The EmpowerLA Leadership Institute is designed to help Neighborhood Council Board members and stakeholders within the community be more effective in making their voices heard and making a difference in their neighborhoods. Inspired by Carol Baker Tharp, past General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, the Institute provides opportunities to learn the information, hone the skills, and nurture the relationships that lead to success for Neighborhood Councils. Ms. Tharp maintained the belief that civic engagement is the cornerstone of democracy and that empowering individuals can empower neighborhoods and improve quality of life for all residents of the City of Los Angeles. Click here for more details

In mid-2003, the City began a new system through which Neighborhood Councils can adopt Community Impact Statements that summarize its official position on City issues and have them printed directly on the meeting agendas. It’s a unique and unprecedented way for each Neighborhood Council’s voice to be known to the City Hall decision-makers and the world before a vote is taken. There are several ways to send Community Impact Statements to the City Clerk for inclusion on the agendas of the City Council, its committees, and City commissions. A paper version may be sent via postal mail, hand-delivery, fax or online at http://cityclerk.lacity.org/cis/.

Early Notification System (ENS) is an on-line system where stakeholders can subscribe and receive meeting agendas and special events announcement sent to their e-mailbox. To start your subscription, go to:
http://www.lacity.org/SubMenu/ENSEarlyNotificationSystem/EarlyNotificationSystem/index.htm.

The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment posts Neighborhood Council meeting agendas or a Neighborhood Council sponsored special event announcement on the City's website, please e-mail a copy of the document in Adobe Acrobat PDF format to: done.ncagendas@lacity.org. Please allow 7 business days to be posted. The Neighborhood Council is responsible for the document's content and accuracy. The NC agendas and NC sponsored special event announcements are available at http://lacity.org/index.htm under "City Meetings & Agendas" and "City Events Calendar".

LACityClerk Connect is a web service offered by the Office of the City Clerk where the Council File Management System (CFMS) is readily accessible. CFMS (formerly known as Council File Index) is a your online access to a comprehensive file index and management system with a summary and details of all legislation considered and/or acted upon by the Los Angeles City Council. It is also a subscription service where you can receive automatic e-mail notifications and RSS feeds when a Council File is updated. To start searching and viewing City Council legislative records, go to:
http://cityclerk.lacity.org/lacityclerkconnect/index.cfm.

HOW TO OBTAIN TRANSLATION OR  INTERPRETATION SERVICES

The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment has contracted with three vendors to provide translation and interpretation services for Neighborhood Councils. Each of the contracts is for a period of two (2) years starting July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011, with an option to extend for an additional one-year period.

Neighborhood Councils are welcome to contact the following agencies to initiate the process of acquiring services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You may also contact your respective Neighborhood Empowerment Analyst to request services and the Department will submit the “work order” on your behalf.

AXIOM TRANSLATIONS (Click here to view contract)
Contact Person: Marlene Gomez or Lori Anding
Tel. No.(310) 329-5527
Fax No. (310) 329 ? 5533
E-mail: mgomez@AXIOMtranslations.com landing@AXIOMtranslations.com
Web: www.AXIOMtranslations.com
 
CONTINENTAL INTERPRETING SERVICES (Click here to view contract)
Contact Person: Veronica Amador
Tel. No. (800) 201-7121
Fax No. (800-259-3840
Email: veronicaa@greattranslators.com  calendar@GreatTranslators.com
Web: www.GreatTranslators.com
 
PARAGON LANGUAGE SERVICES (Click here to view contract)
Contact Person: Hanne Mintz
Tel. No. (800) 499-0299
Fax No. (323) 651-1867
Email: hanne@paragonls.com
Web: www.paragonls.com

The Process:

1. A Neighborhood Council planning to obtain translation and interpretation services need to have a board action together with an allocated budget. It is helpful to have a designated Neighborhood Council Board member to act as the on-site supervisor and liaison to the agency. All contractors have been advised to communicate with the Neighborhood Council executive board or the designated liaison only to minimize confusion. If a Neighborhood Council has a particular individual they wish to hire as a translator, the individual has to register and complete the requirements of the agency prior to commencing work. These processes are necessary to mitigate potential problems with payroll and job performance.
2. Have the date, time, and address of your meeting to give to the agency of your choosing. The agency will also need to know which Neighborhood Council you belong together with the language and if necessary, the translation equipment. Please try to give the vendor ample time to accommodate your request, typically with 72 hours advance notice.
3. Once the “work order” has been placed, the agency will send confirmation.  
4. If the request for service needs to be canceled, 24 hours advance notice is required to not incur costs.
5. In cases where the individual who needs interpreting service is not present at the meeting, the interpreter could translate simple written documents at the meeting, with the caveat that the translated written document may not be a bona fide document given that written translation has a different skill set that requires editing/proofreading as compared to verbal simultaneous interpretation.
6. Invoices are mailed to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. Neighborhood Councils will receive notification from the Department when invoices are received and will have the opportunity to review them. 

