Congrats, KidTech grads!

This weekend I attended the LA's BEST KidTech culmination ceremony at Harvard Elementary School in East Hollywood. Graduates of this 8-week technology program learned to type, navigate the Internet, and use word processing and other basic applications through fun activities. Students were very excited that at the end of the culmination ceremony they each received a free refurbished computer to take home!

The KidTech program is operated through the city's LA's BEST after-school enrichment program and is funded through a partnership of LA's BEST, former Mayor Richard Riordan, and The Riordan Foundation. Since it launched in Spring 2009, KidTech has served 500 students at 25 Los Angeles schools.

Colin Higgins Foundation 2010 Youth Courage Awards

Each year, the Colin Higgins Foundation recognizes youth activists who have taken a stand against intolerance and hostility exhibited towards members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Two-Spirit, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) community and is currently accepting nominations for the 2010 awards.

This year the Foundation will be awarding $10,000 grants to LGBTQ youth activists (through age 21) who have bravely stood up to hostility and intolerance based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and triumphed over bigotry through working for LGBTQ rights and social justice

The Foundation encourages all nominations to be made via the online submission tool at http://www.colinhiggins.org/. The deadline for all nominations is 9am EST, Monday, March 1st 2010. Late nominations will not be accepted.

Glassell Park Senior Citizen Center activities

Come check out the various activities available to seniors at the Glassell Park Senior Center (3750 N. Verdugo Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90065)!

Yoga Class

Tuesday Mornings

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

($5.00 per month)

*please make checks and money orders payable to "City of L.A., Department of Recreation and Parks."

Walking Club

Monday Mornings

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Stay fit and energize with the Walking Club.

FREE!

Cards and Games Day

Tuesday and Thursday Afternoons

12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Participate in the excitement of playing cards and games in sociable tournaments.

FREE!

Affordable housing applications now being accepted for 1600 Vine and Miramar Village

Applications are now being accepted for new housing complexes in Hollywood and Historic Filipinotown.

In Hollywood, a limited number of apartments have been set aside at 1600 Vine St. Apartments (corner of Vine St. and Hollywood Blvd.) for low-income households. From January 22 through February 4 (or until all applications have been distributed), a total of 500 housing applications will be distributed at the following three community centers:

• Hollywood Worksource Center (1680 Vine St. Suite 206)
• Frances Howard Goldwyn Los Angeles Public Library (1623 Ivar Ave.)
• Hollywood Community Studio (6671 Sunset Blvd., Suite 1517)

A housing lottery will take place after the application period closes.

In Historic Filipinotown, the Miramar Village Apartments offers brand new two- and three-bedroom apartments for low-income tenants. Applications, instructions, and more are available on the apartment website.

Glassell Park Neighborhood Council nominations and election

Are you interested in taking a more active role in in the Glassell Park community?

Nominations and elections are coming up for the Glassell Park Neighborhood Council (GPNC) on Thursday, April 29, 2010.

If you live, work or own property within the GPNC boundaries, you are eligible to vote and/or run for a spot on the governing board.

For more information visit the Glassell Park Neighborhood Council website or the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment website (and check under "elections"). You can also call the Department of Neighborhood empowerment at 323-485-1360.

Silver Lake neighborhood walk

Thank you, thank you to all of the volunteers who joined me in walking the Silver Lake neighborhood on Saturday morning. We knocked on doors in the southeastern area (between Sunset Boulevard and the 101 freeway) to see what neighbors had to say about their community and provide information on how to get help from city government.

There is really no better way to learn about what's happening in a neighborhood than to walk its streets. And one of the things I love about walking Los Angeles is that behind every door is an interesting story. Who could have predicted, for example, that hidden behind the door of a single-family home was a neon art installation?

Budget on the Road coming to neighborhoods around Los Angeles

UPDATE: The West LA address on the original flyer was incorrect. The flyer at right has been updated.

The City Council's Budget and Finance Committee, chaired by my colleague Councilmember Bernard Parks, is traveling to neighborhoods around the city to hear directly from constituents about their priorities for the Fiscal Year 2010-11 budget.

Budget on the Road is a four-part series that will begin on Monday, January 25, with a meeting at Van Nuys City Hall. For more information, click on the flyer at right.

Come hear about the city's financial picture and voice your opinion about the services most important to you!

We need results on DNA evidence kits!

UPDATE: The motion passed the Public Safety Committee on Monday morning. Thank you to the advocates who came to the hearing to support the motion.

I've been a strong advocate of eliminating the backlog of LAPD's evidence kits that could hold the answer for solving rape and other violent crimes. At the end of 2008, the police department had close to 7,500 kits in storage waiting to be tested. Now we're down to a little over 1,200.

Reducing the backlog wasn't easy -- it's been tough times for the city's budget. But the Mayor and City Council made this a priority and set aside funds in our budget to hire more DNA analysts and contract with private labs address the backlog more quickly. I was extremely disappointed to learn that even though funding was specifically earmarked, a hiring-related committee of city staffers denied the LAPD's request to hire these positions.

Now we are two months behind schedule in hiring, and the funding could get diverted for other uses if we don't spend it soon!

I've proposed a plan to take a portion of the hiring funds and use them to extend our contracts with private labs. They've already completed the work we paid them to do this year, and they can continue to plug away if we keep them on board. My plan also calls for the immediate hiring of the maximum number of DNA analysts that LAPD can train at one time.

On Monday, my motion goes before the Public Safety Committee at 9:30 a.m. (Room 1010 at City Hall) and the Budget and Finance Committee at 6:00 p.m. (Van Nuys City Hall). If you agree with me that victims of rape and other violent crimes shouldn't have to wait longer for their evidence kits to be tested, I hope you'll come speak up at one of these meetings.

All My Children settles into Andrita Studios

Yesterday I taped a cameo appearance on ABC-TV's long-running show All My Children, which moved its production from New York to Los Angeles (Glassell Park in my Council District to be specific!) at the end of last year.

I am so excited about the show's new home at Andrita Studios because of the 150 local jobs it created for Angelenos and because it's already boosting business for local caterers, storage facility providers, and more.

If you want to watch, you can tune in on February 16... I'll be the one playing "Councilmember Garcetti."

Second chance to get a free fruit tree in Echo Park!

If you missed your chance to recieve a free fruit tree last weekend, then head over to the Echo Park Farmers Market (Parking Lot #663 on Logan Street, south of Sunset Boulevard) today January 22, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Trees that will be given away include apple, apricot, grapefruit, lemon, nectarine, orange, peach, plum, and tangerine trees.

This event is sponsored by TreePeople and members of their staff will be available to provide information on the proper tree planting and care.

For more information, please call (323) 463-3171.