, we will clean up blight, educate communities about important issues, and connect people to services that can help them succeed.   

I invite you to walk with me.  Walk with me in our city.  Walk with me towards our future.  Walk with me towards our promise. 

This journey has just begun, and together we can realize all that Los Angeles can be. 

With deep gratitude for your support and great hope for our future,

Eric Garcetti

Pushing for High-Speed Help Fast

I recently joined with other state leaders, including the Governor and Assembly Speaker Bass, in calling for $4.7 billion in federal stimulus money to build a high-speed rail project that would connect Los Angeles and San Francisco.

We gathered at Union Station downtown, where Amtrak inter-city rail lines, Metrolink commuter rail, MTA subway and light rail and bus lines all converge. It’s a natural location for one end of a high-speed line as well.

But why push for high-speed rail? Most Americans haven’t quite known what to do with railroads in 75 years. We’re so spread out, and so dependent on our cars, the thinking goes, that many people west of New York have never even ridden a train, no matter what speed it is.  So why spend large sums of money on a high-speed line? Who needs it?

Well, we do.

High-speed rail already is an important part of transportation networks in Japan, France and other parts of Asia and Europe, moving millions of people quickly and affordably every year, with technology promising to increase top speeds of new rail lines to airplane-like levels. And high-speed rail lines can move a lot of people out of cars and planes, reducing demand on highways and airports already stretched to their capacities.

A high-speed line makes particular sense now, promising to create an estimated 100,000 badly needed jobs. And work on the line may stimulate research and development in an important new technology industry with worldwide growth opportunities.

I’m hopeful the Administration will agree with me and other state leaders and support this worthy project at a crucial time in the state. It’s time for high-speed rail in California.

Community Service and a Ticket to the Magic Kingdom

Community service has many benefits for those who give back; a better city, new skills, new friendships, the warm knowledge you’ve made a difference.

Now, there’s another benefit: a free visit at Disneyland (or Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, if you don’t mind the plane flight).

The Los Angeles Times detailed the new offer in a recent piece (go to http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2009/09/disney-offers-free-park-admission-to-those-who-volunteer.html for the story), but here are the basics:

Beginning Jan. 1, go to http://www.DisneyParks.com to sign up and browse through opportunities for volunteer work. Disney is working with the HandsOn Network, a part of the Points of Light Institute, which operates 250 centers nationwide and connects volunteers to more than 70,000 volunteer agencies.

Up to 1 million volunteers who’ve signed up beginning Jan. 1 will get a free one-day admission ticket for a day’s worth of volunteering at one of the two parks. This is a terrific opportunity, and yet another reminder that doing good can be rewarding in so many different ways.

Connecting Service, Food and Health

With Congress back in session, and the President having articulated a sensible and responsible package of proposals, I’m hopeful we’ll see significant and rapid progress toward a bill that can be signed into law.  At the same time, I couldn’t help noticing an article this week in the New York Times by science writer Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” The article suggests that getting America to eat better, in ways that reduce obesity and such chronic, preventable and expensive illnesses as Type 2 diabetes, can have a radical impact on what we’re spending for health care.

President Obama’s health-care package could create a powerful new constituency, health insurance companies, for improvements in the way we eat, Pollan wrote. The companies would have financial incentives to reduce their costs in ways other than capping and cancelling coverage or refusing to cover pre-existing conditions. It’s an intriguing concept. Regardless, we can do more to support healthier local eating. I sponsored a motion, also in July, to explore changing a city law that prevents people in R-1 zoning from growing fruit, nuts, flowers or seedlings for off-site sale (home-grown vegetables have been legal for sale for decades).  Supporters have dubbed the bill the Food and Flowers Freedom Act. If approved, it could boost small business creation and reduce our dependence on food raised thousands of miles away.

Meanwhile, other people are working in innovative ways to make available the backyard fruit and other food that grows throughout the city.  A Los Angeles Times article last week (at http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-gleaners9-2009sep09,0,6033018,full.story) describes two different approaches.

Hynden Walch of Glassell Park Hills has created Hillside Produce Cooperative (hillsideproducecooperative.org), which organizes volunteers to jointly gather and share backyard fruit from their respective homes.

Valley Glen resident Rick Nahmias created Food Forward (foodforward.org), an ambitious and admirable volunteer cooperative that has donated nearly 30,000 lbs. of backyard citrus fruit to food pantries this year.

Nahmias calls the program not just a win-win but a “win to the fourth degree.” Homeowners get a tax deduction and care for their trees, food bank clients get fresh and healthy fruit, while the food banks can spend their limited resources on other things.

Not least, volunteers get the satisfaction of making our city a bit better, and yes, healthier too. That’s the kind of reform we can all embrace.

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People seeking a fun and worthwhile opportunity for community service this weekend may want to join in the Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 19. Heal the Bay is sponsoring the local portion of this international effort.  For more information and to sign up, go to http://healthebay.org/volunteer/ccd/2009/participate.asp

PARK(ing) it for One Day

If some time this Friday, Sept. 18, you see a park bench and some grass where a parking space once was, don’t panic. There’s a reason for the transformation.

Such a pocket park means someone is taking part in PARK(ing) Day 2009, a suddenly international art happening originally started in San Francisco by a group called Rebar. PARK(ing) Day participants transform a metered parking spot into an unmetered park for a few hours, providing a brief excuse to get out of our cars and into, say, a street-side wading pool or park bench.

I’m all for it. I have long supported efforts to encourage more bicycle and public-transit use in Los Angeles, and regularly ride my own bike to City Hall or my district offices from my Echo Park home. And I’ve encouraged city planners and parks officials to look at ways we can create permanent mini parks and green spaces on small parcels of underused land around the city.

PARK(ing) Day is another important opportunity to think a bit about our relationship to our cars and to the city. Despite the presence of such treasures as Griffith Park and nearby national forests, wilderness and recreation areas, the Los Angeles metropolitan area has far less neighborhood park space per capita than most major U.S. cities.

For a few hours on Friday, we can slightly improve on those numbers. There are several PARKs planned in the Los Angeles area, in downtown and South Park, on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice as well as in Santa Monica and West Hollywood

There’s also one in the heart of my district, at 1525 W. Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park. Sponsors include the Echo Park Time Bank, Echo Curio and Nuvia’s, which are providing “plants, a mini pool and comfortable seating,” along with music and free horchata. Now that’s a park, even if only from 10 am to 2 pm for just one fun day.

For more information about PARK(ing) Day, PARK locations, or even to create your own, go to http://www.parkingday.org/

Ted Kennedy’s Real Legacy

Ted Kennedy’s Real Legacy

The death this week of U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy spawned a wonderful outpouring of tributes to the achievements of one of the longest-serving and most effective senators in United States history.

I’ve had my own visceral reactions to his passing, in part because I met the senator in 2006, when he spoke at the ceremony where I received the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award, named after his brother, from the John F. Kennedy Library and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

That day, the senator mostly talked about John Kennedy’s vision for a New Frontier in society, saying, “President Kennedy believed very strongly... that each of us can make a difference and all of us should try.”

Well, Ted Kennedy tried, working tirelessly to make a difference. Observers rightly pointed to his tireless championing of the needs and interests of the poor, despite his own privileged upbringing. His legislative achievements in areas such as higher minimum wages, worker protections, health care and more have helped shape the country as it is today. He saw public office as a particular form of community service, giving back to the rest of society by trying to make it better.

Even more, I think one of the most important aspects of Ted Kennedy's approach to public service was the way he conducted himself, with a pragmatic and personable approach that has influenced my own efforts as  Los Angeles City Council president.

Yes, Sen. Kennedy certainly had strong partisan instincts, which he ably and regularly voiced. But importantly, he also could reach across the aisle to political opposites such as Utah’s Orrin Hatch, perhaps  the Senate’s most conservative member. The result, Sen. Hatch told National Public Radio this week, was that the two became unlikely but close friends and effective legislative collaborators.

Sen. Hatch spoke fondly and movingly of his personal and professional time with Sen. Kennedy. Often, he said, they would argue vociferously about political issues, but never stopped being friends or colleagues who could work together to create, and pass into law, legislation that made the country better.

Financial Times columnist Clive Crook wrote that Sen. Kennedy “was neither cynic nor soggy centrist. He was passionate, a liberal’s liberal. Yet he was pragmatic, and was capable of liking and respecting people who disagreed with him. Firm principles married to a friendly tolerance of other views…”

Too often in recent years partisan maneuvering for short-term political gain has complicated the work our country needs done at nearly every level of government. Scoring political points sometimes has been more important than effective policy-making.

Ted Kennedy suggested there is a better way, to be a true political leader rather than a mere political combatant. Problem solving over partisanship means addressing the issues with courage, candor, honor and humor. Of all his legacies, this perhaps was Ted Kennedy’s most important one.

On a Mission: Raul Macias, Raegan Payne And Volunteering in Los Angeles

I share President Obama’s call for community service. Government can’t by itself fix the many challenges we face, nor can the private sector. Rather, it requires contributions from all of us, working together through a variety of organizations and initiatives, to help this city and this country achieve its ideals and create, as someone once wrote, a more perfect union.

To that end, in coming weeks, we will unveil here an initiative encouraging and highlighting community service throughout Los Angeles. I’ll discuss more on that in subsequent posts. In the meantime, I plan to occasionally talk about people who already are working to make Los Angeles a better place.

One of those people is Raul Macias. Twelve years ago, the Guadalajara native founded Anahuak Youth Sports Association to give youths on the northeast side of Los Angeles access to soccer leagues.

Today, more than 2,000 boys and girls between the ages of 5 and 17 from the communities along the Los Angeles River are taking part in Anahuak’s programs, which also include education, health and environmental work. Together, they promote positive change in their own backyards.

