Copyright (c) 2008 All rights reserved. http://http://www.lacity.org/council/cd14 Top Stories en-us 5 Tuesday, 07 April 2009 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar was selected by Mayor Villaraigosa to join the Metro Board of Directors, replacing Councilmember Bernard Parks, who resigned in January. As a former LAUSD Board of Education President, Huizar oversaw the implementation of the largest construction and modernization project in U.S. history, which along with his planning background, will serve him well on the Board as they begin to parcel out an estimated $40 billion for L.A. County transportation projects as part of the voter-approved Measure R. The 13-member board meets once a month and addresses regional transportation needs for the County of Los Angeles. Tuesday, 07 April 2009 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar traveled to El Salvador with a delegation of prominent Salvadoran Americans, election experts and city and state officials to help monitor the recent historic presidential election. The Southern California delegation was part of a larger International one made up of hundreds of volunteers from around the world. The election went off without any major incidents and the burgeoning democracy nominated a presidential-elect from the former opposition party for the first time in its history. Tuesday, 07 April 2009 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar participated in a lobbying trip to the nation’s capital organized by the City’s business community to combine forces with elected officials to ensure that Southern California received its fair share of federal dollars. The Councilmember attended a speech by President Obama outlining his vision for reforming education across America – an issue close to the Councilmember’s heart. The Councilmember also met with local House leaders about funding for his Bringing Back Broadway Initiative and discussed ways that Los Angeles can take advantage of the new administration’s energy efficiency programs to provide jobs for local workers, including positions for youth. Tuesday, 07 April 2009 00:00:00 GMT As the 10-year anniversary of the City Charter approaches, Councilmember Huizar has invited the key individuals who drafted the document to produce a report informing the City Council on what they think has worked, what areas need improvement and which issues that were excluded from the new Charter, or have come up since, should now be considered. The proposal now goes to the Rules & Government Committee, where it is expected to draw support from Council President and committee chair Eric Garcetti, who co-sponsored the motion. Mon, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar thanked voters for passing Measure A, which will create an Independent Assessor position in the Los Angeles Fire Department. The position, which was first proposed by Huizar and Councilmember Jack Weiss, will be appointed by the civilian-run Fire Commission and will help ensure that progress made in recent months in reforming the department will be sustained for years to come. By overseeing the departments response to misconduct complaints, the Independent Assessor position will help reduce costly discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuits and put the department's focus where it belongs: on the outstanding and brave work of the men and women of the LAFD. Mon, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT Hoping to create a more focused study environment, Councilmember José Huizar introduced City legislation calling for the Citys support of an LAUSD school uniform policy. Primarily used in private schools, uniforms have gained favor among public schools. In 1994, the Long Beach Unified School District initiated its school uniform policy and saw major drops in violent incidents on its campuses. Today, approximately 10 percent of public schools nationwide have switched to school uniforms, with many seeing an increased focus on academics, as well as decreases in violent incidents and other discipline problems, according to published reports. Locally, most public charter schools use school uniforms. The Councilmembers proposal, which is backed by the City Attorney, points out that school uniforms help foster a better and safer academic environment by creating camaraderie among students, identifying non-students more easily, disallowing gang colors and alleviating undue stress for children from low-income families who cannot afford name-brand clothes. The Councilmembers motion will now go to the City Councils Rules & Government Committee. Mon, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar introduced a resolution to support a State bill by Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Canada Flintridge) to allow local governments to place a measure to assess a small fee on the sale of aerosol cans and markers to help pay for graffiti eradication and mural preservation efforts. If SB138 is approved, Huizar, who developed the plan and is sponsoring the proposed legislation, plans to partner with the County to place a measure on the 2010 ballot. Mon, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT After witnessing a record 105-day standoff on the State Budget and the issuing of IOUs to many taxpayers and contractors, Councilmember José Huizar joined with Council President Garcetti to call on the State Legislature to place a referendum on the 2010 ballot to reduce the vote threshold (percentage of votes needed) to pass a budget from two-thirds to 55 percent, or any number lower than the current amount. California is one of only three states in the country with a two-thirds requirement and the other two states have a majority party that controls more than 70 percent of each house of their legislatures. Governor Schwarzenegger, who previously opposed this change, is now in support of the reform idea. Mon, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT In his continuing