How to request LA CityView 35 Services

Neighborhood Council requests for LA CityView 35 services must be submitted in writing and sent by e-mail to done@lacity.org, by FAX (213) 485-4608, or by mail to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, 334-B East 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

The written request must include the following:

1) Contact information:

• Neighborhood Council (NC)
• Name of NC representative, phone, and e-mail address
• Best time to contact

2) Type of project request:

• Video Services ? This request includes assistance with capturing your event, public service announcements (PSA), single or series video productions, and a video copy of the event for your archives. The attached Video Services Request (Click here) form needs to be completed and submitted to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment at least four weeks prior to request date.
• Air-time ? This request is for pre-produced programming or PSAs for consideration for airing on LA CityView 35. Programs are preferred in half-hour or one hour lengths, PSAs should be 10, 15, 20, 30, 60, or 90 seconds in length, and must be submitted on Betacam SP or Betacam format videotape, and audio on channel 1 only.  The attached Air Time Request form needs to be completed and submitted to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment at least four weeks prior to air date.
• City Text ? This request is for video bulletin board messages to be broadcasted for 9 to 12 seconds in a repeated rotation as time permits. Bulletins may consist of a compelling visual image, short, clear text of 12 to 20 words, and a prominently displayed phone number. The name of the neighborhood council may appear; however, names of individuals may not. The attached City Text Request form needs to be completed and submitted to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment at least three weeks prior to air date.

3) Purpose of LA CityView 35 request:

• Include a brief description of the proposed subject matter (topic, issue, special event, and location) and program content; length of production or programming; and relevant dates and deadlines.

When the Department receives your request, it will be reviewed for approval and forwarded to LA CityView 35 for processing. Do not submit your requests directly to LA CityView 35.  Requests without the Department’s approval will be rejected.

HOW TO OBTAIN TEMPORARY STAFFING SERVICES

The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment increased the number of temporary staffing service providers for Neighborhood Council use.   Contracts have been executed with AppleOne Employment Services, Kelly Services, Helpmates Staffing Services and Computer Consulting Operations Specialists, Inc. to provide a comprehensive catalog including but not limited to, administrative office support, accounting and financial services, and, technical and information technology services.

Each of the contracts is for a period of two (2) years commencing July 1, 2008, with an option to extend for an additional one-year period.

Neighborhood Councils (NC) are welcome to contact the following agency representative(s) to initiate the process of acquiring temporary staffing services.

APPLEONE EMPLOYMENT SERVICES (Click here to view contract)
Contact Person: Christina Odom
Tel No. (213) 892-0234
Fax: No.(213) 892-0682
Email: codom@appleone.com

COMPUTER CONSULTING OPERATIONS SPECIALISTS (Click here to view contract)
Contact Person: Shirley Franklin Or MaryAnn Mitchell
Tel No. (310) 568-5000
Fax No. (310) 417-7991
Email: sfranklin@ccops.com, maryann_mitchell@ccops.com

HELPMATES STAFFING SERVICES (Click here to view contract)
Contact Person: Jackie Davila
Tel No. (213) 228-1820
Fax No. (213) 228-0299
Email: jdavila@helpmates.com

KELLY SERVICES, INC. (Click here to view contract)
Contact Person: Alma Del Toro
Tel No. (818) 999-2050
Fax No. (818) 702-6357
Email: deltoa@kellyservices.com

A Neighborhood Council planning to obtain temporary staffing assistance needs to have a Board action together with an allocated budget. It is helpful to have a designated NC Board member to act as the on-site supervisor and liaison to the temporary staffing agency. All contractors have been advised to communicate with the NC executive board or the designated liaison only to minimize confusion. If a NC has a particular individual they wish to hire as a temporary employee, the individual has to register, take, and pass the skills assessment test with the agency prior to commencing work. These processes are necessary to mitigate potential problems with payroll and job performance. 

If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact the Administrative Services Division at (213) 485-1360.

Meeting Space LAUSD

The following procedure is used when a Neighborhood Council (NC) requests the use of Los Angeles Unified School District  (LAUSD) facilities to conduct meetings. This procedure was developed by the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (“Department”) and LAUSD officials to standardize the process in securing LAUSD facilities. The steps vary slightly, depending on the status of the Neighborhood Council.   Please allow a minimum of fifteen business days prior to requested date of use.