Taking a different approach is Raegan Payne, a writer and actress in Los Angeles’ Westchester neighborhood whose website, TheGoodMuse.com, details her efforts to volunteer for 50 different non-profit projects by the end of this year.

Her Volunteer Journal details project by project her progress so far, working for groups such as the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Heal the Bay, Project Angel Food, Operation Shanti, The Miracle Project and Tree People.

“Anyone can find an activity that fits their talents and lifestyle, or they might even learn something new,” Raegan told the Culver City News recently. “I’ve learned how to correctly plant a tree, nurse a kitten back to health, teach a group of children to write, test water quality, use a power saw, and so much more. I’m pretty handy to have around now.”

You don’t have to be as ambitious as Raul or Raegan, nor do you have to write about it, to make a difference in Los Angeles. Any community service or volunteer work you can do will help the city and all who live here. And soon, we’ll make it even easier for you to pitch in, helping create a greater Los Angeles.

Note: To learn more about Raul Macias, go to a recent Los Angeles Times article at http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/17/local/me-soccerguy17 To learn more about Raegan Payne’s Mission 50 and read her Volunteer Journal postings, go to http://www.thegoodmuse.com.

Don’t Punish Local Government for State Challenges

California’s latest budget squabbles and eventual precariously balanced deal once again painfully highlight something that’s been apparent for years: the basic structure of our state and local government funding and budgetary decision-making is torturously complex and fundamentally broken.

I won’t dwell here on how to fix the state budget process; plenty of people have already voiced their opinions about that, and will continue to do so. But the current state funding system has repeatedly caused collateral damage to local government operations in ways too few people understand.

As chairman of the Democratic National Committee’s 100,000-strong caucus of local elected officials, I have to say that cities, counties, school districts and other local government agencies deserve better than they have gotten from the state in recent years, and so do their constituents. However we fix the state, it can’t be at the expense of cities, counties, special districts and schools and the vital local services they provide every day to our shared constituents.

When people think of what government does to make their lives better, they tend to think of the things local governments do, such as police and fire, K-12 education, ambulances, health clinics, traffic lights, street repairs, parks, beaches and pools, water, sewers and trash pickup. These are the vital direct services that affect every town’s and every person’s quality of life, and affect it every day.

Yet it is exactly those services that will be hit and hurt yet again as the state takes money from local governments to balance its own budget needs. The latest raids on local funding sources include:

· $2 billion from city, county and special district budgets that now will be “loaned” to the state for the next three years. Local governments that already had made painful cuts, in a timely manner, to balance their budgets now must go back and cut again.

· $1.7 billion in redevelopment funds. Redevelopment revenues are used to stimulate investment and job growth in our most economically challenged neighborhoods. These funds are important to our recovery efforts.

· $4.3 billion from local schools, and the deferral of another $1.7 billion.

If California’s budget process eventually does undergo much-needed reform, we must protect cities, counties, schools and special districts from further state raids that undercut their ability to provide the basic, everyday services that every resident of the state depends on. Local governments need more control over and protection for their funding sources. Let us be able to make vital decisions on how best to provide everyday local services without fear that headaches at another level of government will suddenly land in our laps.

No Clunker in this Idea

This year’s economic-stimulus package contained a huge range of ideas and programs in its many hundreds of pages and hundreds of billions of dollars of appropriations. Few of those ideas and programs have been as immediate a hit as the so-called “Cash for Clunkers” plan, which gives car-buyers vouchers worth up to $4,500 for trading in their low-mileage vehicle for one that’s significantly more fuel-efficient.

It’s been so big a hit, in fact, that in just one week, it exhausted the $1 billion Congress initially set aside, while depleting the supplies of available vehicles on at least some dealers’ lots here in California. Buyers loved it, the auto companies loved it, dealers loved it and the environment will love it.

I love it, too. It’s the sort of smart, pragmatic, market-aware approach to a set of thorny problems that leverages a modest amount of government money as a catalyst that achieves several important goals at once:

· Need to get the economy going? The government incentives were big enough to encourage a wide swathe of people to open their wallets in the still-stumbling economy and buy a new car.

· Need to stabilize a shaky domestic car industry? Nothing helps like a huge sale that doesn’t hurt your profit margins and clears out inventory. July was the best month of the year so far for carmakers, so good they may need to get those factories building more of the highly efficient vehicles that we need to have an internationally competitive auto industry.

· Need to improve the air? The eligibility requirements, tiered to provide some consumer choice and flexibility, required that older, high-emission cars would be exchanged for vehicles with significantly better fuel efficiency. In fact, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Susan Collins said federal data showed the 250,000 people who’ve already used the program bought cars with mileage improvements that averaged nearly 10 miles more per gallon, much higher than initially projected.

· Need to restart global conversations about controlling greenhouse gases? The Cash for Clunkers program will not only reduce the amount of vehicle-created greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, it sets a strong example for other countries as the Obama Administration lobbies for renewed talks on this complex but vital issue.

· Need to reduce dependence on overseas oil? Less fuel use equates to less need to import oil, and less need to incidentally finance the operations of so many problematic oil-rich but repressive governments.

· Need to help reeling local governments save jobs and provide vital services? The taxes generated by increased vehicle sales will boost the coffers of cities, counties, states and other local government entities.

So, with the lever of a comparatively modest amount of incentive money, the Cash for Clunkers program has been a huge hit, helping move the country a bit closer to achieving an array of important goals. I hope that Congress will quickly re-up the program to ensure continuity and certainty for consumers and dealers, to the benefit of the country.

Just as importantly, I hope we continue to look for other smart solutions. We need more programs that pragmatically achieve important goals by leveraging market forces with intelligent leadership and catalyzing investments. We have a lot to get done and need to be smart, and quick, about it.

Unhealthy, Uninsured, Unconscionable

Los Angelenos face a lot of challenges these days, from a troubled economy to a stubborn drought. But few issues as consistently top the list of concerns among voters I talk with as fixing our broken national health care system.

The problems the system creates can be heartbreaking: There’s the family whose breadwinner is panicked over her lost job, and the paid insurance it provided. There’s the person with a chronic “pre-existing condition” who now can’t get coverage, no matter what he can pay. There’s the couple facing bankruptcy, struggling, even with coverage, to pay off the costs of treating a single serious illness. There are even the would-be entrepreneurs who don’t dare quit their day job to pursue their dream because they can’t risk going without coverage for themselves or their family.

Yes, the system provides some of the world’s best quality of care for those positioned to take advantage of it. But some 46 million Americans, about one in eight of us, have no insurance at all. They delay care until a crisis hits, then jam our overwhelmed emergency rooms seeking last-minute help.

Even among the insured, many have less coverage than they would need to get through even a moderately serious situation without financial devastation. Those who file claims often face daunting paperwork, and the possibility their coverage could be revoked. And worse yet, the system rewards the wrong things, with few incentives for preventive care, and too many for excessive tests and expensive procedures.

President Obama has pledged to fix the system, laying out a series of first principles but letting Congress hash through the details of a major reform bill. There is some substantial movement toward a landmark bill, as most of the major players have committed to negotiating a workable compromise.

That’s good news. But we can’t afford to delay serious reform. It’s too important to the long-term health of the nation’s economy, its business competitiveness, its entrepreneurial spirit and most importantly, its human spirit. We can’t leave millions of our people to be needlessly ground down by the vagaries and costs of a badly broken system.

That’s why I introduced a resolution before the Los Angeles City Council last week that would put the council and mayor on record as supporting President Obama’s health-care reform principles, and to direct our representatives to push for those principles as part of the city’s federal legislative program.

Few cities would benefit more than Los Angeles from a reformed system that covers as many Americans as possible, and frees us to deal with the many other challenges this nation must fix.

An Update on Budget Negotiations

As many of you know, L.A. is facing fiscal problems of unprecedented magnitudes and in planning our budget we faced a shortfall of $530 million. Several weeks ago in this space, I set out some principles that I intended to use in my work to build a balanced budget. They included sharing sacrifices without compromising our values, protecting our gains in public safety, and treating our employees humanely. I also noted that, because the majority of our budget is spent on payroll, the hard reality is that this cost must come down one way or another.

We have been making progress in this area through the Mayor’s negotiations with the leaders of the Coalition of City Unions (representing about 22,000 of the city’s 40,000 workers). In the spirit of shared sacrifice, Coalition Union members would defer any cost of living adjustment increases (COLA’s) to their salaries for the next 2 years. They would also be increasing their payroll contribution to the City pension fund, which will allow us to implement an early retirement incentive plan without increasing our pension fund liabilities. If approved by the members, these measures will save approximately $200 million and allow the City to avoid the vast majority of furloughs and layoffs at a time when the regional unemployment rate threatens to top 12%.

This agreement doesn’t quite get us over the finish line in terms of getting our budget deficit to zero, but combined with other cuts that have already been approved, our budget shortfall has shrunk from $530 million to $130 million. We are still in negotiations with other city unions, and I’m hopeful that they will follow the example set by the Coalition Union members to help us eliminate this remaining shortfall.

You may have heard that the early retirement program will put a greater strain on an already overburdened pension fund. I too am concerned about additional liabilities in our pension fund, and that’s why we are taking a data-driven approach. This agreement was based on two previous actuarial studies in addition to hundreds of hours of research and discussion. Further, we are awaiting a third actuarial report that we expect to receive in the next three weeks. This agreement will not take effect unless the third report supports the previous conclusions.

As I’ve said before, transparency in our governing process is important to me. This agreement has not received final approval, and will not receive final approval until the study been presented to the public and until 30 days for public comment has elapsed. The study will by posted on LACity.org when it is complete, and I encourage everyone to take a look.