effort to support families at risk of foreclosure, Councilmember Huizar introduced a resolution to support federal legislation that would include funding for local government programs that help homeowners facing foreclosure. Previously, the City Council passed several related motions sponsored by Huizar, including one requesting the City's Housing Department to develop a program to assist low- and moderate-income homeowners with refinancing and mortgage assistance. The Councilmember suggested that part of that assistance be in the form of up to $5000 to cover refinancing fees and a soft-second City loan for refinancing. Mon, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar delivered opening remarks for the 2009 BREATHE LA Green Salon Series, which focused on the implementation of AB32, Californias Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. in 2008, Councilmember Huizar participated in the inaugural year of the vital BREATHE LA series, which seeks to bring in experts from a variety of fields to discuss ways to combat Global Warming. Calling Global Warming one of this generations defining issues, Huizar is a strong supporter of AB32, which seeks to reduce pollutant levels released into the air to 1990 levels. President Obama has pointed to the law as a model for what the U.S. should be doing. The State is embarking on an ambitious agenda to catalogue current emissions, and will then develop a cap and trade policy in which businesses are required to either cut their emissions or purchase credits from other sources in order to cover the environmental costs for their pollution. The new law is expected to boost demand for clean energy sources. Mon, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT Seeking to provide more options for funding the Citys network of public studios, including the Boyle Heights Technology Center, Councilmember Huizar authored a resolution to seek federal legislation to make it easier to utilize the Public Education Government (PEG) money it began receiving from Time Warner at the beginning of this year as compensation for shutting down our 12 public access stations. Currently the funds, totaling around $5 million a year, can only be used to purchase equipment and upgrade facilities. Freeing up the funds to be used for hiring staff would allow the City greater financial flexibility and allow more than one facility to be kept open. Mon, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT At the urging of the Chamber of Commerce, Councilmember Huizar introduced a motion requesting that City staff provide a status report on what steps Los Angeles has taken to implement the 83 recommendations made by the 1995 Dan Garcia Blue Ribbon Committee. The committees work was focused on reforming the City entitlement process, which during this severe economic slowdown, could improve our business climate and spur greater economic growth. Mon, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT The Councilmember sponsored a resolution seeking a State referendum to have the State Supreme Court review initiatives to ensure they are constitutional before allowing them to go on the ballot. The Court did that in 1990, preventing a mandatory sentencing proposal from going on the ballot because it would have undermined the concept of checks and balance between the judiciary and the other two branches of State government. A consistent review policy would save taxpayers, voters and all interested parties, time, money and effort. Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar introduced legislation to improve the Citys database for sex offenders by including more detail on the types of crime offenders were convicted of. Another component would track paroled offenders to check if a condition of their parole bans them from interacting with other sex offenders, in which case they should not be allowed to be in a group home with other offenders. Most importantly, an improved database will give City law enforcement officials an improved ability to see if any clusters of sex offenders are located in proximity to schools, parks, or any other facility with large numbers of children. Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT The Audits & Governmental Efficiency Committee, which Councilmember Huizar Chairs, held a hearing to finalize the job description for the proposed Los Angeles Fire Departments Independent Assessor position. The I.A., which was first proposed by Councilmember Huizar, would report to the civilian-run Fire Commission and would be responsible for ensuring that discipline is handed out fairly and consistently in the department. The City has spent millions to settle lawsuits in recent years stemming from interdepartmental complaints about racial, gender and sexual-orientation discrimination. The I.A. would work with a new Professional Standards Division to ensure that the changes currently being put into effect by the department are long lasting. Voters will have a chance to approve the I.A. position during the upcoming March 3rd election. Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT In addition to the LAFD, the City settles a number of lawsuits each year stemming from negligence of various City departments. Councilmember Huizar proposed a way to better control litigation costs by giving City department General Managers a maximum allotment for lawsuit payouts each year, with an expectation that they will be able to stay at or below those figures. Similar to what the City does for overtime payments that exceed expectations, the General Managers who fail to stay at or below their allotment would be required to report to Council. In order to have their lawsuit budgets increased they would have to justify the additional expense and/or agree to implement policy changes to reduce lawsuits. There would also be an incentive component in place to reward departments who lower their litigation costs. Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT In order to help homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure, Councilmember Huizar proposed the creation of a City program to provide up to $5,000 to help moderate-income homeowners pay to refinance their mortgages in order to take advantage of historically low rates. Soft-second loans would also be available to help homeowners who qualify to refinance, but at an amount lower than what they owe the bank. The program, to be paid for by funds from expected state and federal foreclosure assistance grants, would go to the root of the foreclosure problem by assisting people before their homes are foreclosed on, saving them and their communities a great deal of anguish. The Councilmember also introduced a resolution to support a federal bankruptcy reform bill that would allow judges to alter the principle payment in so-called upside-down mortgages, where the owner owes more on their mortgage than they have in equity. Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT At the request of the East Los Angeles Meth Task Force, Councilmember Huizar joined his colleague Councilmember Rosendahl in calling for the declaration of 2009 as Meth Awareness Year. This first-of-its-kind action underlines the importance of educating the public about the dangers of methamphetamine and its impact on those addicted. Community groups and organizations such as The Wall/Las Memorias in Lincoln Heights have been alerting the public to the growing meth epidemic and will use the Councils action as a banner to raise awareness about meth throughout the year. Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT The Councilmembers Audits Committee also heard a report from the Department of Recreation & Parks on the results of their Parks Needs Assessment, a multi-year effort to determine what kinds of recreational opportunities residents want and which parts of the City are most in need of new parks. One of the more surprising results was that residents expressed their overwhelming preference for improved regional parks with multiple programs over small local parks with fewer amenities. Tues, 9 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT In order to help homeowners caught in the current home-loan crisis, the Los Angeles City Council supported Councilmember José Huizar's resolution to seek federal legislative action to impose a moratorium on home foreclosures. The 30 to 90 day cooling-off period would provide enough time for banks to renegotiate loans with homeowners at risk of default. Congress is likely to take up this issue as one of its first items next session. The City also recently used $100,000 in CDBG funds to create a Foreclosure Assistance Program to help at-risk home owners. Tues, 9 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT In a move designed to reduce sexual and discrimination lawsuits against the Los Angeles Fire Department, the City Council voted to place Councilmember Huizar’s measure calling for an LAFD Independent Assessor position on the March 3, 2009 Primary Election ballot. If passed, the proposed City Charter amendment would require an Independent Assessor be appointed by and report to the Board of Fire Commissioners. The Independent Assessor’s duties would be to monitor LAFD's current progress in implementing reform through its new Professional Standards Division. The end result should be fewer lawsuits and lower payouts to disgruntled employees, such as in the Tennie Pierce case. Tues, 9 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT The City has decided to extend the hours of DASH downtown routes on Friday and Saturday nights, starting November 21 and lasting through the holiday season. This new late-night entertainment route is privately funded and will run from 6:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays during the holidays to supplement the Metro Red Line Holiday Pilot. The coinciding extended holiday hours for the Red Line (currently running Fridays, Saturdays to 3 a.m., until Dec. 27) is an initiative that Councilmember Huizar championed. Both services are designed to encourage residents to enjoy late-night entertainment and retail options in downtown, Hollywood and North Hollywood, using the Red Line and DASH as their means of transportation. Wed, 5 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Long a proponent of Instant Runoff Voting, a method of voting used in San Francisco and across the world that raises participation and saves money by combining primaries and general elections, Councilmember José Huizar convinced the City Council to create a working group to study the possibility of implementing IRV in the City of Los Angeles. The group will be led by the City Clerk and will also include County officials and other agencies. The group will report back by next summer on how the City can best structure an IRV program, including sufficient multilingual voter education so that all Angelenos understand this new way of voting. IRV involves voters ranking candidates 1-2-3 in order to ensure that whoever wins a race obtains majority support. IRV will save the City of Los Angeles millions of dollars in savings and would help battle low voter turnout. Wed, 5 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember José Huizar arranged for the Council’s Public Safety Committee to hear a report by the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute about the lack of emergency preparedness in and for immigrant communities. The study found that first responders were often ill prepared to communicate with non-English speakers. With one of the nation’s largest immigrant communities, it is important that LAFD, LAPD and the City’s Emergency Management Department be able to provide training and outreach to these groups. The Councilmember also asked City staff to identify grant opportunities for translating their materials into multiple languages. Wed, 5 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently sent a letter to department heads announcing his desire to integrate elements of the zero-based budgeting approach into his development of a new budget. This follows a call from Councilmember Huizar last year to use a zero-based budgeting approach on a pilot basis within three City departments. Zero-based budgeting involves preparing budgets from scratch and using item by item cost-benefit analysis where expenses are ranked and funded in order of importance. While the Mayor's approach is not as comprehensive as the effort proposed by Councilmember Huizar, in which departments would first identify their core programs functions and then determine which parts of their budgets were essential. It is across the board and therefore a significant step forward. Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law AB1420, State Senator Alex Padilla’s bill to require that restaurants with 20 or more chains throughout the state of California be required to post nutritional information at their restaurants. Earlier, the City Council unanimously supported Councilmember Huizar's proposal, which was similar to Padilla’s and another supported by Los Angeles County. The proposed City legislation was designed to prepare the City in case the state’s budget carried on and to send a message to the Governor that if he didn’t sign the state bill, the city was ready to enact its own policy. The County has estimated that half of the pounds that Angelenos gain each year could be avoided if individual’s calorie intake was reduced by just ten percent. Studies have shown when calories are listed at restaurants, consumers eat less. Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar introduced City legislation, seconded by Councilmember Jack Weiss, asking that a Los Angeles Fire Department Independent Assessor position be considered for the March 2009 ballot. On the heals of the Tennie Pierce case and several other multimillion dollar lawsuits, the Independent Assessor would help ensure that recent efforts to reform the department would be implemented. Similar to the LAPD’s Inspector General, the Independent Assessor would be hired by and report to the Fire Commission. Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar called for the elimination of runoff elections in local races for the City Council, LAUSD and Community College District by implementing an Instant Runoff Voting system. His motion, co-sponsored by Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, would involve the ranking of a voter's top three choices for an office, which would allow for a winner to be selected regardless of whether a candidate was able to reach 50 percent of the total tally. This practice, which is become more common across the country results in significant savings, while increasing voter turnout and combating political apathy. Huizar has also proposed that the savings generated by IRV could be dedicated to publicly financing local election campaigns. Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT In an ongoing effort, Councilmember Huizar testified before the Ad Hoc Committee on Ending Poverty in Los Angeles on his quest to create a low-income discount as part of the City's trash fee. He also spoke about the hearings he has held on DWP's outreach efforts to enroll customers into its Low Income and LifeLine discount programs. As a result of the efforts of Councilmember Huizar to draw attention to this issue, DWP has greatly increased its advertising budget for the program and is working with the City’s Housing Authority, the Gas Company and other departments to increase its programs' reach. Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar called on the Department of Animal Services to be creative in exploring possible partnerships with LAUSD students and community organizations to improve its canvassing and licensing efforts. With the City's spay and neuter law set to take effect early in October, there is a great need for the department to increase its outreach and advertising to educate the public about the responsibilities involved with pet ownership. As part of this effort, Huizar will be featured in English and Spanish language Public Service Announcements. Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Council passed a resolution by Councilmember Huizar to support LAUSD's Small Schools plan to implement learning academies of 500 students or less at all LAUSD high schools and 400 students at middle schools by 2020. All new schools will be built smaller as well. Studies have shown that students perform better when they know their fellow students and their teachers know them. This change will take place without the need for additional financial resources. Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT The METRO Board voted at their Sept. 25 meeting to support Councilmember Huizar’s motion to extend the Red Line hours during the upcoming holiday season. The motion, which was co-sponsored by Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilmembers Wendy Greuel and Jan Perry, aims to extend the Friday and Saturday night hours of the train to 3 a.m. The board’s action for the pilot program is contingent on businesses raising the funds to support the extension, which is expected to happen soon. The extended hours will allow those enjoying festivities and special events along the Red Line route more transit flexibility during the holiday season. Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar proposed that all residential managers of apartment buildings be required to take classes about emergency preparedness and City housing law, similar to current requirements for high rise office buildings. With two thirds of the City living in apartments, it is also critical that the Fire Department have updated information about who to contact at apartments in case of an emergency. Huizar also called for better notification of contact information by apartment owners and for signage with the name of the onsite manager viewable from the street. Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar called for the City and County to partner in the development of a graffiti tracking system that has the ability to catalogue thousands of instances of graffiti to allow for the identification and prosecution of the worst taggers by multiple agencies. The costs for this system, which has been tried out to great success in the City of Pico Rivera, would be split between participating government agencies. The City's portion would come in part from unused Public Works funds recently found by the Controller in an audit of the department. Recent increases in allowable fines for tagging would also help fund the idea. Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar’s Audits and Governmental Efficiency Committee approved a proposal by the Department of General Services to retrofit the lighting at 15 City buildings, which will reduce electricity use and save the City money in the long-run. If successful, the pilot program will be expanded and target 100 buildings a year for a period of four years. City electricians will do the work and young people will be hired locally as apprentices to learn a trade. Over time, the program should result in a savings of millions of dollars. The Department of Water and Power is lending the City the money needed to perform the improvements. Mon, 22 Sept 2008 00:00:00 GMT The City Council adopted a new law establishing a daytime curfew for young people whose schools are in session. This law will help reduce truancy and make it tougher for gangs to recruit new members. Councilmember Huizar spoke in support of the measure, noting that LAUSD is in the process of re-converting its year-round campuses back to traditional calendars. He also called on the LAPD and LAUSD school police to work together to make sure that students of year-round campuses are not unfairly targeted. Mon, 22 Sept 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar highlighted program aimed at offering high school students multiple options for choosing a career in the hopes of decreasing dropout rates. Students should be offered basic "A-G" level courses that will enable them to attend college if they wish, but also be given the option of studying to enter a particular trade if they are not planning to continue their education past high school. Giving students more options that appeal to them will encourage them to stay in school. Mon, 22 Sept 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar called for requiring all fast food restaurants in the City to provide information about the caloric content of their products on both their menus and sandwich boards. Studies have shown that customers will order fewer calories if they are told how many are in individual items. A State Senate bill that would make this a statewide law and replace local ordinances has passed the California legislature and is awaiting its fate on the Governor's desk. Mon, 22 Sept 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar held a hearing of the Audits & Governmental Efficiency Committee that he chairs on the subject of increasing participation in the Department of Water and Power's Low Income Discount Program. While the utility did agree, at the Councilmember's request, to increase the percentage of the discount for eligible customers from 15-to-20-percent, the participation rate is still very low. Councilmember Huizar also called for creating a low-income discount program as part of the City's Sanitation Equipment Charge (trash fee). Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT To ensure that Angelenos get independent, unbiased analysis of any future proposed water and power rate increases and to oversee the progress of signing up new Low Income Discount Program customers, Councilmember Huizar proposed creating an ombudsman position in the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The recent news about the large number of DWP customers who had overdue bills in May (358,374, or one-fourth of the 1.4 million the utility serves), underlines the financial difficulties that many Angelenos are facing. This 13 percent increase in unpaid bills came before the recently passed higher water and power rates took effect. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT After a recent report examining the increase in trash fees and how this funding was applied to the goal of hiring an additional 1,000 police officers, Councilmember Huizar asked the City Controller and City Administrative Officer to discuss the findings before the Audits and Governmental Efficiency (AGE) Committee, which he chairs. The Controller had criticized the City for not spending 100 percent of the new funds on hiring new officers. The initial trash fee increase, which took effect September 2006, provided an additional $137 million in revenue through the close of Fiscal Year 2007-08. During the same period, an additional 366 officers were hired at a cost of approximately $47.2 million. The Controller reported that the balance of $89.4 million was used for additional expenses related to various public safety objectives in the Los Angeles Police Department. The conclusion of the AGE Committee was that money had been spent correctly but that there needs to be better accounting for how money is spent and better communication and information sharing between City staff. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT The General Services Department (GSD) is responsible for maintaining more than 9,000 vehicles in the City's fleet. GSD was budgeted for 16 million gallons of fuel in 2007-08, which cost the City $48 million (an average of $3 a gallon). For Fiscal Year 2008-09, GSD has been budgeted $46 million for the same amount of fuel, meaning that if gas price stay at current levels, there will be significant cost overruns. While GSD enjoys bulk purchase discounts, it still pays $4.25 a gallon for regular unleaded fuel.With tens of millions of dollars at stake, Councilmember Huizar directed GSD to report to Council about what steps the department is taking to track and control fuel consumption. He also requested that GSD provide data to Council on the costs for converting the City's 676 trash trucks and street sweepers from diesel fuel to natural gas or electric power, as has been done recently at the Port of Los Angeles with its new dock loading equipment. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT The City Council voted to ban the use of expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) at all City facilities and events, effective immediately, with a ban at City-supported events (like special events) and leased properties (like the L.A. Mall) by next July. Councilmember Huizar also supported a ban on the use of plastic shopping bags by 2010 unless a proposed state law takes effect that calls for placing a 25-cent fee on the sale of plastic bags. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar introduced a resolution to support the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Small School Policy concerning the transformation of existing large schools into a campus of multiple small schools. In general, small schools would have no more than 500 students and will offer a rigorous, relevant, and personalized educational programs (offering an A-G curriculum with multiple pathways at the high school level) -- evaluated by multiple measures -- to ensure that every student is college prepared and career-ready. The LAUSD Board of Education adopted the policy on June 24. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Graffiti vandalism continues to be one of the main areas of blight that scars the City, reduces quality of life and brings down property values. In order to assist the City's efforts to quickly paint over graffiti and catch those responsible for putting it up, Councilmember Huizar has sought state legislation to allow the City to place a surcharge on the sale of spray cans and felt tip markers to raise funds to beautify the City. The proposal, which is before the Rules and Government Committee, also proposes using a portion of new funds to restore murals. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT The City Controller recently audited the Department of General Service's efforts to reduce energy costs at City buildings and thereby save taxpayers large amounts of money. She found that millions of dollars loaned by the Department of Water and Power remain unused and that no single department was taking a lead to ensure that all City buildings were assessed for energy efficiency. That assessment could be used to calculate the cost-benefit of making upgrades such as switching from incandescent to low-energy fluorescent bulbs. Councilmember Huizar instructed City staff to perform the necessary evaluations for the City to take action. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT The City's Street Services unit currently charges record and movie companies a cleanup fee to tear down their advertisements, known as illegal handbills, from public property such as power and light poles. Councilmember Huizar has proposed that City staff be able to also assess a fine for repeated violation of City laws against such activity to try to discourage companies from utilizing this form of advertising. Currently, it is simply too financially rewarding for many of these companies to stop. The proposal is before Public Works Committee. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT Following a call for the submission of a package of gun control measures proposed by Mayor Villaraigosa as part of his "Gang and Gun Violence Enforcement Initiative," Councilmember Huizar called for doubling the number of annual inspections that gun dealers must make of their inventories. This step will ensure that unscrupulous dealers will think twice about selling guns improperly and assist the LAPD to catch instances of theft. The measure was heard at the Public Safety Committee and referred to the City Attorney to draft an ordinance. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT The City Council engaged in a spirited discussion of the benefits and questions about the costs for Instant Runoff Voting, or IRV. The Councilmember had been one of the earliest and strongest proponents for the voting system reform, which has the potential to save Los Angeles taxpayers millions of dollars per election cycle by eliminating the need for separate primary and runoff elections. Used for two election cycles in San Francisco, IRV has boosted turnout there, likely due to a reduction in voter fatigue. The Council put off a vote on the matter until fall. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Council District 14 is a community that historically has been underserved. However, as a member of the Budget and Finance Committee that recently deliberated the City’s new budget, Councilmember Huizar fought for and obtained the funding for community projects that are important to local residents. Among Councilmember Huizar’s budget victories: $25 million in Municipal Improvement Corporation of Los Angeles (MICLA) funding for the development of a new parking structure for the Broadway Theater District; $2 million for rehabilitation of historic Italian Hall at El Pueblo; restoration of museum hours at El Pueblo to five days a week; restoration of the Library’s book budget and Sunday hours at regional libraries; restoration of park rangers and park maintenance; and funding to repair or resurface 735 miles of streets throughout the City. