Children's Institute building and community center under construction

The Children's Institute's new office building and community center is now under construction in Historic Filipinotown.

When it's completed, the new facility will help the non-profit organization better serve vulnerable and at-risk children with clinical services, early childhood education, enrichment activities and family support.

Run to support the Audubon Center at Debs Park

Just minutes away from Downtown LA, the Audubon Center at Debs Park provides a green oasis where urban dwellers of all ages can enjoy and learn more about nature. On February 27, runners can support the park and challenge themselves with a 4-mile benefit run.

In addition to the 4-mile course, there will also be kiddie runs for younger runners. Free childcare is also available for race participants.

The run is organized by Aztlan Athletics. Click here to go to their website for more information, maps and online registration.

Business Tax Advisory Committee reconvenes

Yesterday the Business Tax Advisory Committee had its first meeting to begin the process of reviewing and recommending business tax reforms that will help Los Angeles attract and retain jobs and businesses.

LA's unemployment rate is four points higher than the national average and our efforts must focus on getting people back to work and fighting for every job in this city. The Business Tax Advisory Committee has been assembled to develop ideas that will jump start our local economy and create jobs.

The first BTAC was created in 1999 and proposed several tax exemptions and administrative changes that helped Los Angeles become more business-friendly, including the Garcetti-Greuel reforms that now save businesses more than $90 million annually. The Business Tax Advisory Committee was reinstated with nine members who will meet during the next 18 months.

The Business Tax Advisory Committee appointees are:

• Lloyd Greif (BTAC Chair), Entrepreneur/Finance Expert (Garcetti)


• Michael Banner, Small Business Owner (Parks)


• Kathy Faulk, Checkers Hotel Hilton (Hahn)


• Dwayne Gathers, Business Development Consultant (Perry)


• Saul Gomez, State and Local Tax Services, Ernst & Young (Mayor)


• Mel Kohn, CPA and Former BTAC Chair (Alarcon)


• Craig Morris, Tax Expert, KPMG (Garcetti)


• Melissa Patack, Vice President State & Government Affairs, Motion Picture Association of America (Mayor)


• Mel Wilson, Real Estate Broker, former NFL Player (Wesson)
  

City Employee Spotlight: Julio Pombal

Julio Pombal is an inspector with the City of Los Angeles's Urban Forestry department who has helped to ensure that trees in Council District 13 are trimmed promptly to beautify neighborhoods, enhance public safety and prevent interference with utility lines. He cares very deeply about the communities he serves and on many occasions has gone above and beyond the call of duty to take care of CD13 neighborhoods, including Hollywood, Silver Lake, and Atwater Village.

Born and raised in Guatemala City, Julio moved to the United States almost 20 years ago to achieve the American Dream. He graduated from the Institute Adolfo V. Hall Juatiapa as a Reserve Army Lieutenant specializing in agriculture and continued his education at the University of Rafael Landivar where he majored in Agriculture Engineering. He began working for the City of Los Angeles in 1996 as a Tree Surgeon Assistant and has worked his way up the ranks.

Julio's commitment to Council District 13 communities has been invaluable, and we all thank him for his help with making our neighborhoods great.

East Hollywood Neighborhood Council seeks candidates

The East Hollywood Neighborhood Council is seeking candidates to run in its March 20 Neighborhood Council election. The deadline to file as a candidate is January 19.

To be eligible, a candidate must be at least 16 years-old and an East Hollywood stakeholders such as those who live, work, own property, attend school, is a member of a faith organization, are a board or staff member of a non-profit organization or have a vested interest in East Hollywood. Neighborhood Council board members are expected to attend monthly meetings and perform other community work and outreach in the neighborhood.

Candidate packets may be found by clicking here. For more information about the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council board, please contact Cassandra Pruett, EHNC Outreach Committee Co-Chair, at 323/665-8777. For information about the candidate packets or election process, please contact the Los Angeles City Clerk's Office Neighborhood Council Election Division at 213/978-0444.

Forum and resource fair for women in non-traditional careers

The City of Los Angeles's Human Services Department will host a forum and resource fair for women interested in job training opportunities in non-traditional careers. The event will be held Wednesday, January 13, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Immanuel Presbyterian Church (3300 Wilshire Blvd.). It is free and open to the public.

The forum will include representatives from SEIU-United Long Term Care Workers, Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles (W.I.N.T.E.R.), UCLA-LOSH Green Jobs, and the National Association of Women Business Owners.

For more information, please contact the City of Los Angeles Human Services Department at 213/978-1840.

Opportunity to support Neighborhood Nursery School in Silver Lake

The Neighborhood Nursery School, a non-profit cooperative pre-school in Silver Lake, will hold its annual Art Show on Saturday, January 23, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The show will feature works from more than 100 local artists and will be held in the Rec Center Studio in the historic Jensen's Recreation Center (1661 Logan Street at Sunset Boulevard).

Tickets are $20 and includes wine, beer, appetizers, and entertainment by DJ Mike Messex. For more information, visit the Neighborhood Nursery School website.

Another year of record crime lows in Los Angeles

This morning I joined Mayor Villaraigosa, LAPD Chief Beck, Councilmember Zine, and Police Commission President John Mack to announce that crime in Los Angeles was down again in 2009.

Violent and property crimes went down by 8.6 percent in 2009 compared with 2008. Gang-related crimes are down by more than 11 percent this year compared with last year.

What we've accomplished is truly historic, and I want to thank the men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department and the many community members with whom they have partnered to make Los Angeles the much safer city that it has become.

Even though we are facing tough budget times, I'm committed to protecting public safety because safe neighborhoods are important to our economy and our quality of life.

Help us count!

The U.S. Census is coming and it's important that we all get counted -- the results are used for a variety of purposes, including determining how much funding Los Angeles gets for key programs.

Census workers are partnering with community organizations to make sure that everyone is counted in Los Angeles. In January, special workshops will be held to train communities leaders on how they can help ensure the Latino community gets counted fully and accurately. Train the trainer workshops will teach participants how to create their own local census campaign and provide resources for organizations to spearhead successful census participation efforts.

The first workshop in Los Angeles will be held on Friday, January 8, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the East Los Angeles Public Library's community room (4837 E Third Street). For more information or to register, please visit http://hagasecontar.yaeshora.ino/eventos/ or call 877-EL-CENSO.

Tree Care Event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan 18

Celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Tree Care Event presented by Tree People, Hope IBF Church, and the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council on January 18, 2010. Help care for 20 young trees in the neighborhood.

Everyone is welcome to come help ensure we have a healthy and abundant forest in East Hollywood. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Edgemont St. & Fountain Ave.

Please RSVP by emailing volunteer@treepeople.org or calling (818)623-4879.