Everyone should also be aware that there is currently a $600 million long-term shortfall in the city’s pension fund, which is largely a result of the significant stock market losses that have occurred in the past year. While this shortfall has no impact on this year’s budget, it will rapidly become a problem if we do nothing. However, we are actively working to address this issue with the implementation of tiered benefits for future employees. Stay tuned, as it will continue to be discussed in the coming months.

Keeping High Tech Businesses in LA

Last week, the LA Times ran an article detailing an ambiguity in our tax code that has had the ironic result of increasing taxes on some of the very types business the City of Los Angeles has been hoping to attract and keep. In 1997, the City adopted a tax code revision that provided relief from the business tax to multimedia companies. Perhaps because of the rapidly changing technology landscape (or just an inability to predict the future), the code was silent on definitions for certain internet-based companies, which allowed our Office of Finance the freedom to interpret the code in way that has increased the tax burden unexpectedly on some of our high-tech companies.

While the job of our city tax collectors is to collect tax revenue, it’s the job of elected representatives to assess the whole picture and make sure that the City isn’t being penny-wise, but pound foolish in our policies. That's exactly what’s happening here, and in tough economic times, it makes no sense to be driving employers like these across city borders to places like Santa Monica, which denies L.A. any revenues from their successful business operations.

Fortunately, this is something we can fix. I, along with Councilmembers Rosendahl and Smith have already introduced a motion asking the City Attorney and the Office of Finance to create a new ordinance to amend the tax code so that tech businesses that represent the future of well-paying industry in our city will choose to open and maintain operations in L.A.

Prop 8 Rally In Los Angeles Tonight

I am very disappointed by the California Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold Proposition 8. If you'd like to come out to protest today's Prop 8 decision, there is a rally and march in West Hollywood at 7:00pm. Meet at the corner of Santa Monica & San Vicente for a march to Hollywood & Highland.

If you can’t make it to West Hollywood, there will be a rally at Hollywood & Highland around 9:30pm.

Los Angeles City Council Endorses The Employee Free Choice Act

I recently sponsored a resolution in the Los Angeles City Council to express support for the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and I am proud to report that last week, the resolution passed the council 13-1.

EFCA, when it becomes law, will make joining a union easier for millions of Americans, a necessity if we are to raise workers' wages, ensure healthcare coverage for all and rebuild the middle class. The case for it is clear, which makes it all the more frustrating that the bill appears stalled in the US Senate.

As our resolution states:

WHEREAS, the free choice to join with others and bargain for better wages and benefits is essential to economic opportunity and good living standards; and

WHEREAS, unions benefit communities by strengthening living standards, stabilizing tax bases, promoting equal treatment and enhancing civic participation; and

WHEREAS, states in which more people are union members are states with higher wages, better benefits and better schools; and

WHEREAS, union workers receive better wages and benefits, with union workers earning 29 percent more than workers without a union, 35 percent more likely to have access to health insurance and four times more likely to have access to a guaranteed defined-benefit pension; and

WHEREAS, unions help raise workers' pay and narrow the income gap for minorities and women by increasing median weekly earnings by 31 percent for union women workers, 31 percent for African-American workers, 50 percent for Latino workers and 9 percent for Asian American workers...

It concludes:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, with the concurrence of the Mayor, that by the adoption of this Resolution, the City of Los Angeles hereby includes in its 2009-2010 Federal Legislative Program SUPPORT of HR 1409/S 560, the Employee Free Choice Act of 2009, which would restore workers' freedom to join a union and, more specifically, amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts, authorize the National Labor Relations Board to certify a union as the bargaining representative when a majority of employees-voluntarily sign authorizations designating that union to represent them, provide for first contract mediation and arbitration, and establish meaningful penalties for violations of a worker's freedom to choose a union.

My grandfather on my mom's side owned a union factory, and like Henry Ford, he understood the importance of decent wages and benefits for his employees. During my tenure on the Los Angeles City Council, time and time again, we've seen the widespread benefits of unionization. It's true that a rising tide can lift all ships and unionization is that rising tide.

Take the fight to unionize L.A. security officers. While the business community was convinced they'd be irreparably harmed by the unionization of these workers, on the contrary, they are thriving, the security officers have better wages and benefits AND Los Angeles is a more secure city as a result. By paying a wage that allows workers to actually support a family, there is lower turnover, the applicants are better trained, emergency response times are faster and as a result our downtown highrises are safer and more secure.

I believe that it is incumbent upon cities -- as centers of progressivism, as hubs of social change and, let's face it, where the people live -- to exert whatever pressure we can bring to bear on our leaders to do the right thing. While this resolution is strictly symbolic, I believe it sends a strong message not only to the elected leaders in California but to other local governing bodies around the country to step up and fight for progressive change. It's like our president said during his historic run for the White House: real change can only come from the bottom up. Well here we are at the bottom urging those at the top to do what's right and pass the Employee Free Choice Act.

Expanding Access To College

My Dad was the first in his family to go to college and would never have been able to attend USC if it weren't for the scholarships he received. When I attended Columbia, I was fortunate to earn a scholarship to help pay for some of my expenses. Currently, more than 24,000 students in the LA Community College District receive Pell Grants to help them pay for their higher education. Without this assistance, millions of young people each year would not be able to reach their goal of attending college.

Which is why I was so thrilled to see President Obama propose expansions of both the number of people eligible for financial aid as well as the amounts they are eligible for as part of his 100 days agenda. The president's goal to improve access to college for lower-income students to make sure they have a better shot of achieving success later in life is a laudable one.

A quick rundown of the reforms President Obama has initiated:

* Increased the number and amounts of Pell Grants * Created American Opportunity Tax Credit * Increased Work Study funding * Allows 529 funds to be used to buy computers

We know that college graduates have an advantage when applying for jobs and they earn more money over their lifetimes (studies show that the average college graduate will earn $1 million more in his or her lifetime than the average high school graduate.) It's imperative that government play a part in expanding access to assistance for those that need it most so we can level the playing field and make a first class education accessible for everyone again.

To make sure young Angelenos are informed as to the financial aid they're eligible for, my office holds regular Cash For College workshops. Check back here at the blog for updates and be sure to go to LACashForCollege.org for more information.

Fountain Community Garden Work Day Tomorrow

Can you come out and help build the newest garden in the Hollywood community?

Tomorrow, May 2nd, from 9am to 12pm, you are invited to come together with other members of the Hollywood community to help fill garden beds, weed, spread mulch and plant fruit trees at the Fountain Community Garden. The garden is located at 5620 Fountain Ave. (@ St. Andrews.)

We first broke ground back in February, you can read about it and watch a video from that event HERE.

Ending Human Trafficking and Slavery Must Begin In Los Angeles

Believe it or not, here we are in 2009 and of all organized crime activities, human trafficking is actually the 3rd largest international crime after arms and drug sales. According to the CIA, 50,000 people are trafficked into the US every year and sadly, California is the top destination for US traffickers.

More depressing statistics: it's estimated that there are 17,000 slaves in the US, 27,000 in the world today, which is more than ever before. Immigration agents estimate that 10,000 are held in Los Angeles alone in underground brothels, which doesn't even count the countless numbers of people held in domestic slavery.

To combat this scourge, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force On Human Trafficking was formed in 2005. The first of its kind in the country, the task force grew out of the pioneering work of the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST,) which is the leading anti-trafficking organization in the country. The task force works with local groups and law enforcement to increase the identification of victims, provide training to first responders and the community at large, and obtain maximum penalties for offenders. It also offers safe haven for victims of trafficking and slavery at CAST's Shelter program, also the first of its kind in the country.

In 2007, the task force launched its "Know Trafficking" public awareness campaign to educate people so they can look for the signs of human trafficking in their communities. You can find out more at www.HumanTrafficking.com and to report a crime, please use the local human trafficking hotline: 800-655-4096 (nationwide 888-373-7888.) Human trafficking and modern day slavery are crimes that are hidden in the shadows and only through the vigilance of the public will we shine a much needed light on this travesty of justice that thousands in our midst are living with every day.

The Difficult Choices We Face Ahead

As you know, the economic crisis has hit local governments all around the country extremely hard and Los Angeles is no exception. The city is currently facing an unprecedented $530M budget deficit this year, which will rise to over $1 billion in 2010. The City Council and the Mayor are working tirelessly to tackle this deficit in the coming weeks.

The key to solving this fiscal crisis is sharing the sacrifice broadly without compromising our common values. For instance, while the funding for some city programs will need to be cut, we must not sacrifice the gains in public safety we've made in recent years and we must not balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable among us. We are in for some difficult choices ahead. Do we pare back libraries and emergency services or anti-poverty programs when we need them most? There are no good answers, but all of America is being asked to make sacrifices. The more we can share that, the better everyone will weather this storm.

At the same time we must face the hard reality that the vast majority of the budget is devoted to salaries, which means that payroll must come down. But we must do it in a way that treats our employees decently and humanely. This means negotiating with unions to reduce workers' hours and to encourage early retirements. Layoffs must be the absolute last resort.

This also means cutting city office budgets sharply. The Council has already agreed to cut its budget, including salaries, by 10% for next year and in fact has cut its own budget by more than $6 million over the past two fiscal years. I will cut my own salary by the same amount that City employees do. Additionally, we need to accept that, just as with the private sector, wage increases for city employees this year are simply not sustainable.

As we make these hard choices, it's imperative that we maintain our fiscal strength and retain the highest bond rating in the nation. In addition, it's extremely important to me that we boost our reserve fund to 4 ¼ % of budget, up from under 4 % to act as a yearly rainy day fund and to aggressively work to get additional federal stimulus funds to offset losses (most stimulus funds are for new programs rather than existing ones).