Forming (PreCertified) Neighborhood Council

1. The Department Project Coordinator or the Forming Neighborhood Council representative contacts the specific school to check availability and obtain authorization. The LAUSD telephone numbers and additional school information can be found on their website (www.lausd.net).
2. The Department Project Coordinator or the Forming Neighborhood Council representative completes and signs the "LAUSD Application for Civic Center Use of School Facilities" (click here for LAUSD application) form.
3. Mail or deliver the application form to the designated LAUSD Field Office listed on the bottom of the application. After receipt of the application, LAUSD Field Office will fax the application to the Department for acknowledgement.
4. The Department approves and returns the application to LAUSD.
5. LAUSD issues the permit directly to the NC representative.
6. LAUSD sends the invoice to the Department together with a copy of the permit and invoice is processed. 

Certified Neighborhood Council

1. The Neighborhood Council representative contacts the specific school to check availability and obtain authorization. The LAUSD telephone numbers and additional school information can be found on their website (www.lausd.net).
2. The Neighborhood Council representative completes and signs the "LAUSD Application for Civic Center Use of School Facilities" form.
3. Mail or deliver the application form to the designated LAUSD Field Office listed on the bottom of the application. After receipt of the application, LAUSD Field Office will fax the application to the Department for acknowledgement.
4. The Department approves and returns the application to LAUSD.
5. LAUSD issues the permit directly to the NC representative.
6. LAUSD sends the invoice to the Department together with a copy of the permit and invoice is processed. 

Additional Information

• LAUSD reservation can be up to (3) months in advance.
• Fax copies of the application are no longer acceptable by LAUSD.
• LAUSD has a custodial service fee of $30.00 per hour with a minimum of two hours. Additional fees may apply based on services requested.
• NC must observe and comply with safety rules and usage regulations regarding the use of the facilities. These rules and regulations can be found on the back of the application.
• Submit application to the designated LAUSD Field Office

 
East Field Office
1317 San Julian Street
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 745-5920
Attention: Patricia Delgadillo
 
West Field Office
2635 Colby Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 478-2093
Attention: Rosalia Stewart
 
North Field Office
5607 Capistrano Ave
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
(818) 567-4347
Attention: Nadine Tacheff or Sara Perochena
 
South Field Office (School District 6 & 8)
2060 W. 156TH St.
Gardenia, CA 90249
(310) 515-3010
Attention: Lynne Gilbert
 
If you have any questions about this procedure, please contact Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, Administrative Services Section at (213) 485-1360.

HOW TO OBTAIN OFFICE SPACE

On December 2, 2003, the City Council approved the policies and procedures for acquiring Neighborhood Council Office Space (C.F. 03-1514) (Click here to view). Securing office space is critical to the success of a Neighborhood Council and as such, one of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment’s responsibilities is to assist with this effort. There are three (3) methods of securing office space: 1) privately owned rental facility; 2) City-owned or leased facility; and 3) privately owned donated facility.

The Process:

A Neighborhood Council planning to obtain office space needs to have a board action and an allocated budget once the space has been identified. In order to identify a space, the Neighborhood Council must first assess whether the space complies with the City’s minimum standards through our On-Site Assessment checklist.  Click here to view the checklist

On-Site Assessment Checklist

There are three checklists designed for use by the Department to ensure potential office space meets the City’s minimum standards. These standards include issues such as compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), premises liability insurance, zoning, and asbestos removal.

Checklist Instructions

This checklist is primarily designed for Department use to assess the proposed office space. However, it can be used to gather preliminary data before submitting it to the Department’s NC Office Space Program Administrator for review.
 
Each checklist contains line item instructions in bold type as a quick reference tool. Please review the checklist to become familiar with the criteria.
 
The following progression of events should occur:
 

1. Once a Neighborhood Council identifies a potential office space, the NC Office Space Program Administrator will initiate the first on-site assessment by coordinating a visit with the building owner or owner’s representative and the NC representative.
2. The Department’s NC Office Space Program Administrator will determine and communicate with the NC representative if the proposed space is either a City-owned/leased facility, a donated, or to be leased privately. Using the applicable checklist, all required data will be gathered during the on-site assessment.
3. After the relevant information is recorded on the appropriate checklist, the Department Office Space Program Administrator will review and assess the office space.
4. If the initial assessment yields positive results and there are no outstanding issues, a final site review and assessment will be arranged.
5. Once the final site assessment is complete and the office space is deemed appropriate, the process to formalize the acknowledgement of occupancy will commence. This process and timeline will vary depending upon the type of space arrangement.

