Chat is open for questions for speaker....

So glad we have so many good people here today!😷

It was Joanne D'Antonio......different Joanne

My email address is: rockello@gmail.com for anyone that wants to contact me... David Rockello RVNC-LANNC Rep.

About those 'secret' first-Saturday meetings, EVERYONE is welcome to attend. Senior management and true insider info every meeting. Link is ALWAYS on this page. (Please save chat ['...,' at lower right]so you have it, an please join us in July!) https:/www.ladwpnews.com/dwp-nc-mou-and-advocacy-committee-meetings/

Sergio PerezInspector GeneralLos Angeles Department of Water and Powersergio.perez5@ladwp.comOffice: 213-367-2841Cell: 213-585-8104

The SAN FERNADO VALLEY is State Water Project dependent.

Also, MWD has storage at Diamond Valley Lake, but it cannot flow to the San Fernando Valley. Normally other parts of Met's area could use that stored water and SFV could then use most of the Sate Water Project water. But this year that has been cut by the Governor to *5%* of its normal flow.

Thank you all for your work. I need to leave for another call but wanted to leave my information in the chat as I am running for Los Angeles City Attorney. My campaign website is https:www.hydeeforcityattorney.com my email is hydeefeldsteinsoto@gmail.com and my personal cell phone is 310-709-5504. Please consider voting for me if you have not voted and feel free to reach out if you have questions about the City Attorney role or my candidacy.

https://www.hydeeforcityattorney.com

The monthly, first Saturday 8:30 a.m. DWP/NC MOU Oversight Committee and DWP Advocacy Committee meetings have not been publicized to all NC Board members for many years.

Again what about using "Gray Water" for outside watering? Don't recommend but required use of pool covers. No more installing new lawns/sod, No more installation of pools/spas for recreation uses.

Is Getty House where the Mayor lives under the same outdoor watering restrictions as regular DWP residents?

Thanks Christina! I strongly support Barbara Broide's suggestion for a water rules door hanger for public use. It addresses (1) hesitancy to 'confront' personally (which could be LESS effective), and (2) wanting to avoid 'turning a neighbor in' to a violations department before they have an opportunity to voluntarily conform. (Realize that 1st response is a warning, but a call to https://ladwp.com/waterwaste still puts the customer into the enforcement database.

DWP will pay huge penalties to MWD, our wholesale water supplier, if it fails to conserve within MWD targets. The will be a strong monetary incentive to enforce the fines.

There will be

I've stuck with 2 days a week since the last couple of droughts!

Upon receipt, the LADWP PowerPoint presentation will be posted on the LANCC Meetings webpage, as will the link to the Zoom recording of this meeting: http://www.lancc.org/lancc-meetings.php

Plant succulents! I only water once a month in the summer...

We all need to understand the realities of water supply costs. The infrastructure needed to supply water to us costs the same regardless of how much water is "sold". So when we have strong conservation, "sales" drop and automatic adjustments then cause the COST of water in each price tier then GOES UP.

LADWP has already raised the cost of water in its tiers somewhat, with modest increases in the 'normal' use tier and BIGGER increases in the higher tiers.

What happens when the DWP bill is in (absentee)homeowners name and not the person living there who is not complying with outdoor watering restrictions?

There is a project called OPERATION NEXT (if I remember) to recycle all of Hyperion's water. It will costs something like *$2 billion+*. The treated wastewater will need to have new pumps and water line to pump it UPHILL to the San Fernando Valley's East Valley aquifer for storage.

great point abt graywater. Read more here: www.ladwp.com/graywater

70% of LA are renters who pay no direct water use bills. It's put upon the landlord to pay the bill for which the landlord has no control. Are apartments in particular high water users ?

Sharon Brewer: Requirement of use of pool covers in covered in further phases within our Conservation Ordinance. All customers are under the same watering restrictions as DWP residents, including where the Mayor lives.

If you know someone who is not complying with outdoor watering restrictions, please report water waste at ladwp.com/waterwaste

Michael, this should be a power point and NOT a verbal report. Where is the power point?

Garry Fordyce: Great point, I will bring that back to the team to discuss.

Elections are outreach opportunities, bottom line save all anilitacal data!!!

Region 3 is on Sunday Father's Day in 2023?