The Mayor submitted his budget proposal to the Council on April 20th and we now have until the end of May to review it and make changes. The Council has begun deliberations on the budget and over the coming weeks will carefully review all the proposals included. You can follow these deliberations online at lacity.org or on Channel 35. I will continue to update you on the difficult process we face; it's important to me that the process be as transparent and accessible as possible since the solution to this crisis is going to require sacrifice from all of us.

How Should Los Angeles Spend Its Energy Efficiency Block Grants?

This week, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power finished distributing 2 compact fluorescent lightbulbs to all 1.2 million LA City households. While the CFL distribution program cost the DWP $3 million, they estimate that the city-wide use of CFLs over time will ultimately save the utility $61.3 million in fuel costs.

That's precisely the sort of pro-active policy that government can take to save both money AND energy and make Los Angeles greener one household...and one lightbulb...at a time.

What's the next energy-saving program that Los Angeles should invest in?

Thanks to the stimulus package, Los Angeles is due to receive $37 million in Energy Efficiency Block Grants, money that we intend to spend on projects that reduce our carbon footprint and put people to work retro-fitting buildings, installing renewable energy sources, painting rooves white, etc.

Do  you know of projects or organizations that are doing this work but simply need more funding? Do you have any thoughts on which projects we should be investing in? What are they doing at your workplace to make your office greener? Here are some initiatives that we're considering funding with the block grant funds,  I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

• Development of an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy and Technical Consultant Services to assist in the development of a strategy to reduce Los Angeles's carbon footprint.

• Residential and Commercial Building Energy Audits.

• Financial Incentive Programs and Mechanisms for energy efficiency improvements such as energy savings performance contracting, on-bill financing, and revolving loan funds.

• Grants to nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies for the purpose of performing Energy Efficiency Retrofits.

• Energy Efficiency and Conservation Programs for Buildings and Facilities.

• Development and Implementation of Transportation Programs to conserve energy.

• Building Codes and Inspections to promote building energy efficiency.

• Energy Distribution Technologies that significantly increase energy efficiency, including distributed resources, combined heat and power, and district heating and cooling systems.

• Material Conservation Programs including source reduction, recycling, and recycled content procurement programs that lead to increases in energy efficiency.

• Reduction and Capture of Methane and Greenhouse Gases generated by landfills or similar waste-related sources.

• Energy efficient Traffic Signals and Street Lighting.

• Renewable Energy Technologies on Government Buildings.

Protecting Homeowners From Mortgage Scam Artists

President Obama has made mortgage modification a pillar of his housing plan and very recently, he assured us that now was the time to refinance our homes. As a result, more and more people are seeking these mortgage workouts, which will go a long way toward reducing the number of foreclosures and thus keep people in their homes, which is crucial to stemming the devastating effects of the housing crisis.

Unfortunately, as innocent people seek legitimate ways to renegotiate the terms of their mortgages, there are scam artists waiting to take advantage of them.

Scams targeting struggling homeowners seeking to stave off foreclosure have skyrocketed, federal officials said Monday, disclosing that they are investigating more than 2,100 companies and have filed legal actions against an Irvine firm and three others.

"The unscrupulous actions of individuals and companies to exploit the misfortune of others is despicable, it's immoral, and it's also illegal," said Atty. Gen. Eric Holder, who announced the campaign with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and other federal officials.

The way this scam works is simple: people posing as modification counselors will show up, ask for a fee, promise to change the mortgage, and then do nothing. The amounts are not huge, usually ranging from $500-$5,000, but it's enough to devastate homeowners already in dire financial straights.

The fact is, modifying mortgages costs absolutely nothing. The reason these scam artists have been able to thrive is that there is no agency currently tasked with regulating the modification agencies prior to the filing of a Notice of Default, which is the best time for a homeowner to seek remedy. Yesterday I introduced an ordinance that would do just that.

This ordinance requires that:

1) Mortgage consultants provide a contract. The contract must specifically state in bold-14 point font that the homeowner does not need to pay anyone for these services and can access free resources at makinghomeaffordable.gov or by calling 888.995.HOPE. 2) Prohibits the charging of an upfront fee 3) Provides for private damages (which incentives attorneys to go after and sue these scammers).

I'm proud to say that the ordinance has passed through the Housing, Community and Economic Development Committee and the entire City Council will be considering it over the coming weeks. Homeowners have been hit hard enough by the housing crisis without having to deal with scam artists who would do them even more harm. As the federal government figures out how best to regulate loan modification agencies, we at the local government level have a responsibility to do what we can to protect homeowners.

Making Los Angeles A Model For The Nation

Last week, I announced the formation of the Los Angeles City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Economic Recovery and Reinvestment. The goal of the committee is to develop strategies to help Los Angeles win the maximum amount of federal stimulus dollars for which we're eligible and to create a plan for allocating the funding to most efficiently and effectively meet the needs of the city’s businesses and residents.

You may recall that in February, President Obama put local governments on notice, calling on us to "spend that money wisely, free from politics, free from personal agenda." That's precisely the spirit in which I convened the first meeting of the committee on Tuesday. At that meeting, we established a set of 9 guiding priorities by which we intend not only to fulfill the president's vision for efficient allocation of the stimulus funds, but also to make Los Angeles the most accountable, transparent, and effective city in moving economic recovery programs forward. We'd like to see these priorities serve as a model for local governments all over the country, particularly in our nation's cities where "urban acupuncture", or the careful targeted allocation of funds to projects that have the most combined benefit, can be used to best effect.

Those priorities are as follows:

1. projects that are truly shovel-ready 2. projects that produce or protect jobs 3. projects that lessen the human impact of the economic downturn 4. projects that have the highest level of transparency and public involvement 5. projects that have the highest level of accountability, including internal city audits 6. projects that involve partnerships to better spend federal dollars 7. projects that have multiple benefits (green affordable housing could clean air, build affordable housing AND put people to work) 8. projects that promote adopted public policy goals of the city (clean port air, plant trees, promote transit-oriented development, etc.) 9. projects that promote strategic industries for long-term growth, such as green jobs in environmental technology

This committee will make sure we leave no stone unturned when it comes to identifying and winning federal stimulus dollars and will be working closely with the Mayor’s Office and City Departments to coordinate our efforts to bring badly needed federal money to Los Angeles. In fact, because we have already taken the lead on many of the policy areas where dollars are targeted (energy efficiency, green jobs, port and airport projects, etc.), I believe Los Angeles may be able to access as much as $1 billion.

As I work to make Los Angeles a model for quick, effective and accountable implementation of stimulus dollars, I'd welcome your input. What projects would you like to see us target? Where can we get the most bang for the buck and how else can cities lead the way toward economic recovery?

Drought

In the LA Times today, the message from State water resources director Lester Snow is an important one, that despite better than expected water supplies thanks to rainstorms earlier this year:

"We still consider we are in a drought and need to take special actions."

The good news is that water deliveries to Southern California will be higher than previously expected; the bad news is that it is still well below normal. But that gets to the heart of the problem: the fact that Los Angeles is as dependent as we are on external sources for a vast majority of our water. Check out this chart that illustrates where our water comes from.

Rain is good, but only about 10 percent of our water is locally produced & most of this will wash away until we unpave more of the city. Unpaving LA will allow us to capture water for our own use instead of allowing it to spill out into the ocean. We need more green streets.

Certainly conservation and rationing measures are going to be needed to help solve our water shortage but we also need to invest in infrastructure and undertake the revitalization of the LA River including unpaving it and restoring vegetation and wildlife to the river.

As Vice Chair of the Ad Hoc River Committee, I'm proud to have been involved with instituting the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan (you can download it here), which the city officially adopted in 2007.

Everything you could want to know about our plans for revitalizing the L.A. River, which in turn will contribute to solving our longterm water supply issue, you can find here.

Help Count Hollywood's Homeless

Tomorrow night the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority will be conducting the next stage of their 2009 count of the L.A. homeless population here in Hollywood. Getting an accurate count of the number of people living on the streets or in shelters in our city is a crucial step toward getting the funding we need to ultimately end homelessness in Los Angeles. Essentially, what LAHSA is doing is taking a census of those among us who are living in the shadows. For them to count, they need to be counted and that's where you can help.

LAHSA is looking for volunteers to interview homeless people both sheltered and unshltered in Hollywood tomorrow night. There will be an extensive 2 hour training at 8pm and then at 10pm volunteers will canvass the area in groups of 3 or 4 at a time to interview as many homeless people as we can to obtain crucial demographic data. LAHSA has more details of what the count will entail:

Homeless Demographic Surveys collect demographic data (age, gender, etc.) and descriptive data (length of time being homeless, services used, etc.) about homeless individuals in our region.

The General Population Telephone Survey seeks to enumerate the "hidden homeless"; that is, those who currently would not be counted via the Unsheltered Street Count or the Shelter & Institution Count because they are camping on private property, living in unconverted garages and garden sheds, and other such areas.

The Unsheltered Street Count utilizes volunteers to enumerate unsheltered homeless persons on a given night (e.g. living on the street, in encampments, in cars) in census tracts throughout the Greater Los Angeles area.

The Shelter & Institution Count estimates the number of homeless individuals and families housed overnight in shelters (emergency and transitional shelters, motels/hotels that accept homeless vouchers) and institutions (residential alcohol & drug treatment centers, jails, detention centers, hospital emergency rooms).

Getting an accurate count of our homeless population is a necessary step toward ending homelessness and coming out and helping LAHSA is a safe and rewarding way to give back to the community.