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT The City's current budget approval process does not go beyond the incremental changes proposed from one year to the next. Funding for the majority of services provided by the City is in the budget base, a loosely defined amount required for continued functioning of departments. Detail on the budget base is not included in the annual proposed budget. As an advocate of better and more efficient government, Councilmember Huizar introduced a motion to ask several departments to begin a pilot program of zero-based budgeting. Zero-based budgeting requires that every function within an organization is analyzed for its needs and costs. Zero-based budgets are built around what is needed for the upcoming fiscal year, regardless of whether the budget is higher or lower than the previous one. Zero-based budgeting also allows top-level strategic goals to be implemented into the budgeting process by tying them to specific functional areas of the organization, where costs can first be grouped, then measured against previous results and current expectations. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT On May 7, Councilmember Huizar, chair of the Audits and Governmental Efficiency (AGE) Committee, co-hosted a joint meeting with the Trade, Commerce and Tourism Committee to look into two contracts awarded by the Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). The two large contracts—more than $38 million per year for several years—were approved by the committees and Council, but it was valuable to look at the department’s contracting process to ensure its procedures are fair, equitable and provide the greatest benefit to taxpayers. As a result, the AGE Committee will work with the Controller’s Office to evaluate LAWA’s contract procedures and make any recommendations necessary to ensure the highest-level of efficiency and government transparency. Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT On June 4, Councilmember Huizar secured unanimous City Council support to oppose any attempts to reprogram First 5 funds. First 5 California (also known as the California Children and Families Commission) was created by the passage of Proposition 10 in 1998. Proposition 10 levied a surcharge on cigarettes, the proceeds of which are distributed to counties to fund programs and initiatives to improve the well-being of children up to age 5. First 5 Los Angeles has funded nationally recognized initiatives such as Los Angeles Universal Preschool and the Healthy Kids insurance program. The state Legislature currently is considering a proposal to reprogram Proposition 10 funds to help balance municipal budgets. Thu, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar hosted a breakfast to recognize the visit of Mexico City's Head of State, Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon. The occasion also celebrated the recommitment signing of a sister cities agreement between the City of Los Angeles and Mexico City. Community and business leaders from throughout the Southern California region attended and celebrated the cultural and economic ties between the two cities. As Mayor for the world's second largest city, Ebrard Casaubon started his second day in Los Angeles at Placita Olvera, the birthplace of the City. Thu, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar joined Councilmembers Tom LaBonge and Janice Hahn at a press conference calling for the formation of a task force to combat the increasing number of copper wire theft from City street lights. Councilmember Huizar says that vandalism at one time was mostly limited to graffiti on walls, but these days we can add to the list thieves ripping out copper wire from city lights. While the City's Bureau of Street Lighting experienced small amounts of wire theft in the past, due to the rising cost of copper, the amount of theft has vastly increased in the last few months. It is estimated that more that $300,000 worth of copper wiring has been stolen this year costing the city approximately $1,000,000 to replace it. Thu, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar secured unanimous approval of a resolution to sponsor State legislation to prevent over-concentration of residential care facilities serving six and fewer people in neighborhoods. Current state law considers 6-person care facilities a family use, not required to seek local permits. State law which requires a minimum 300-foot separation for some types of facilities is not currently applied across the board. To preserve the residential character the facilities seek to offer to clients, and which residents also enjoy, Councilmember Huizar is proposing the uniform and equal application of the 300-foot distance separation requirement to all 6-person residential care facilities. He recently championed the same resolution on behalf of the City of Los Angeles to the League of California Cities, which voted to endorse the proposal by a tremendous margin. The City of Los Angeles will sponsor legislation to effect this change in the next legislative session. Thu, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar and the City Council approved a motion to initiate joint-use ventures in 15 high-priority schools throughout the City of Los Angeles. The Department of Recreation and Parks, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and People for Parks will be working together to identify pilot sites and opportunities for joint use that will create open space and keep schools open for community use. The City legislation also calls for the creation of a Joint Use Master Agreement between the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District that will ease barriers to joint use. Thu, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT During a special joint meeting between the Audits and Governmental Efficiency and Public Safety Committees on November 19, Councilmember Huizar called on the Los Angeles Fire Department to submit a detailed plan for the creation of a Professional Standards Division by January. The Los Angeles Fire Department has been rocked by a spate of lawsuits and allegations of a hostile work environment for females and minorities. Fire Chief Douglas Barry, the Board of Fire Commissioners, and the Personnel Department have developed a proposed structure for a