Now posted on the LANCC Meetings webpage is the NC 2023 Elections Timeline, linked here: http://www.lancc.org/resources/NC%20Election%20Dates%202023.pdf

Honestly, especially election day challenges, there are often complaints that seek a remedy of disqualification of the candidate for item like "electioneering". That is, for example, a campaign sign (or even T-shirt worn) inside the 100 foot limit around the polls. Poll managers may see or hear about this and immediately correct the situation, but the partisan complainant still wants the death penalty, even if the violation was by an over-zealous supporter and not the candidate. We will probably never make those complainants happy.

What is the number of registered voters for Los Angeles?

Thank you Virginia 🙂

Now also posted on the LANCC Meetings webpage is the NC Election Information Worksheet (a fillable PDF form) which is linked here: http://www.lancc.org/resources/NC%20Election%20Information%20Worksheet%202023.pdf

good morning everyone

Later in today's agenda I'll be giving an update report on the StreetsLA/Public Works "STAP" street furniture program which, as proposed, raises many questions and concerns. The Council File related to STAP has been 20-1536, a file to which many NCs have submitted CIS statements. However, the City has now introduced a new CF number: 20-1536-S1 and has failed to link the two files together as related files. The STAP program as approved by the Board of Public Works is being referred to the Council's Public Works, Personnel, and Budget/Finance Committees. There is a seeming desire to expedite review despite the fact that a number of critical issues have not been addressed adequately. These include: the issues of digital changing ad faces & driver distraction, the failure to ID a role for communities, NCs or even council offices in placement of ad structures, the introduction of a new LAMC that will open up ALL our public right-of-way to new advertising structures beyond STAP & more...

We could have more mail voting and even automatic 'registration' of general election voter rolls as 'residents' if we could get NCs to accept some technically 'foreign' voters. Voter roll precincts do not match NC boundaries. We would need to accept some "split" polling groups, where people in an adjacent NC would get a ballot for YOUR NC. (For example, my Panorama City would get some voters from Arleta or North Hills East.) Every time I propose this, I get total horror from NC board members. This lack of willingness to accept "a few extra voters" is the reason we cannot use the general election voter rolls.

Split files are kind of confusing sometimes, but isn't 20-1536-S1 linked to 20-1536 by virtue of being a split file?

I have a question re elections budget for DONE. Can I ask at the end of Michael time? Thank you.

Jennifer, for elections, I meant geographic areas like census tracts and block groups. Election precincts also have sub areas. We would need to accept the FULL VOTER LIST in each of those sub area for each of 2 or more NCs in which the voters reside.

Tony, I was referring to a comment above yours. I understand census tracts and NC boundaries, etc

Thanks. Sorry for the confusion.

Now also posted on the LANCC Meetings webpage is the NC Election Information Worksheet (a fillable PDF form) which is linked here: http://www.lancc.org/resources/NC%20Election%20Information%20Worksheet%202023.pdf

Now posted on the LANCC Meetings webpage is the NC 2023 Elections Timeline, linked here: http://www.lancc.org/resources/NC%20Election%20Dates%202023.pdf

Hope we will consider ALSO using some of the county's voter drop boxes. They will help with mail ballot drop offs.

It's curious that 20 years into the system, we're still arguing about how to hold an election. That says something about the competence of multiple generations of DONE administrators and Clerks.

We could in theory go back to holding our own elections, even if we have to call them selections. At least we would get some voters.

Bob, with due respect to your opinion, I think the elections went just fine in the years when (1) NCs ran their own, and (2) the last years when run by DONE, with NC folks like Glenn and me as Independent Election Administrators. The elections got handed to the City Clerk in the same package that Herb Wesson pushed to more FINANCE to the City Clerk. I think the City Clerk has done a very good job of trying to adapt to our diverse, 99 different-ways elections. I have every confidence we can make them work better if we work together to do it.

Glenn/Terrence - Valerie will be voting today on behalf of HCNNC.

The ________ Neighborhood Council opposes Council File 11-1020-S3. We want to be able to contribute to specific Neighborhood Council organizations, and do not want our monies to go into a fund that is allocated without our input. Funds we contribute should be reserved solely for the use of the organization we designate.

Tony and others: It may be that the Clerk will eventually run an election that works well and that allows the public to vote without undue turmoil. But the burden of proof is on them. We managed to get maybe 38 voters the last time, when we relied on the Clerk

Could somebody put the text of the motion here on chat?