To sign up for the Hollywood count please contact Sarah MacPherson at the Hollywood Business Improvement District at sarah@hollywoodbid.org.

Neighborhood Resources

Since first running for city council 8 years ago, one of my goals has been to make government more accessible and relevant in people's lives. There's a debate in the country right now as to what the role of government should be. For me, at minimum, the government has an obligation to be a force of good in people's every day lives; government should help those who can't help themselves and fill in the gaps where the private sector falters, especially during the sort of economic downturn we're experiencing now.

But government can't do it alone. The private and non-profit sectors are part of the solution, as are our friends and neighbors, whether it be as volunteers, as donors or just helping out someone who is in need.

To that end, I wanted to share with you some crucial resources, a combination of governmental agencies and private organizations with whom we partner that can be of enormous assistance to our fellow citizens in times of need. Please, if you know of anyone in trouble, whether it be on the verge of homelessness, in foreclosure, on unemployment, please share the links below with them.

I believe it's the responsibility of all of us to look out for our fellow citizens and government and private organizations alike have a crucial role to play in that.

• Healthy City offers a wide range of resources including housing assistance, healthcare, job training and education assistance

• The LA Regional Food Bank is devoted to fighting hunger in our community

• LA County Dept. of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Lifeline offer immediate mental health assistance and crisis counseling

• National Domestic Violence Hotline offers 24/7 domestic abuse crisis intervention services

• For those needing Foreclosure Assistance, please check out L.A. Neighborhood Housing Services and Operation Hope

• The Los Angeles Workforce Investment Board and California WorkSource Centersoffer job training assistance for those who've lost their jobs.

Dispatch From DC

On Monday I traveled to Washington, D.C. with a delegation of Southern California elected and business leaders to meet with administration officials and members of congress and advocate for federal funding for our area. With 22 million people, Southern California alone is more populous than 48 states; 43% of all goods that enter through America's ports come through Southern California; we have an unemployment rate over 11% and our homeless family population has increased by 28.3% in six months. My message to Washington leaders this week: investing in Southern California is crucial to the nation's economic recovery.

It's been an extremely rewarding trip and, I think, quite productive. Some highlights:

- Senator Boxer spoke to us about the job growth potential of clean technology and alternative energy.  We met with Energy Secretary Steven Chu as well and specifically made the case to him that Los Angeles is poised to be a market leader in green job training. We have a real opportunity to lead the nation in a green jobs revolution and I have no doubt that with Van Jones at the helm, California will be central to the administration's green job investments. Chu challenged us to not just push for green-designed buildings, but to monitor energy use (and to push white roofs.)

- We talked to White House officials about the importance of an urban-based strategy for recovery, where a combination of public works projects, stalled private developments in need of public dollars, and strategic sector initiatives could help put people back to work in our urban centers. Cities are the economic drivers of our nation and for the last 8 years, we've seen investment dry up. I'm heartened to see the new administration's commitment to the renewal of our cities. The stimulus dollars we'll be getting over the coming months are extremely precious and can go further if properly directed to the right urban renewal projects.

- Yesterday we had a bipartisan lunch with 12 members of congress and Northern Californian counterparts like David Chiu, my equivalent at the SF Board of Supervisors. At the meeting, we discussed the importance of moving CA from a "donor state" (in taxes spent versus money we get back) to a more evenly-balanced state. For every dollar Los Angeles sends to Washington, we get 73 cents back. That's got to change.

- We also spoke to Obama's economic advisers about the importance of solving the housing crisis at the heart of the economic downturn. We discussed the need to focus on ways to write down mortgages on homes or promote short sales to forestall even more foreclosures. I had a great conversation with Rep. Maxine Waters about home foreclosure and eviction prevention.

Today we met with Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis about workers' issues, Attorney General Eric Holder on public safety, Education Secretary Arne Duncan about education issues and Larry Summers to discuss the overall economic stabilization strategy. The access has been incredible. In fact, we appear to be among the few people having these meetings, getting this access, and helping shape policy early. I've just been really impressed with the amount and quality of time they've devoted to us and the very real commitment they've demonstrated to smart investment not only in California, but around the country to get us on the road to economic recovery.

Join Me For A Live Webchat At 3pm

I'll be answering questions in the comments over at Crooks & Liars. Please come by and say hi.

UPDATE: Great chat online over at Crooks & Liars. If you missed it, you can see it all here.

Historic Day In California

Like many of you, I watched the Prop 8 hearing at the California Supreme Court today with great anticipation and emotion. It was great to see so many Angelenos come to the City Council chamber to watch the proceedings at our public viewing.

As I said earlier today, all of us -- gay and straight -- who care about fairness, justice, tolerance and equality are watching this case closely with the greatest hope for our state and our nation that those who serve to protect our rights and freedoms will see fit to do so for all of us.

We have stood in our city council chambers for justice time and time again, before there was marriage equality -- we passed resolution after resolution for it -- until we had marriage equality and on the steps of this building we had our very first same-sex wedding, which I had the joy of presiding over. It is heartbreaking to listen to this argument for any of us who have experienced the beauty of these weddings. For myself, I just got married in January too and I know, that which we have, nobody can take away. Justice is on our side, whether it is today or whether it is tomorrow. No matter what the result of today's hearing is, no doubt the fight will go on but I am confident that marriage equality will be restored in California.

Thanks, Everyone!

We had a great night at the Avalon in Hollywood last night. Thanks everyone for your support and for coming out to celebrate with us. Yesterday was the culmination of a trip that lasted for nearly a year, but it is merely the latest walk of an ongoing journey we started some eight years ago. Thank you for walking with me and for walking with one another. The next walk on our journey forward begins today.

Here's some video of my speech from last night:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN9BFhbN6jg

Los Angeles Municipal Results Thread

(This is Todd, campaign blogger, live from the election party at the Avalon)

People are starting to gather, the band is playing, the TVs are on. The excitement is growing. Polls are now closed. Results will be posted HERE.

More as we hear it.

[UPDATE] Early returns are showing Eric up 72.5-27.5! Other results:

Antonio Villaraigosa up with 57.3%

Prop B the Solar initiative is up by 6.4%.

[UPDATE] The band is playing an original: "Are You Ready For Garcetti?" Sample line: "Everybody hollar, everybody cheer, we're gonna give him 4 more years!"

[UPDATE] Eric came out, played some keyboards, then gave a victory speech. "There's a saying, 'show me whom you walk with and I'll show you who you are.' Thank you for walking with me. Our next walk begins tomorrow."

[UPDATE] Results have been updated as of 10:12pm. So far, 92% of mail-in ballots and 8% of in-person ballots have been counted. Eric is holding strong with a 71-29 lead. Villaraigosa and Measure B are clowly gaining strength.

[UPDATE] As more in-person ballots get counted, Villaraigosa and Prop B keep gaining steam. All props at the moment are ahead. We're looking at run-offs in the City Attorney race and City Council 5 where Paul Koretz and David Vahedi are currently leading a tight field. All mail-in ballots and just 14.82% of in-person ballots have been counted.

[UPDATE] As of 1:46am with 99.93% reporting, Eric has been re-elected with 72% of the vote; Antonio Villaraigosa has been re-elected with 55.56%. There will be a run-off in the 5th council district between Paul Koretz and David Vahedi; there will be a run-off in the City Attorney race between Jack Weiss and Carmen Trutanich. Also, it looks like Measures A, C & D have passed. Surprisingly, Measure B, the solar initiative, has apparently failed by a mere 1300 votes.

Election Day!

I voted at 7:15 this morning. Turnout at my polling location looked to be slow but steady.

Polls will be open until 8pm tonight. If you're not sure where to vote, you can look it up here. Then be sure to join us at our election night party at the Avalon. Details are here.

What was your voting experience like today? Hearing of or seeing any problems at the polls?

Remember, parking restrictions will be loosened near polling places to make it a bit easier to vote. Please remind your friends and family to get to the polls.

Thanks, everyone, for your support!

Hollywood Community Garden Work Day

We had a great turnout at the Fountain/Western Ave. Community Garden work day on Saturday. It was a beautiful morning and more than 100 folks showed up to show their commitment to the community by pitching in to build the new community garden that our office spear-headed with the help of L.A. Works and Home Depot. This garden will not only beautify a previously vacant lot, but it will also serve as an urban oasis for members of the community to meet and work together, get some fresh air and provide a source of fresh fruits and vegetables for the community.

As Bob Johnson, founder and chair of L.A. Works, said on Saturday, our new president has called us to service and it was particularly heartening for me to see so many young people heed that call at such a local level.

For more opportunities to help your community, check out LAWorks.com.

Here's a short video we put together at the event:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WWLttE82pw

Election Night Party Tomorrow

Please join us for an election night party tomorrow night at Avalon in Hollywood.

Details:

Tuesday, March 3rd 8pm Avalon Hollywood 1735 N. Vine St. (b/w Hollywood Blvd. & Yucca St.) RSVP to: garcetti2009@gmail.com parking is $10 in lot to the north

Hope to see you there!

1 Day To Go

(Also at Calitics)

As you know, I'm running for my third term as City Councilman representing the 13th Council District of Los Angeles (which consists of parts of Hollywood, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Echo Park, Elysian Valley and Glassell Park -- map here.) Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 3rd, Los Angeles will hold its primary nominating elections. If any candidate receives 50%+1 of the vote on Tuesday, he or she is elected outright; if not, the top 2 candidates will compete in the general municipal election on May 19th.

Several seats are up for election on Tuesday including Mayor, City Attorney, City Controller, odd numbered City Council district seats (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15), even numbered L.A. Unified School District seats (2, 4, 6) and even numbered L.A. Board of Trustee seats (2, 4, 6.) A complete list of candidates competing in each race can be found HERE.

