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OCTOBER 16, 2008
IN THIS ISSUE
UPDATE ON THE SILVER LAKE ELECTRONIC BILLBOARD 
The City Council's Planning and Land Use Committee has passed President Eric Garcetti's motion to direct the City Attorney to determine whether the electronic billboard conversions can trigger the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The motion is expected to come before the full City Council for a vote next week.
Already, this motion has gotten the attention of Clear Channel, which owns the billboard at Silver Lake and Effie (pictured at left) that inspired Garcetti's motion. In response to residents' concerns, Clear Channel has agreed to turn off the sign every evening at midnight and dim by 67 percent the intensity of sign's illumination.
"This is a temporary solution for this particular location, but does not address the long-term issue of whether the sign is appropriate for the neighborhood. Moreover, we need to address the larger problem of creating a process for the public and City of Los Angeles to influence the locations and technical aspects signs as they are converted in our neighborhoods," said Council President Garcetti. "CEQA would give our communities the process we need to limit the impact of electronic billboards and ensure they occur in appropriate areas. If we can legally use this process, we should."
Under CEQA, projects that may have a significant impact on their surrounding communities must be reviewed through the appropriate public process, which gives neighbors, community advocates, and other stakeholders the opportunity to raise questions and the project's proposer the opportunity to address those concerns and needs before the project is permitted. Requiring a CEQA evaluation would give the public and the City an opportunity to review each proposed conversion's technical aspects such as the frequency of the content changes, illumination intensity, and hours of illumination.
COUNCILMEMBERS GARCETTI, GREUEL, PERRY INTRODUCE SOLAR POWER INITIATIVE
Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilmembers Wendy Greuel and Jan Perry this week introduced the Green Energy-Good Jobs Initiative to produce green energy and create good jobs.
The Councilmembers are working closely with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on this proposal that, when fully implemented, will produce 400 megawatts of solar power, roughly 3 percent of total power generated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). This would be enough to power more than 100,000 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) customers and would be the equivalent to removing 400,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions from our air.
“Los Angeles has long been envied for our sunny weather, and now are taking the first step toward an aggressive plan to put that sun to work for us creating clean energy and good jobs,” said Council President Eric Garcetti.“We’ll be working closely with the Mayor, Department of Water and Power leadership and employees, and environmental organizations to ensure that this plan will achieve our goals of green energy and jobs without rate increases for DWP customers.”
The Green Energy and Good Jobs initiative is one component of LADWP’s effort to reduce its dependence on coal-based power. It will also help the city meet its goal of 20 percent of its power coming from renewable energy sources.
The introduction of this motion begins an approval process that will include review by the Rules and Government Committee and a vote of the full City Council before the City Attorney drafts a measure to place on the March 3, 2009 ballot. Los Angeles voters would then have the opportunity to vote on the measure.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW: CASH FOR COLLEGE CONVENTION WILL BE DECEMBER 4 AND 5
Los Angeles students and their families are invited to attend the Cash for College program's annual College and Career Convention, which will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Thursday, December 4, and Friday, December 5.
This free event will feature financial aid presentations, college life workshops, and an exposition with representatives from more than 120 colleges and universities.
L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti represents the 13th Council District, which includes all or part of the communities of Glassell Park, Little Armenia, Thai Town, Atwater Village, Elysian Valley, Echo Park, Historic Filipinotown, Silver Lake, East Hollywood and Hollywood. Councilmember Garcetti serves as President of the Los Angeles City Council.
Council President Garcetti and his staff can be reached via e-mail at councilmember.garcetti@lacity.org or by mail or phone at City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Room 470, Los Angeles, CA 90012, 213-473-7013; 5500 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028, 323-957-4500; and 3750 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065, 323-478-9002
Watch the Meet Eric Garcetti video in English or Spanish.
www.ericgarcetti.com
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