The ________ Neighborhood Council opposes Council File 11-1020-S3. We want to be able to contribute to specific Neighborhood Council organizations, and do not want our monies to go into a fund that is allocated without our input. Funds we contribute should be reserved solely for the use of the organization we designate.

Thanks Kay. Can you give us a brief summary of the council file?

yes

The Council File renames the fund from Budget Advocates to Budget Advocacy. That is not an issue. The issue is that DONE is not allowing multiple entities under that fund. They want the Department to allocate the money as it sees fit.

Im wondering if the Motion language posted by Terrence and Kay was truncated (as it also is different from that which is in the agenda)

This is it precisely.

@David: In Chat is the wording of an amended motion

The __________ Neighborhood Council opposes Council File 11-1020-S3. Neighborhood Councils form alliances when they want to join together to work on something of common interest. We want to be able to contribute specifically to alliances we support. The name of the overall fund is not important. What is important is that every recognized alliance has the ability to raise its own funds and those funds are reserved for its use and its use alone. Our Neighborhood Council wants the ability to direct our funds to a specific alliance and not to a fund that is allocated without our input.

And that is what was Moved and Seconded?

I seconded Kay's language

So this is substitute language?

The Budget Advocates have not been able to receive ANY funds for over a year because the contribution form was changed.

The answer is MORE FUNDS, not starting to use the existing funds for multiple purposes. The nightmare of the existing "spreadsheet method" of tracking money in each fund DOES NOT WORK WELL. As to the Congress/EmpowerLA Awards in the same funds, the Congress committee *did* manage both activities. EmpowerLA Awards became a time sink. Congress committee, that was FRIENDLY WITH one of its members handling the ELA Awards separately, had not problem with the joint use.

had no problem with

To be clear, the Budget Advocates have no issue with the Budget Tribunes being able to raise their own money.

Liz, so where is that money and how are expenses paid for?

It seems the issue is with co mingling of monies and how those monies are directed.

Sharon, our fund currently is managed by DONE and we submit our invoices to DONE

THEN I wouold join the Budget Advicates :))

I do not want to bring comments of theft of City funds into this discussion on behalf of the Budget Advocates. We as an organization are not accusing anyone of stealing our funds at this time.

ALL expenditure of monies in the Budget Advocates Fund is overseen (approved) by DONE now....

They haven’t approved. They have referred. The language really matters here as the other is confusing to the general public.

Maybe the Budget Advocates should form as a 501(C)3.

Nobody cares about the name of the fund. The issue is that we cannot separate two entities in the fund as happens with the Congress fund.

so is congress of neighborhoods an alliance or a city entity or…..???

You say currently. What about going forward? New contributions?

It doesn't matter.

The GM says they have honored the intent of the nc's in practice, but there seems to be an inconsistency in terms of getting things paid.

The NC Budget Advocates have existed as an entity for longer than most of the NC Alliances currently recognized by DONE....

The analogy is that the one fund for Congress services two entities.

HCNNC recently voted and approved $2,000 to go to the NC Congress. We want to make sure that the money that our NC approved goes directly to the planning costs of the NC Congress and not to any alliances or agencies.

Really sorry for the interruption. My employer's partner was having a bit of a meltdown. Apologies all around

No worries Laura...

Glenn is quite correct. The Budget Advocates has been recognized by the city for many years, and this is just an attempt to tangle things up in semantic nitpicks.

This is why the funds go to DONE. DONE is the official entity. But the money needs to be earmarked by the NCs for who they want.

So the GM is OK with the Budget Advocates forming as a nonprofit, but the question is whether the Clerk could then turn down allocations to the budget advocates.

Who communicates this? The city council? The Mayors Office?

I can confirm that DONE is currently paying the NC Budget Advocates bills and invoices (except for previous CityWatch ones)

As was said earlier, city has numerous funds. Why can’t those be created for these purposes (aka alliances) specifically

I will be voting for the motion. I think that all this gobbledegook about the official name of the organization is just that

Public Counsel, is a non-profit organization, that assists organizations to become non-profits. They also have great trainings. https://publiccounsel.org/issues/community-development/nonprofit-services-capacity-building/

Yeah, DONE seems to be withholding about ten thousand dollars or more from CityWatch leaving those as unpaid bills. I can see why they might want to stick it to CW, but I don't think this is their job

Agree with Bob twice in one meeting. It's a miracle.