There are also 5 initiatives on the ballot:

Prop A: Fire Department Independent Assessor Prop B: Solar Energy and Job Creation Program Prop C: Disabled Children Survivor Benefit of the Fire and Police Pension Plan Prop D: Survivor Benefit Purchase Program for Retirees of the Fire and Police Pension Plan Prop E: Economic Incentives for Business Development

SmartVoter.com has complete summaries of the measures and check out Courage Campaign's voter guide for a complete rundown of which measures have the support of which progressive orgs.

Eight years ago, I had a crazy idea to run for City Council. I bought a pair of shoes and walked my district every day until I literally wore holes in them introducing myself to voters and rediscovering my city. Now, eight years later, while I'm pleased with the progress we've made rebuilding Hollywood into a safer more business friendly city center again, nearly tripling the number of parks in my district and making city hall more relevant and accessible to Angelenos through my Government 101 and Neighborhood Leadership Academy programs, there is still much more to be done to change Los Angeles. So I humbly ask for the support of those of you in the 13th L.A. City Council District.

If you have friends and family in Los Angeles, please remind them to vote tomorrow and if they're in the 13th district you can direct them to my website to learn more about me, what I've done and what I intend to continue to do if I'm fortunate enough to be re-elected to the City Council.

If I do win outright tomorrow, I can assure you, neither my neighborhood walks to engage with the communities in my district nor my posts here at Calitics to engage in the online community will end; in fact I see Tuesday as just the beginning.

House Party Tomorrow

I'll be holding another house party tomorrow. Please come by, I'd love to meet and hear about your concerns and ideas for improving the community.

Details:

Sunday, March 1st

2-4pm 216 N. Mariposa Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90004

My Car-Free Friday

Via my Twitter feed, how I got around without my car yesterday:

Foot 8:48 AM Feb 27th

Bus. 5-6 second wait for it to arrive. Totally empty (but I am at beginning of line). Busiest DASH line in city by ridership usually. 8:52 AM Feb 27th

Good and crowded now. Just picked up folks from Cathedral Center on Echo Park Ave who were getting food at the church pantry. 8:59 AM Feb 27th

Foot. Walking under the freeway. Transferring to Metro.9:00 AM Feb 27th

Bus. 6 min wait.9:09 AM Feb 27th

At City Hall.9:22 AM Feb 27th

Bike.about 21 hours ago

Subway.about 17 hours ago

Carpooling.about 17 hours ago

Car-free Fridays are the last Friday of every month. I wrote about the first one a month ago. It's not always easy to leave your car at home, but the benefits to traffic congestion, the environment and your health make it completely worthwhile. If you haven't already, I hope you'll try it with me next month.

Learn more at LA-Bike.org.

Final Precinct Walk Before Election Day

Come out and join us tomorrow for our final precinct walk before election day. We'll be walking door to door in East Hollywood reminding folks to vote on Tuesday and, more importantly, listening to the issues and concerns on their mind.

Details:

Saturday, February 28th

9:30am-12:30pm meet at 1057 North Oxford Ave., Los Angeles 90029 (1 block south of Santa Monica and 2 blocks east of Western)

Precinct walking is one of my favorite aspects of my job, which is why I do it even when I'm not running for re-election. For me, connecting in person with my constituents is the purest form of democracy. Eight years ago, when I decided to run for City Council, I bought a pair of shoes, put them on, never took them off until I went to sleep each night and literally walked holes through them as I went door to door introducing myself to voters and listening to their concerns. While tomorrow will be the final precinct walk before election day, I hope voters will give me the opportunity to continue to discover my city and meet you all face to face for four more years.

The Return Of The Hollywood Palladium

The Hollywood Palladium on Sunset Blvd. is a true historic landmark. Originally opened in 1940, The Palladium’s first performance was the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra featuring a pre-fame Frank Sinatra. Over the years it has been a premiere concert venue in the heart of Hollywood, the crown jewel of Hollywood nightlife where both established bands and up and comers alike could call home. I recall going to shows there as a teenager — The Violent Femmes show in the famed Palladium ballroom comes immediately to mind.

But in recent years, the venue has been underutilized, a somewhat-rundown remnant of a bygone era and a regular target of developers. I've always said that for Hollywood's Second Golden Age to emerge, we couldn't move boldly into the future without recognizing and preserving the past.  In the end, we decided there was just no way we could allow this Hollywood icon be torn down so we worked hard to bring NCA Green and Live Nation on board to do a year-long multi-million dollar top to bottom renovation to return The Palladium to its original grandeur. I’m thrilled to announce that today I will be cutting the ribbon at the official Palladium re-opening ceremony. It's facade hasn't looked this good since it first opened almost seven decades ago.  Live Nation and The Hollywood Chamber will be holding a networking event so you can see the renovations for yourself and connect with other members of the community.

Details:

Thursday, February 26th

5:30-7:30pm 6215 Sunset Boulevard $10 for Hollywood Chamber members/$20 for non-members

Returning The Hollywood Palladium to its original glory was the result of a real partnership between government and business and represents the latest in a string of Hollywood renaissance initiatives my office has spear-headed not only to restore a part of Hollywood's storied past, but also to make the area a premier destination in LA for years to come.

Hollywood High School Young Feminists Club

Yesterday I attended a meeting of Hollywood High School's Young Feminists Club, which was founded by Hollywood High senior Sandy Merida with the assistance of the Hollywood chapter of The National Organization for Women. I arrived at the classroom as a discussion about domestic abuse was underway and I was extremely impressed with the size and diversity of the group (among just under 20 attendees, 3 or 4 were guys) and the level of discussion they were having.

I told them I was proud to call myself a feminist and that I've been one all my life. Growing up with a sister and female cousins all around me and being a minority of one, I came to have great respect for women and always saw them as my equal. It's difficult even to think that someone might not think that way, but the reality is that our society still does not put men and women on equal footing, which is why groups like Sandy's are so important.

We spoke a lot about power at the meeting and while most of the discussion focused on the abuse of power, I suggested to them that power in and of itself is neutral; in most relationships we're in, one person has more power than the other, whether it be teacher-student, parent-child, employer-employee, siblings or spouses. That's not inherently a bad thing. It's how that power is used that is crucial. Merely by founding this group, Sandy used her own power as an individual and by coming to that meeting, those kids were empowering themselves, not only with information but also by the mere fact of gathering and organizing. They have more power as a group than they think. I invited them to think about what laws they might want passed, whether it be to strengthen teen dating violence laws or change funding for girls' sports programs versus boys' sports programs. Imagine if they could say they helped pass a law that made this a more just world. Now that is powerful.

Meet Sandy in a video we put together of my time at Hollywood High below.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v6F0qk6abc

Final Stretch Events

With 6 days to election day, we have some events scheduled this Saturday that I hope you will join.

Saturday, February 28th

Community Garden Work Day 9am-12pm Fountain/Western Community Garden

Silver Lake Meet & Greet 11:30am-1pm 2215 Electric Street Los Angeles, CA 90039

Echo Park Meet & Greet 2-4pm 216 N. Mariposa Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90004

Elysian Valley House Party

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting with a small group of constituents from Elysian Valley for a house party. Elysian Valley is a small community of about 8,000 tucked between Atwater Village and Silver Lake.

The questions from the group varied from public safety (speed bumps to slow down traffic, an expanded bus route that would pick up kids walking home at night, more police on the streets...) to whether the neighborhood council can pay for a full time staffer and if there's any way to incentivize markets to move into the neighborhood so that residents don't have to drive or take public transportation every time they want to buy food.

We spoke about local land development and I told them of an early lesson I learned as councilman: the value of listening to the community when it comes to development and allowing new developments to spring up from communities, not be imposed on them by the bureaucracy. I learned this during the development of a park on Marsh St. in Elysian Valley a couple years ago when the loudest voices I heard from the community were in favor of installing a skate park, which was not part of the original plan. We listened and now instead of being just another pretty space that never gets used, it's a vibrant hub of activity for young people and one of the skate park’s most vocal champions at the time is now directing it.

As for improvements to Elysian Valley moving forward, I told the group that we're working with the city-owned properties in Elysian Valley to see what we can do about turning some of the city industrial properties, the sanitation testing yards, etc. into green spaces in the future. Also, we've been looking into how we can make Elysian Valley a real model for co-existing with nature. One example: the water restoration we've done in the L.A. River has actually brought safe edible fish back to the river. This was met with disbelief from those attending, but it's true!

Thanks to everyone who attended the house party. One of the most important things any elected official can do is listen to the people he represents, which is why I hold events like this whether I'm running for re-election or not.  Please let me know in the comments if you'd like me to hold an event in your neighborhood and we'll try to set one up.

We're All In This Together

Last week, President Obama laid out his administration's Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan to deal with the foreclosure crisis. I wanted to weigh in on it since, as President of the Los Angeles City Council, it's been an issue my office has been working extremely hard on for months at the local level.

Obama's plan would devote $75 billion from the TARP 2 funds as well as $200 billion in additional funding commitments to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to help between 7-9 million families avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes. This is particularly important here in California where, according to RealtyTrac, in 2008 alone California saw more than 520,000 of its homes receive foreclosure filings, a jump of 110% over 2007.

I was heartened by this plan because, while it's not perfect, it does several things that I think are very important. 1. It provides incentives to servicers who lower interest rates and to borrowers for keeping current on their loans; 2. It helps restructure loans and reduce monthly payments for responsible homeowners who wish to stay in their homes; the plan does not reward speculators, house flippers or dishonest lenders; and 3. The plan reflects the reality that I've been dealing with on the ground here in Los Angeles for months now: that solving this crisis is not just about saving homeowners' homes, this is about saving entire communities.

