UN4LA News - February 2022
A monthly newsletter published by United Neighborhoods for Los Angeles.
UN4LA's mission is to bring communities together to plan for a sustainable future. Growth must be shaped by community engagement, not developer dollars.
CANDIDATES LINING UP TO BECOME MAYOR OF L.A.
With the deadline for candidates to file fast approaching, almost 40 people have signed up to run for Mayor of Los Angeles. More names could be added to the list, including developer Rick Caruso, whose candidacy would likely have a significant impact on the dynamics of the race.
Aside from the contest for Mayor, voters in the City of LA will be electing a new City Attorney, a new Controller, representatives for odd numbered council districts and even numbered school districts. The primary election will be held on June 07 and the general on November 08.
Unfortunately, it seems that campaign cash plays an increasingly large role in determining who holds elected office, and campaign spending this year is likely to pass previous records. If you want to see how much the candidates have raised so far, follow the link below to the LA City Ethics web site.
If you want to know where they’re getting it from, the Ethics Commission can help you with that, too.
Public Data Portal - Campaign Contributions
And if you'd like a quick rundown of who the players are in the race for Mayor, Jon Regardie sums it up nicely in this piece from LA Magazine.
L.A. Mayoral Race Fundraising: Who’s Pulling in the Most Cash?
RESEDA N.C. QUESTIONS SPENDING BY D.O.N.E. ON N.C. ELECTIONS: LOTS OF MONEY, LITTLE ACCOUNTABILITY
The Reseda Neighborhood Council has raised some troubling questions about the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment's (DONE) spending on the 2021 NC elections. The Reseda NC says that groups which received thousands of dollars to promote the elections in many cases did little or no outreach before voting day. To cite just a couple of examples:
According to the Community Impact Statement submitted by the Reseda NC, a $53,200 contract with Evitarus, a survey and public policy polling firm, was approved on March 15, 2021 by the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners. Evitarus was originally supposed to help promote engagement in the elections, but the contract wasn't executed until after the elections were over, in June 2021. DONE says that since they missed the election deadline, Evitarus is now working on a neighborhood council engagement and awareness survey.
The Reseda NC also notes that four vendors received payments of $5,000 to promote the elections, but these vendors did little or no social media outreach prior to the elections. Two of the vendors only put up posts after the elections were over.
Disappointed and concerned about what she felt was a failure on DONE's part to support the elections, Jamie York, Reseda NC Secretary, along with other NC members, appeared at the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC) meeting on February 1. The meeting began at 6:00 pm, but York and her colleagues didn't get to voice their concerns until well after 10:00 pm. When they did speak, instead of getting the usual two minutes allotted for public comment, they were limited to one minute. York says the board took time to rebut their comments, but apparently does not intend to investigate further and made no mention of corrective actions to avoid future failures in this area.
For many who have been involved in the NC system, it will come as no surprise that there appear to be significant oversight and accountability issues with DONE and BONC. There's much more in the Reseda NC's CIS, which you can read by clicking on the link below
Reseda NC Questions Spending by DONE on NC Elections
L.A. CITY COUNCIL MOVES TOWARD APPROVING OVER-THE-COUNTER ALCOHOL PERMITS
The City of LA may soon do away with required public hearings for restaurants that want to sell alcohol. On Wednesday, February 9, the LA City Council will consider approval of the Restaurant Beverage Program, which will allow restaurants to receive a permit to sell alcohol without applying for a conditional use permit, as is currently required.
The Program was first proposed back in 2017, and has been the subject of much debate. In general, business groups (especially restaurant owners) are in favor, while community groups have voiced concern. Members of the City Council have argued that the Program imposes numerous conditions on restaurants that want to participate, and that these conditions will prevent negative impacts. However, a 2016 report from the LA County Department of Public Health shows that most LA City council districts already have high rates of vehicle crashes, hospitalizations and deaths related to alcohol.
Links to the Council agenda and the revised draft ordinance are below.
LA City Council Agenda, February 9, 2022
Restaurant Beverage Program, Revised Draft Ordinance
WATER RECYCLING PLANS MAY THREATEN L.A. RIVER
Community activists, business interests and local politicians have spent years promoting the benefits to be gained from a revitalized LA River. Unfortunately, their efforts may now be in jeopardy due to LA's increasingly stressed water resources. While the River may briefly become a roaring torrent after winter rains, the flows that wend their way down the channel during the rest of the year are for the most part treated wastewater.
The cities of Burbank, Glendale and Los Angeles are now looking to recycle more of their wastewater to replace declining deliveries from the Colorado River and the State Water Project. Municipal governments have little choice, since they need to ensure reliable supplies for their citizens, but their recycling efforts could result in the loss of the fragile ecosystems that exist in the riverbed.
Could the L.A. River Dry Up? Fears Grow as Cities Work to Recycle More Wastewater