We would do well not to get hung-up on "alliances" as a term. Alliances is a broad term that was recently created to describe (at different levels) intentional groups of Neighborhood Councils, both geographic and topic-oriented. If there is discussion of funds, the term could easily apply to other groups that are not technically an "alliance", but are still recognized groups. The NC-DWP Oversight Committee, for example, is a city entity, created by an agreement between LADWP Board and the individual NCs. It was not created as an 'alliance', but it sure seems to me to be even more of a recognized city agency than a voluntary alliance. DONE, since prior GMs, has always recognized these voluntary collections of NCs ("alliances").

Scary, isn't it

By the way, the city has recognized alliances since shortly after the neighborhood council oversight group back in about 2007

“The ________ Neighborhood Council opposes Council File 11-1020-S3. We want to be able to contribute to specific Neighborhood Council organizations, and do not want our monies to go into a fund that is allocated without our input. Funds we contribute should be reserved solely for the use of the organization we designate.”

If alliances are not allowed to have city resources then why do alliances have empower la emails?

The ________ Neighborhood Council opposes Council File 11-1020-S3. We want to be able to contribute to specific Neighborhood Council organizations, and do not want our monies to go into a fund that is allocated without our input. Funds we contribute should be reserved solely for the use of the organization we designate.

It seems like the rules are fungible

The department does not issue emails to alliances

The wording posted immediately above looks OK to me. Can Liz tell me why it needs to be changed?

That's Liz's language.

I believe it was stated as changing the language from 'alliances', and overall brevity.

Liz is specifically objecting to the use of the word alliance because the Budget Advocates are not an alliance. The initial CIS included the word because it is a concept NCs can understand and, personally, I'd like to see alliances be able to solicit funds

Raquel that is untrue. The dwp alliance has an email of dwpmou@empowerla.org

To Dr. Gelfand's comment, the City does not 'recognize' alliances to suggest alliances are city entities, like NCs.

We need a GM's input on this. I agree with Glenn that the issue is DIRECTING FUNDS to either BA or BT. GM has already pledged to keep specified funds separated by voting NC's intent. Need assurance that that intent CAN BE SPECIFIED for Budget AdocaXX acct (whatever it is called).

The city started recognizing alliances more than a decade ago. This was Len Shafer's proposal at the NCRC.

Vanc is vanc@empowerla.org

https://empowerla.org/alliances/

Those email are available on your website here

Will CityWatch ever get paid for the services it rendered to the Budget Advocates.

All, or virtually all, of the Alliances recognized by DONE have an @EmpowerLA.org email address

Tony, the GM is saying that she's honoring the money already contributed. Our concern is that we won't have funds going forward.

Jamie: Note MOU in that email address. It is not an alliance similar to the other alliances. There is an MOU that defines the relationship and agreement with the City. That does not exist with the budget advocates or alliances.

Both those look to be aliases that then disperse to multiple emails

It is alarming that the General Manager of DONE is arguing against Neighborhood Councils controlling how their own funds are spent.

It is still a server resource

I think we have chewed this item to bits and we should be able to take it to a vote.

VANC is a courtesy address of DONE, as an *empowerment* to the alliance. The NC-DWP MOU group (as I have claimed above) is indeed a city-recognized group, and it also has an address on empowerla.org (Thanks DONE).

DONE administers the funds. The BAs do not.

Almost every single alliance has an empowerla email

The GM's argument is pretty thin gruel at best. We contribute to the marine mammal care center but we don't put our own person in their offices

Personal opinion here, the City doesn't like The Budget Advocates acting independently because we have a propensity to speak out on budgetary waste and pet programs.

The NC Budget Advocates acknowledge the role of DONE to OVERSEE the expenditure of the funds in these two accounts for the Congress and the Budget Advocates. It is the CONTROLLER that actually makes the payments...

Has ANYONE (other than the GM) ever had a problem to what the Budget Advocates have spent their money on?

My support of these motions was only because of my concern that NC-voted funds be used as the NC voted that they be used. It was *not* because of DONE's (legitimate) oversight of the public money. GM has already assured us (here) that voted funds will be employed as they were voted.

Tony -- there is that little item of the ten K that has never been paid for advertising billings

There is actually no problem with keeping money in a fund separated by purpose on a spreadsheet (for example, Congress and EmpowerLA Awards). The challenge is that the spreadsheet approach seems to have been problematic in its actual operation.