From The Treasury's executive summary:

The deep contraction in the economy and in the housing market has created devastating consequences for homeowners and communities throughout the country. [...]

The plan will help up to 7 to 9 million families restructure or refinance their mortgages to avoid foreclosure. In doing so, the plan not only helps responsible homeowners on the verge of defaulting, but prevents neighborhoods and communities from being pulled over the edge too, as defaults and foreclosures contribute to falling home values, failing local businesses, and lost jobs.

It goes on:

Protecting Neighborhoods: This plan will also help to stabilize home prices for all homeowners in a neighborhood. When a home goes into foreclosure, the entire neighborhood is hurt. The average homeowner could see his or her home value stabilized against declines in price by as much as $6,000 relative to what it would otherwise be absent the Homeowner Stability Initiative.

The impact of a foreclosed home on its neighborhood can be devastating. Not only does each foreclosed home reduce nearby property values by as much as 9 percent, but a boarded up house invites crime and leads to blight, a particular concern in the Los Angeles area.

While Los Angeles County was not among the hardest hit counties in California (in January, 1 out of every 249 housing units went into foreclosure, nothing compared to San Bernadino's 1 out of every 87), stemming the tide of foreclosures and preventing the eviction of responsible renters have become priorities for my office. We have already seen more than 20,000 foreclosures in the City of Los Angeles alone (many of them multi-family apartment buildings), and their effect can devastate any street in Los Angeles, where potentially-abandoned homes reduce property values, attract crime, and bring about blight.

To this end, in October I called on Countrywide to cease and desist their illegal eviction practices after they attempted to evict a tenant in my district. Then in December, I authored a new law to stop evictions of tenants in foreclosed properties because we have to protect the innocent victims of the foreclosure crisis.



In addition, my office has worked closely with One-LA, a grassroots coalition of community organizers, religious congregations, and neighborhood groups who have been at the forefront of helping families renegotiate the terms of their loans with banks.

In many ways, President Obama's plan represents the federal government catching up with what we've been doing at the local level for months now. I can't tell you how nice it is to have a partner in the White House again and a President who really gets it. The thrust of this plan acknowledges that on a very real level, if our neighbor is in foreclosure, so are we and that saving my neighbor's home saves mine. In other words, it reflects that progressive virtue that drives me in my work every day: that we're all in this together.

[ED: Slightly edited]

Recognition

On Wednesday, I was proud to join with dozens of Filipino WWII veterans at the Filipino American World War II Veterans Memorial Park to celebrate the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Contained within the stimulus package is a provision that grants a tax-free lump sum of $15,000 to Filipino veterans of World War II who are based in the United States. The recognition is way too little and much too late for so many of our veterans but it does represent some overdue justice for those who fought right beside American soldiers in the Philipines for our nation's freedom.

The US government had originally promised Filipinos they would qualify for full US veterans’ benefits if they served but after Congress passed the Rescission Act of 1946, Filipinos who served in the US Army were stripped of their status as US veterans. While the amount they're receiving as a result of the newly passed stimulus package is well below that which they should have been granted, it's a long awaited and well deserved recognition of their service to our country.

More than 120,000 Filipino soldiers served under the command of General Douglas MacArthur as enlisted soldiers in the U.S. Armed Services during World War II and the 13th Council District has the highest concentration of Filipino Veterans in Los Angeles. As Councilman, I was determined to celebrate that, which is why in 2006 I was proud to deliver on my promise to erect the nation’s first Filipino Veterans war memorial in Lake Street Park, right in the heart of L.A.’s Historic Filipinotown. Erecting that monument was a cause very close to my heart as my grandfather was in the US Army and fought in the Philipines during WWII; it was as a result of this service that he earned his citizenship when he returned.

I am glad to see our federal government finally recognizing the service of our Filipino veterans.

Government 101

Since I came into office in 2001, it's been important to me to empower the public by showing them how city government works. On Wednesday, my office held the latest of our Government 101 workshops where over 50 people showed up to sit in on a city council meeting and learn such things as:

• what the city is responsible for, as distinct from county government
• the responsibilities of different elected officers
• the legislative process and how residents can impact it

It's only through understanding the innerworkings of government that we can begin to directly influence it. As our new president is fond of saying, real change can only happen from the bottom up and as a community organizer myself, I consider it my goal to create a more informed electorate and one that has the tools to make that change they desire.

Thanks to everyone who attended, it was a great turnout.

Help Keep Our First Ad On The Air And Spread The Word!

With Election Day less than 2 weeks away, I am excited to announce that our campaign has begun airing our first TV ad!

Watch it below:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALFU9MFwUNM

As you can see, the ad highlights some of our brightest achievements in the 13th District during my time on the City Council, achievements that represent significant progress in our efforts to change Los Angeles neighborhood by neighborhood.

We've doubled the number of parks in the 13th district and forged community partnerships with law enforcement that have helped us reduce crime.

We've boosted education by building ten new schools, which in turn will help us to reduce class sizes.

And we've responded to the current economic crisis by setting up a foreclosure hotline to help keep people in their homes while fighting to keep good paying jobs here in our communities.

Can you help us get my ad out to a wider audience? There are a few things you can do:

• You can help us keep the ad on the air by contributing to our campaign HERE and e-mail your lists to have your friends do the same.

• You can post the YouTube link to the ad on your Facebook page.

• And you can tweet the ad to all your followers (and follow me on Twitter while you're at it.)

What we've accomplished over these past 8 years would not have been possible without your continued support. Now, as I run to serve the 13th district for another 4 years, I hope I can count on you to help me get the word out about the many improvements we've made to this great city.

Grassroots Democracy

I always enjoy the opportunity to interact in person with constituents, but there's something particularly inspiring about attending a neighborhood council meeting. I've had the pleasure to attend several during the past few weeks here in the 13th district and I'm always so impressed with the commitment neighborhood council members have to the neighborhood and local planning issues that affect your communities. This is democracy at the most grassroots level and is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job.

Last week, I attended the Hollywood Studio District Neighborhood Council meeting. The biggest concern among those in attendance was the creeping foreclosure crisis here in Los Angeles. I let people know about all that we've done to help stem the crisis, including ensuring that owners of foreclosed rent-controlled properties do not illegally evict their tenants. Protecting tenants and homeowners in my district has been and continues to be one of my top priorities.

Other questions that came up that evening had to do with workforce development and our ability to fully utilize our LACC campus that sits in the middle of my district. I was happy to discuss some of the local projects my office has been working on including the Fountain Ave. Community Garden, bringing lighting to the Lemon Grove Rec Center and the installation of an improved traffic median at Ardmore Ave north of Melrose Ave.

Also last week, I attended the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council. I updated everyone on the public safety efforts in the area, a particular area of concern with the rash of robberies they've had lately. In addition, we discussed how the formation of the Joint Powers Authority, which will help keep the L.A. River safe and clean, is progressing. AVNC is continuing to represent their community well, with a town hall meeting and parking study in the works.

This past Tuesday, I attended the Rampart Village Neighborhood Council meeting. Public safety was at the top of my list, and I discussed the measures my office has been working on in the area. I also gave an overview of budgetary issues facing the City and reassured members that while hard choices will have to be made in approving the '09-'10 budget, I'm committed to preserving core services. Attendees were interested in learning more about housing resources, including where to get help with potential foreclosures, which I was happy to provide.

Also on the 17th was the Glassell Park Neighborhood Council meeting. I updated everyone on local public safety measures, particularly in the Drew/Estara area, including the recent demolition of the Drew drug house. We talked about the difficult City budget situation, as well as how the overall economy is impacting Los Angeles and its residents.  One resource we have for residents who need to find jobs is our Worksource Center in the District.  We will be working with our CD13 Neighborhood Councils to help publicize this kind of resource in the weeks and months ahead.

Thanks to all of the neighborhood councils in the 13th for inviting me to speak and, even more important,  listen to your concerns. These meetings are vitally important for me to connect with what's happening on the ground in the district and I appreciate the opportunity. If you're not a member of your local neighborhood council, please consider joining. It's a great way to have an impact on your community and to make your voice heard.

Upcoming Events

This Saturday, I look forward to walking door to door talking to voters in Hollywood about my campaign as well as that of Steve Zimmer, my endorsed candidate for LAUSD school board. Steve will be joining the walk.

Details are below:

Saturday, February 21

Hollywood Walk 9:30am-12pm 1322 McCadden Place Los Angeles, CA 90028

You can find out more about Steve's campaign at SteveZimmer.org. To RSVP for the event, e-mail Jordan@ericgarcetti.com or call 323-373-7881.

In addition, we'll be holding a house party this Saturday and two more next Saturday.

February 21

Elysian Valley Meet & Greet 2-4pm 2051 Blake Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90039

Saturday, February 28

Silver Lake Meet & Greet 11:30am-1pm 2215 Electric St. Los Angeles, CA 90039

Echo Park Meet & Greet 2pm-4pm 2155 Princeton Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90026

If you’d like to attend these events, please RSVP to garcetti2009@gmail.com or call (323) 373‐7881.

I really value the opportunity to connect with voters in person, so I hope you'll join us.

Cash For College Workshop This Saturday

This Saturday, February 21st, my office will be hosting Cash for College financial aid workshops at Belmont High School in East L.A to educate students and their parents about all the options available to them to help make college affordable. The workshop is free and open to the public. I encourage anyone with a child looking into colleges to attend.  In addition, if you know someone who might benefit from this event, please forward this information on to them.