Professional Standards Division that would include an Equal Employment Opportunity unit, enhanced human relations training, an automated complaint and disciplinary system, and a civilian Inspector General. Councilmember Huizar urged the Fire Department to submit a detailed plan in time for consideration for the upcoming City budget. Thu, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar recently introduced a Council motion directing the City Ethics Commission to conduct a review of the City’s lobbying laws and policies with regard to former employees’ ability to lobby the City. The report will include a comparison with similar policies at other governmental agencies. Councilmember Huizar, the chair of the Audits and Governmental Efficiency Committee, has championed greater transparency and tighter ethics rules in City Hall, and authored Charter Amendment L, which aligned Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education elections policies and practices with that of the City. The Ethics Commission will submit its report to the Audits and Governmental Efficiency and Rules and Government Committees in 60 days. Thu, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT On November 15, Councilmember Huizar, County Supervisor Yvonne Braithwaite Burke, Dr. Jonathan Fielding of LA County Department of Public Health, the California Restaurants’ Association, and public health advocates launched the County of Los Angeles’ new Artificial Trans Fat Reduction Program, a voluntary program that commits participating restaurants to eliminate artificial trans fats from their menus. Participating restaurants will receive a decal that can be displayed on the premises and their menus. Councilmember Huizar introduced a motion in December 2006 asking for an analysis of how to eliminate trans fats, which health advocates agree increase the risk of coronary heart disease and high cholesterol, from City restaurants. He was instrumental in brokering a groundbreaking agreement with the Los Angeles chapter of the California Restaurants Association to gradually phase out trans fats from Los Angeles County restaurants over 18 months. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT On October 27, Councilmember Huizar joined Councilmembers Tony Cardenas and Bernard Parks to endorse a new definition and model of gang intervention services for the City of Los Angeles. The new definition was developed by gang intervention service providers, including Communities in Schools, Homies Unidos, Soledad Enrichment Action, and the Youth Justice Coalition, and recognizes a two-pronged approach to gang intervention: hard-core, street based mediation and supportive services for gang members and their families. Councilmember Huizar seconded the motion from Councilmember Cárdenas calling for adoption of the model as a means to define how the City will spend its dollars and hold programs accountable for outcomes. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar and the Education Coordinating Council approved an initiative to enroll all foster and probation youth in Los Angeles County in high-quality early education programs, like Head Start or Los Angeles Universal Preschool. Created in 2004, the Education Coordinating Council is charged with the responsibility of raising the educational achievement of foster and probation youth. Councilmember Huizar has been the Chair of the ECC since its foundation, and has overseen a wide variety of collaborative efforts among the County, City, and LAUSD to improve service delivery. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT On October 23, Councilmember Huizar and the Los Angeles City Council approved the donation of 10 ambulances to the nation of Peru. Peru was struck by an 8.0 earthquake in August 2007 that devastated portions of the country, and left the capital city of Lima in desperate need of emergency vehicles. Councilmember Huizar secured the ambulances after representatives of the Peruvian Consulate approached him for help. Consul General Alberto Massa attended the Council meeting and thanked both Councilmember Huizar and the City of Los Angeles for its support and assistance. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar sponsored resolutions establishing the City of Los Angeles' support for two key pieces of legislation recently signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: Assembly Bill 1381 (Nunez) creates an Office of Statewide Violence and Gang Prevention to coordinate gang prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation services. It will also serve as an information clearinghouse and provide resources for grassroots organizations that fight gang violence on the ground every day. As a member of the Council's Ad Hoc Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development, Councilmember Huizar has consistently called for a coordinated and comprehensive approach to fighting gangs that includes tougher law enforcement and more high-quality resources for youth. Senate Bill 7 (Oropeza),also known as the Marco Firebaugh Memorial Children's Health and Safety Act, sets a $100 fine for people caught smoking in cars when minors are present, starting January 1, 2009. Councilmember Huizar's support of this bill is part of a strategic City-wide effort to reduce children's exposure to secondhand smoke. Over the past few years, the City has banned smoking on Los Angeles beaches and in all City parks. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar recently championed a resolution on behalf of the City of Los Angeles to the League of California Cities to extend local jurisdiction or discretion over 6-bed residential care facilities, which include senior centers and . By requiring that such facilities not be located within 300 feet of each other, the resolution aims to preserve the residential character of neighborhoods and ensure that residents receive the type of care they sought in choosing such facilities for their care.