Office Space Arrangements

1. Privately owned Facilities with Rent:
 
Privately-owned facilities include: storefronts, strip mall, low, mid, and high rise buildings, warehouses, industrial buildings, executive office suites. A Neighborhood Council must have a governing board and must be eligible for funding to qualify for a private facility rental. The Neighborhood Council must provide a board action to approve the office space lease.
 
The maximum annual rent is limited to $19,999. For Neighborhood Councils electing to enter into a private rental agreement, a Standard Neighborhood Council Lease template has been created to streamline the process. Although the template has been approved and standardized, this process normally takes three to eight weeks. 
 
Click here to view a sample Standard Lease Agreement 
 
2. Privately owned Facilities without Rental Costs (donated space):
 
If a Neighborhood Council is offered a “no-cost” space in an office, warehouse or retail facility, guidelines and criteria have been developed to ensure there are no hidden costs. To memorialize the terms and conditions of use, a Letter of Acknowledgement, signed by all parties involved is created.   
 
3. City-owned or Leased Facilities

The final option for securing Neighborhood Council office space is by sharing vacant space that is currently under City ownership or lease. As required by the other space arrangements, the Neighborhood Council must have a governing board and be eligible for funding.
 
There is no or minimal cost associated with a space-sharing arrangement. A City Space Sharing Acknowledgement Letter will formalize conditions for space sharing between the City Department/elected offices and the Neighborhood Council. 
 
Click here to view a sample Space Sharing Acknowledgement: 
 
As always, we look forward to working with all Neighborhood Councils as we move forward with this process and, as always, extend our highest appreciation to all Neighborhood Council board members and stakeholders for their ongoing dedication to community empowerment.
 
Should you have any additional questions, please contact Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, Administrative Services Section at (213) 485-1360.

The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment offers various education and training classes through the EmpowerLA Leadership Institute. However, the Department realizes that there may be specific training subjects that Neighborhood Councils would like to acquire that may not be included in the Institute curriculum.

As a result, the Department has secured the services of three private vendors to provide education and training to the Department and Neighborhood Councils. Education and training topics may include, but are not limited to grant writing; strategic planning; leadership development; resource development; building effective collaborations; cultivating funding sources; needs assessments; program designs and evaluations; fiscal management; budget preparation and management; board development and governance; marketing; networking; lobbying; and, advocacy.
 
Each of the contracts is for a period of one (1) year commencing May 19, 2009, with an option to extend for an additional one-year period.
 
Neighborhood Councils are welcome to contact the following agency to initiate the process of acquiring educational and training services.
 
Blue Garnet Associates (Click here to view contract)
Contact Person: Way-Ting Chen
Phone No: (310) 439-1930
Email: Way-ting@bluegarnet.net
Web: www.bluegarnet.net
 
Beacon Management Group (Click here to view contract)
Contact Person: Brandon Shamim
Phone No: (626) 792-3492
Email: bshamim@look2beacon.com
Web: www.look2beacon.com
 
Roberts & Associates (Click here to view contract)
Contact Person: Carrie Roberts
Phone No: (805) 816-6712
Email: carrierobertscfre@msn.com
 
When planning to obtain education and training services, the Neighborhood Council needs to have a Board action together with an allocated budget. Trainings should be available to everyone, regardless if the person is an existing NC Board member or not in order to build the skill and capacity of future NC board members and to promote inclusiveness and openness.

Amending Neighborhood Council Bylaws

The bylaws of a Neighborhood Council are established to provide a written framework and an organizational structure for the Neighborhood Council. The Neighborhood Council bylaws shall include, at a minimum, the information required by the City Charter, Ordinance and the Plan for a Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils. The bylaws should also include the information described in the original Certification Application Guidelines and Instructions as well as applicable City policies, procedures, laws and ethical standards.  A sample bylaws template can be found here.

Completed applications will be accepted by the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (Department) from January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011 via email at NCSupport@lacity.org and must include the following documents:

• Bylaws Amendment Application Form (Click here)  If the proposed bylaws include a change in the Board structure beyond adding a factual basis stakeholder seat, then please include the Board Structure Change Request Form, too.
• Electronic version (Word or text document) of the proposed bylaws which incorporate the Bylaws Table of Contents Policy.  Bylaws which have not been reordered per the policy will be returned.

Incomplete applications will be returned to the Neighborhood Council.