Details are below:

Cash For College Workshops Saturday, February 21 every hour from 9am-2pm Belmont High School 1575 W. 2nd St., L.A. 90026

Those who attend will have access to volunteers trained in filling out the complicated financial aid forms needed to qualify for state, federal, and other sources of financial aid.  LACashForCollege.org has more specifics. Just be sure to bring the following items:

• You and your parents' 2008 federal income tax returns;

• Any records of income earned by you or your parents including W-2 forms and paycheck stubs;

• Current bank statements and records of stocks, bonds or other investments.

While college tuition gets more expensive every year, there are ways to make sure a solid college education is an opportunity within the reach of all Angelenos.

UPDATE: For more information, check out the Cash For College flyers in English and in Spanish.

Your Endorsement

With the March 3rd elections fast approaching, I'm pleased that our campaign has received numerous endorsements from various elected officials and progressive organizations.

But there's one endorsement I'm seeking that is even more important: yours.

Will you click here to add your name to my campaign's list of Citizen Endorsers?

This campaign and my work on the City Council have always been about making a meaningful difference for you -- and all Angelenos. Together we've put more cops on the streets to reduce crime, made great progress in cleaning up our neighborhoods, and created thousands of new jobs in the city.

But there's still so much more that we can do to improve lives and livelihoods here in the 13th District and across Los Angeles. I'll need your help to continue moving our city forward during these challenging times, so I hope you'll join me by making a Citizen Endorsement of my re-election campaign today!

Voter Registration Deadline Tomorrow

Tomorrow, February 17th, is the deadline to register in order to vote in the March 3rd election. So if you've moved, just turned 18 or are new to California, don't forget to fill out your voter registration form (you can find  one at the Secretary of State's website) and take it to the nearest county clerk branch office by tomorrow (remember, today government offices and the Post Office are closed.)

If you're not sure if you're registered and want to double check, go here.

How You Can Help

The federal stimulus package, which passed the House today and will likely be signed by President Obama early next week, represents a bittersweet victory for our efforts to preserve funding for state and local governments after Senate Republicans forced drastic cuts to that portion of the bill.

The good news is that the final proposal is a definite improvement over the version that emerged from the Senate; especially the billions of dollars in education funding that were restored as part of the final compromise.

Thank you so much to our many supporters who contacted their Representatives in Washington and urged them to restore these critical funds!

While the education funding that was restored will help our schools, the fact remains that local education budgets are currently stretched incredibly thin and our students and teachers are paying the price. Many teachers have to dip into their own pockets to purchase supplies for even the most basic of projects.

Which is where you can make a difference.

If you'd like to help our local schools during this economic crisis, one of the best ways to do so is through DonorsChoose.org, an organization that allows you to make donations for projects and materials that have been specifically requested by teachers. You can see a description of the projects and supplies that are in need of funding locally at the Council District 13 Donors Choose page.

Where the federal government may have fallen short, I know that the generosity of private citizens can help make up the difference. Thank you so much for your support as we fight to make the best of these difficult economic times.

Upcoming House Parties

I hope you'll join me and other supporters for two house parties coming up next week:

Monday, February 16

Glassell Park Meet & Greet 4:30-6pm 2823 Moss Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90065

Saturday, February 21

Elysian Valley Meet & Greet 2-4pm 2051 Blake Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90039

If you'd like to attend, please RSVP to garcetti2009@gmail.com or call (323) 373‐7881. Hope to see you there.

Campaign Events This Saturday

Here are a couple of campaign events going on this Saturday:

Saturday, February 14

1-4pm Echo Park Neighborhood Walk meet at Delilah Bakery 1665 Echo Park Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026

4-5:30pm Historic Filipinotown Meet & Greet/Valentine's Day Party featuring live music by Elson and the Soul Barkada Remy's On Temple 2126 W. Temple St. Los Angeles, CA 90026

Hope to see you there!

Community Voices: Joel Jacinto

Not many people know this, but more than 120,000 Filipino soldiers served under the command of General Douglas MacArthur as enlisted soldiers in the U.S. Armed Services during World War II. The 13th Council District has the highest concentration of Filipino Veterans in Los Angeles, and as Councilman, I was determined to celebrate that. So, in 2006, I was proud to deliver on my promise to erect the nation's first Filipino Veterans war memorial in Lake Street Park, right in the heart of L.A.'s Historic Filipinotown. Erecting that monument was a cause very close to my heart as my grandfather was in the US Army and fought in the Phillipines during WWII; it was as a result of this service that he earned his citizenship when he returned.

This is the monument that Joel Jacinto, executive director of Search to Involve Pilipino Americans, is standing next to in the Community Voices video below.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHXn8jLoBo4

Not Just Numbers

(cross-posted at Calitics)

As I write this, the House and Senate negotiators are meeting with the White House to hammer out a stimulus deal that can be delivered to the President's desk by the end of the week. Unfortunately, by all accounts, the deal they've reached is an even smaller stimulus package than either the Senate or the House version, coming in at under $790 billion.

Watching the negotiations over the past week, I have to say I've been disturbed not only at the fact that at every turn more has been cut from an already inadequate stimulus package but also at where the cuts have been targeted. As the President of the Los Angeles City Council, I've been most concerned about the cuts -- or should I say "adjustments downward?" -- from aid to states and cities, namely the $40 billion that the Senate version cut from the state fiscal stabilization funds. This represented almost a 50% decrease in some of the most stimulative spending in the entire package including $25 billion in state block grants and $15 billion in education funding at the state level.

I was heartened to hear President Obama state during his press conference Monday night that he'd like to see some of the funding for states returned to the bill in conference. Unfortunately, as David Dayen writes at Calitics, it looks as though only $5 billion of the $40 billion will survive. This is disappointing, to say the least.

To me, these cuts are not just numbers, they are very real. These spending cuts represent very real jobs lost, very real infrastructure projects left undone and very real people unable to stay in their homes. I was glad to hear the President strike the same note on the road in Virginia today:

"What's at stake here is not abstract numbers... We're talking about real families," Obama said. "We're at the doorstep of getting this plan through Congress, but the work is not over."

Precisely, Mr. President, which is why it is my hope that this much needed funding to our cities and states will find its way to us through other means if it does not survive the stimulus compromise today.

There is clearly much more to be said on the subject -- especially as this story is constantly evolving -- and I look forward to engaging on this as well as other issues over the next month leading up to the Los Angeles municipal elections on March 3 and beyond. To stay in touch with me, please join my campaign. I look forward to the ongoing conversation in the months and years ahead.

Design A Bicycle Rack For Hollywood Bikers

Calling all Los Angeles County artists and designers!

In partnership with the Bike Writers Collective and with the support of the Hollywood Project Area of the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, I am thrilled to sponsor a design contest for a unique and innovative new bicycle rack for use in the East Hollywood area. We'll be installing up to two dozen of the winning racks at various locations along Hollywood Blvd. between Western Ave. and Vermont Ave. depending on space availability and need.

LAist has a picture of the standard bike rack we currently use here in Los Angeles. I know you guys can do better, so please submit your designs by 3pm on March 6th. In addition to having your design replicated throughout Hollywood, the winner of the contest will be awarded $2000.

Full details of the contest can be found here.

Some specifications to keep in mind:

The bicycle rack must be designed to withstand the outdoor elements as well as heavy recreational use. The design must accommodate a minimum of two (2) bikes and be user-friendly for a wide range of cyclists (child-adult).

Any weather-resistant, durable, non-abrasive material that can be easily maintained and does not scratch or damage bicycle frames will be considered.

Designers should approach the project as a permanent installation to be installed into a concrete surface, with a minimum 10 year life expectancy.

All work must be safe to pedestrians and bicyclists. When bicycles are attached, the work must be no greater than 6 feet wide (the length of most bicycles) and the attached bicycles should be parallel to the sidewalk to prevent blocking pedestrian movement. A bicycle should not have to be lifted off the ground at all to access and be secured to the rack.

There must be a minimum two-point connection between the bicycle frame and the rack. In addition, artwork must allow for at least one wheel to be secured to the rack.

You can find more on bicycle parking guidelines at the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals' website.

Community Voices: Genevieve Ostrander

I wanted to urge you all to check out our new Community Voices section of the website. There you'll find a diverse group of voters from the 13th district discussing the district and why they intend to support my campaign for re-election on March 3. You can view one of those videos, from Genevieve Ostrander, below...

Young Professionals Event In Hollywood

Thank you to everyone who came out to support my campaign Tuesday night. More than 200 of you came out to demonstrate your support for the issues that matter to us -- safer neighborhoods, better opportunities for families, a cleaner environment, and so much more. It was a very special evening for me and great to see so many people engaged in our community. If you couldn't make it, here's some video of my speech at the event...

Video From The Canvass On Saturday

Saturday was great. Here's a quick video we put together about the morning we spent walking door to door...

Walking Door To Door In Silver Lake

On Saturday, about 30 volunteers came out for a beautiful morning of precinct walking in Silver Lake. We had a great time connecting with voters, reminding them to vote on March 3rd, and letting them know that I'll be holding a House Party on February 28th. It was also a good opportunity to listen to voters' concerns, which is why I love knocking on doors in my district and why I do it even when I’m not campaigning...

Cheat On Your Car

What if you could help reduce the pollution in Los Angeles, cut down the congestion on the roads AND get in shape all at the same time? That's precisely the thinking behind Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition's Car-Free Friday campaign, which kicked off Friday morning with a bike ride from the Hollywood/Western Metro station to City Hall downtown...

The State of Hollywood

On Thursday, I was proud to give my eighth State of Hollywood speech to local business and community leaders at the historic Music Box @ Fonda Theatre. Having just returned from witnessing history at the Inauguration of our new President in Washington, D.C., I couldn’t help but feel the same sense of optimism about the future of Hollywood that I felt -- and continue to feel -- about our nation, even in these difficult times...