The Future of LA: Celebrating Our City
2022 Los Angeles Congress of Neighborhoods
Workshop Session 1 (8:00am-9:00am)
Community Engagement in Visioning
WEAll CA is part of Wellbeing Economy Alliance and an international network of groups working towards a society based on wellbeing. In this workshop, we'll share how our community engagement programs in Pomona have worked to promote wellbeing in the community. We hope to share how these practices can turn into an action plan that can drive policy and spending for your community. Join us to hear about this case study and how you can learn about the tools utilized to improve well being in your neighborhoods.
Preserving and Planting Street Trees
We've all heard people say they want more trees on the blocks in our neighborhoods. In this workshop, we'll review how the Dept. of Urban Forestry (UFD) supports tree planting efforts and what responsibilities fall on the property owners. Some questions we'll address: Who waters and prunes a newly-planted street tree? What is the City Tree Inventory and the City Biodiversity Report? Why plant natives and is their care different? What is a protected tree and how is it protected? What are tree enforcement issues? What is the ecosystem value of trees and how can we avoid/solve tree problems?
Promoting Public Safety: Neighborhood Councils and Senior Lead Officers
The LAPD Senior Lead Officer (SLO) program can be an amazing resource for Neighborhood Councils looking to improve public safety goals in their communities. In this workshops, attendees will learn the basics of LAPD's SLO program, gain tools for creating and improving SLO partnerships, and hear examples of how SLOs have successfully worked with Neighborhood Councils for mutual success.
Housing L.A.: What Can Advocates & NCs Do to Address Affordability?
Rising rents, widespread tenant evictions, and a lack of affordable housing have made Los Angeles the city with the worst housing and homelessness crisis in the country. In 2019, the City of Los Angeles had a higher percentage of cost-burdened renter households (59%) than any other major American city, and an estimated 30,000 formal evictions are filed in the City of Los Angeles each year; the vast majority of tenants who receive an eviction notice do not have access to an attorney and do not know how to exercise their rights. What are LA's affordable housing and tenants rights organizations doing to address affordable, homelessness, and evictions in the City of LA? What can Neighborhood Councils do to help connect residents with housing, services, and legal protections?
The Power of the Community Impact Statement (CIS)
Neighborhood Councils are empowered to affect City legislation by passing a Community Impact Statement (CIS), which is added to the Council File, but to what effect does your CIS make a difference? Are you aware that NCs are also allocated time to speak on agendized items before council? There’s a lot to know, and we’re bringing in some CIS experts to share the tips and tricks to make your NC voice heard!
Workshop Session 2 (10:05am-10:50am)
Facing Our Biases Through a New Social Contract
In this workshop, Board of Neighborhoods Commissioner Joy Atkinson will introduce the concept of a Social Contract for Neighborhood Councils, especially for executive committee members, as a tool for guiding successful board discussions. Building on the Neighborhood Council anti-bias training, the Social Contract concept will present rules of conduct that boards can develop and adopt during a retreat, for example, to further the mission of the board.
LA's Future: Our Land Use Policy and Destiny (Part 1)
In this extended-length workshop session we will examine the impacts of land use policy on both a macro and micro scale as it relates to land and housing costs, obstacles and incentives to residential construction, and more. Neighborhood Council Planning and Land Use Committee Members will discuss successful (and sometimes unsuccessful) efforts to influence individual projects and broader regulations on behalf of their neighborhoods.
Los Angeles Native Plant Advocacy: Why and How?
Los Angeles faces a biodiversity and climate crisis. For 150 years we have filled the region with non-native plants that use more water, often require pollutive fertilizers, and do little to support our natural ecosystem or help it adapt to climate change. It's time to prioritize planting native landscaping plants and trees. Let's discuss.
Meet the CityWatch Writers
CityWatch is a website dedicated to Los Angeles opinion, news, and information. With a readership spanning thousands of Angelenos throughout the region, CityWatch writers provide editorial content on the city budget, Neighborhood Councils, climate, politics, health & wellness, city departments, and more. In this session, get to know the writers who contribute to CityWatch and ask questions about process, background, or whatever piques your interest.