Glenn and I had a meeting with Petty and she said the subaccounts are doable. We then requested this of the Dept. I have an email from Raquel saying they have opted to not do subaccounts.

Exactly Terrence -- that is what we are asking

I agree strongly with fiduciary duty and sun accounts

Sub*

There has NEVER been an "out of control" issue with Budget Advocates. The funds have always been controlled by DONE. You or the current GM may have differences is the amount of control exercised.

It is important to define what is meant by 'recognized.' Budget advocates can tell the department how it wants to b referred to and we will follow.

We talked with Petty after your meeting Glenn and she said she advised that they would do what is doable per policy. At this time, it is not doable based on city policy.

As it relates to email, I was referring to @lacity.org emails, which is the official City extension.

Maybe the City action should be to adjust policy to allow subaccounts 🤷‍♀️

I am staffing the Summit of Americas now and need to leave, as I am being called to a meeting.

Empowerla.org is fully owned and operated by the city. It is all by all definitions a city resource and a city account

The empowerla.org domain is paid for and managed by the City, no?

Thank you Raquel, have a good session!

Cindy Cleghorn got it right!!

Just in the same way that nc emails that are paid for by the city are property of the city

We got told that we HAD to consult the City attorney even on items where the member had previously recused and it was obvious they should recuse and were going to recuse, which delayed our action

The policy HAS to be in writing and posted for all. And since WHEN does the City Attorney get back to people on a timely basis.

I agree.. Recusal needs to change and be redefined!

THIS is a classic dumb ruling from Clerk. Because Treasurer signed BAC, Clerk refused the BAC (though she is the REQUIRED 2nd signer). Attestation to the vote (which can be on good evidence) has NOTHING TO DO with a conflict of interest on the Board action. This is non-lawyer clerks becoming gods.

Lou C. is right about people NOT recusing to avoid the problem. (DON"T DO THAT. It will really hurt your BOARD.) His good point is that the Clerk's insane rule actually has an ADVERSE effect of the bad behavior that is a concern of the City Attorney.

https://ethics.lacity.org/pdf/forms/city/CEC51.pdf

This is the recusal statement form required for city council

If time runs out and I am unable to cover the issues associated with the proposed STAP / street furniture contract, please, please, please do whatever you can to educate your boards and press for better analysis of the environmental impacts of the program (particularly with the addition of the new LAMC to allow any advertising structures in the public right of way), questioning the proposed "minimum annual guarantee" of the recommended vendor/contract which reads more like a minimum annual guess with way too many loopholes and unfounded assumptions, Finally the new LAMC is linked to at least two programs that have many of their own issues/problems and lack of transparency. PLUM recently had on their agenda consideration of the Metro Communication Network (which had to be pulled because for it to move forward the new LAMC first needs to be adopted which I noted in testimony). That program seeks to place 300 digital billboards on the Metro/LA City shared right-of-way. The Convention & Tourism Board... cont

Yeah, there was a time when the head of the Harbor Commission kept recusing himself because of his interest in a company that did business with the port.

Also DoNE Ethics Training required by all board members is inconsistent with City Attorney & Etjics Commission training

Thanks Barbara...we actually were able to explore some of these issues with the previous PW head, and got good answers...he's now with MWA

The Convention and Tourism Board has a program "IKE" that would place HUNDREDS of digital changing ad structures (to provide interactive info for tourists)on our public right-of-way as well. The City's quest to litter our public right-of-way for a share of the ad revenues is bad policy. STAP as recommended will place over 6,000 ad faces on our streets. (We are awaiting a promised comparison from StreetsLA of the two top/final bidders not yet provided and something that should have been provided before the Board of Public Works voted.) CAO is also due to make a report. Contact me for more info: bbroide@hotmail.com

NC Budget Day on Saturday, June 18th at 9:30 am: www.BudgetAdvocates.org

The saddest thing about STAP is that at the end of the 10 year initial (or extended 20 year) contract, there will be less than half of the current transit stops covered by the program. And the program was rolled out as a way to promote shade and shelter for transit riders.

NCBA Elections are the 25th and 26th

https://www.budgetadvocates.org/budget-day-2022

sidneygold2000@hotmail.com 8184285969

Digital billboards are dangerous, distracting drivers.

Next LANCC meeting on Saturday, July 2nd