Public Encampments: What Can and Cannot be Done
Tens of thousands of Angelenos are taking refuge on our beaches, under bridges, in parks, in vehicles, and in other visible and invisible locations. For Angelenos interested in improving the situation for everyone - both the housed and unhoused communities - what can we do? How can we build positive relationships with unhoused folks in our neighborhoods? What can city departments or partner agencies do and how long will it take them to do it? What can the city do when encampments go from nuisances to dangerous? What might post-COVID enforcement look like?
Workshop Session 3 (11:00am-11:45am)
Defending Neighborhood Council Independence and Freedom
Neighborhood Councils were originally independent organizations where residents could gather to discuss their mutual concerns. In recent years, the city and its agencies have attempted to deprive us of our independence. They attempt to pile work requirements on board members even though we are not city employees. The city has attempted to limit our freedom of expression and deprive us of due process rights. Let's discuss.
Hidden Costs in the City Budget
This session will take a deeper dive into the massive multi-volume document that is the Los Angeles City fiscal year budget. We'll explore costs that are not readily apparent in the 2022-23 City Budget that may come back to bite the City including unfunded pension liability, legal settlements, deteriorating infrastructure, lack of preparation for emergencies, wage increases, cost overruns, etc.
LA's Future: Our Land Use Policy and Destiny (Part 2)
In this extended-length workshop session we will examine the impacts of land use policy on both a macro and micro scale as it relates to land and housing costs, obstacles and incentives to residential construction, and more. Neighborhood Council Planning and Land Use Committee Members will discuss successful (and sometimes unsuccessful) efforts to influence individual projects and broader regulations on behalf of their neighborhoods.
LA City Ethics Commission Presents: Preserving the Public Trust in City Government and Elections
The Ethics Commission was established by Los Angeles voters in 1990 to help preserve the public trust and foster public confidence in city government and elections. In this workshop, hear from Commission staff about how to access financial data, public records, and educational materials relating to City election campaigns, lobbying activity, and more.
Workshop Session 4 (12:40pm-1:25pm)
Beautify Your Neighborhood: Murals, Cleanups, and Trees
Did you know Neighborhood Councils can receive free tools and supplies for neighborhood clean ups? Did you know LA City residents are eligible to receive up to seven free trees for their properties? Did you know the department of Cultural Affairs can assist with permitting new murals in your neighborhood so they are maintained long-term? Join us to hear about various resources available to Neighborhood Councils interested in making our communities more beautiful places to be.
Not Yimby, Not Nimby: How Can We Help in Our Backyards? A Planning 101 Workshop
How do we achieve maximum effectiveness in dealing with land use matters in a changing Los Angeles? How do we make these changes work? This presentation and workshop includes basic Planning 101 (the "alphabet soup of acronyms, ZIMAS, tools for effective communication with developers, stakeholders, politicians and city staff) and descriptions of many new housing and zoning initiatives.
Charter and Ethics Reforms in Los Angeles
This session will examine possible changes to the charter such as independent redistricting and council expansion as well as possible changes to the Ethics Commission itself. We will also examine policy changes under the purview of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission such as changes to the municipal lobbying ordinance, campaign finance reform, and the current state of the Ethics Commission. This session will focus on how these topics intersect with Neighborhood Councils and stakeholders.
Getting to Belonging
Neighborhood Councils are the closest form of government to the people. Members and participants of Neighborhood Councils are as diverse as the neighborhoods they represent and serve. This session will tackle how we can work towards truly celebrating the diversity of our neighbors, especially those that look, love, pray, and otherwise live differently than we do.
Getting to Carbon Neutrality by 2030 with Cool LA Teams
We will have fewer than 87 months until 2030, so we're bringing people together to create the neighborhoods we want to live in and to reduce our impact on the environment with Cool Blocks, a block-by-block organizing model to reduce our carbon footprint, get ready for emergencies, and use less water, all while getting to know our neighbors. In this session, we'll talk about Cool Blocks and how NCs and stakeholders can get involved.
The Brown Act and Neighborhood Councils
This workshop, presented by the Los Angeles City Attorney's Neighborhood Council Advice Division (NCAD), is designed to provide hands on advise regarding the Brown Act. NCAD staff will present an overview of the Brown act, describe how it applies to Neighborhood Councils, and share best practices so boards can avoid Brown Act violations.
Workshop Session 5 (1:35pm-2:20pm)
2023 Neighborhood Council Elections
The Office of the City Clerk will share information on the new Hybrid Election Model being implemented for the 2023 Neighborhood Council Elections, which offers both voting in-person and by mail. Information on the election timeline, candidate filing, and voting process will also be provided.
Celebrate Your Neighborhood's History and Art
Are you familiar with Creative and Cultural Asset Maps? Are you familiar with the Cultural Treasures in your neighborhood? This workshop will open the door to discovering how to create a community participatory partnership to spotlight your neighborhoods Cultural Treasures – the artists, sites, cultural practices, illuminating the rich history that makes your community thrive.
How to Effectively Work with Developers and Council Offices to Influence Property Development
One of the most powerful tools NCs have is influence over planning & land use projects in their areas. This workshop will expose PLUM members to strategies for effectively working with developers and City Council Planning staff to prepare presentations for your boards, recommendations for decision-makers, and negotiating with developers.
NC Digital Communications Policy: What NCs Need to Know
The Digital Communications Policy for Neighborhood Councils covers NC use of social media, websites, email, apps, newsletters, and other digital communications channels and platforms. The policy was passed by the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners in April 2022 and will take effect in October 2022. This workshop will give a plain-language overview of what's in the policy and share best practices for implementing policy requirements. Resources for this discussion are available at https://tiny.cc/DigitalCommsPolicy.
The A to Z of Neighborhood Naming
Want to learn how places like Little Bangladesh and Koreatown became world-renowned destinations? Branding your neighborhood is possible with effective planning, organizing, mobilizing, negotiating, and avoiding strategic mistakes. This session will review case studies, provide a step-by-step guide, identify common pitfalls, and provide additional tools for community leaders wanting to bring name recognition to their neighborhood.
Workshop Session 6 (2:45pm-3:45pm)
Bus Lanes, Bike Lanes, and Train Lines...Oh My!
LA Metro is responsible for building out the transportation network in Los Angeles County, funding roadway, highway, rail, bus, and bike improvements. Despite voters approving these infrastructure plans in 2016, there can be fierce local opposition to these efforts, sometimes from Neighborhood Councils. This session will explore some of the upcoming transportation projects and how Neighborhood Council leaders have worked with Metro, LADOT and others to get the projects that work for their neighborhood.
Challenges with Access to Virtual Meetings: Narrowing the Language and Digital Divides
COVID-19 has negatively impacted everyone in different ways, but the language and technological divide in certain populations became more apparent once all public meetings became virtual. Leaders from various Neighborhood Councils will discuss ways in which they had to change their practices to ensure that all of their board members and stakeholders were able to participate and access the meetings. Challenges continue to exist and the panel will proactively discuss solutions on how to best meet this technical and language divide.
Exploring Unarmed Crisis Response and Free Mental Health Assistance
Cities across the world, including Los Angeles, are exploring unarmed crisis response as a tool for addressing mental health crises without law enforcement involvement. In this workshop attendees will learn how the model is deployed, what de-escalation tactics are utilized, and how neighborhood leaders can advocate for mental health services in their communities.
Homelessness Challenges & Successes Roundtable
So many Neighborhood Councils are working tirelessly (and some tiredly) to combat the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles. This space welcomes folks who want to share what's worked, what hasn't, provide resources, brainstorm, and whatever else might be valuable in supporting one another in the fight to get our fellow Angelenos off the streets.
NC Trainings: Have We Gone Too Far?
Are the mandatory trainings imposed on Neighborhood Council board members and committee members necessary to support the legal framework for our roles as elected officials in a city representing a City as diverse as Los Angeles? Or do the trainings discourage participation by unpaid community leaders by creating an undue burden? Let's discuss and solicit suggestions for improvement, if any.