Tom LaBonge Newsletter: Clean Streets, Royal Couple, Subway Extension and More

Councilman LaBonge is keeping our streets clean

Councilman LaBonge wants to make sure streetside trash cans like this don't overflow with uncollected trash
During the City of Los Angeles' budget discussion for the 2011/2012 fiscal-year, Councilmember LaBonge suggested and the Council agreed that the Bureau of Sanitation and the City Administrative Officer should examine transferring trash pickup of the curbside wire trash receptacles from the Bureau of Street Services to the Bureau of Sanitation.  This involves approximately 3,000 waste receptacles on street venues where heavy pedestrian traffic generates considerable litter.  The transfer went to committee, but Councilmember LaBonge recognised the need to take immediate action to make sure the trash gets picked up in a timely fashion, and introduced a motion to take the matter out of committee and straight to the full Council for final approval.
Click here to read more about it


The Royal Couple Visits Council District Four

Britain's Crown Prince William and his blushing bride Kate arrive in Los Angeles Friday for a two-night stay at the British Consul General's mansion in Hancock Park.  Streets will be closed and movement restricted around the Consul Mansion on June Street.
Councilmember LaBonge and his wife Brigid will be meeting the Royal Couple at a reception.  More on that next week.
read more about the royal visit and security around it

Tour LaBonge take two -- Positively 4th Street

Tour LaBonge took to the streets of Koreatown, Hancock Park and the Miracle Mile Wednesday July 6 with a balmy sunset ride down 4th street to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Wilshire Boulevard ... and back again.  About 50 riders joined Councilman LaBonge and a few of his staffers for the ride, the second in a series of five Tour LaBonge bike-rides.  LAPD and General Services Police officers provided traffic control as the riders pedalled leisurely into the evening, stopping at a fire station on Wilshire Blvd. for an ice cream break.

Councilman LaBonge and Tour LaBonge riders and police officers gather in front of "Urban Lights" oustside LACMA during Wednesday's Tour LaBonge Ride

Next Tour LaBonge Ride: Toluca Lake.  We'll meet at the Council District Four valley field office, 10116 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake, 91602 at 6:00pm and then depart around 6:15pm.  

EXTRA - EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT: Councilman LaBonge moves to protect Los Angeles Newsstands
Newsstands are under pressure, from declining readership, from the internet, from the consolidation of the print media.  It's getting harder and harder for newsstands to turn a profit and stay in business.  Councilman LaBonge wants to help.  He introduced a motion in the Public Works Committee this week to amend the current ordinance to allow newsstands to sell sundry items, such as soft drinks and snacks, which are prohibited under current municipal law.
Click here to read all about it

Stay in Contact ... no matter what
When the unexpected or unthinkable happens, you want to make sure emergency personnel can contact your loved one, especially if you can't tell them who to call.  Here's our 
EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS TIP OF THE WEEK
Keep an information card in your wallet, listing names and phone numbers of emergency contacts as well as medications you take or allergies you have.  
Also make sure to add at least one ICE contact to your cell phone. An ICE (" In Case of Emergency") number is programmed in a mobile phone's address book with         "ICE" included in the name so it can be used by emergency personnel on the cell phone owner's behalf.  Make sure that:
-The person whose name and number you are listing has agreed to be your ICE contact. 
-Your ICE contact has a list of people they should contact on your behalf -- including your place of work. 
-Your ICE contact person's number is one that's easy to reach -- for example, a home number on a land line could be useless in an emergency if the ICE contact person works full time outside the home. 
-Your ICE contact knows about any medical conditions that could affect your emergency treatment -- for example, allergies or current medication. (thanks to Christal Smith for this tip)

Get Fit at John Marshall High School



Remember, the track and field at John Marshall High School is a classroom.  Please treat it with respect by obeying all the rules.  Have fun and enjoy the track!


Continued Field Work on the Westside Subway Extension
Metro contractors are preparing to conduct a series of geotechnical field tests in the Fairfax/Mid-Wilshire area as a part of the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Final EIS/EIR) for the Westside Subway Extension.This work will build on the data gathered during the Draft EIS/EIR for the project and provide further soil and seismic information along the route of the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA).In certain areas, noise and vibration tests will also be conducted.Following the tests, the data will be analyzed and used to make further informed decisions about subway construction.

Monday, July 11, 2011 – Friday, July 15, 2011 from 9:00am-3:00pm Metro contractors will conduct work at the following locations:

-Wilshire Blvd and S. La Brea

-Wilshire Blvd east of S. La Brea

-Wilshire Blvd east of Crescent Heights Blvd

-Wilshire Blvd Crescent Heights Blvd

-Wilshire Blvd east of Longwood

Honoring a Retiring Hero

(from left: Tom LaBonge, Deputy Chief Jimmy Hall and acting LAFD Brian Cummings)
Councilman LaBonge honored Los Angeles Fire Department Deputy Chief Jimmy Hill, who is retiring from the Department in the Bureau of Fire Prevention and Public Safety.  Chief Hill served the LAFD and the people of Los Angeles for more than 38 years, helping to improve the quality of life.  Jimmy Hill personifies the Department's mission "to preserve life and property, promote public safety ..." and is truly an Angel in the City of Angels.


Mourning the loss of a Los Angeles Legend
City Councilman Tom LaBonge expressed profound sadness to hear about the passing of Catherine Mulholland, the granddaughter of William Mulholland, the legendary engineer who brought water to Los Angeles via the California Aqueduct almost a hundred years ago.

“She was a dear friend, a joy to communicate and correspond with over the years,” said Councilmember LaBonge.“It’s a great honor to serve the people of Los Angeles, but it’s a thrill to meet the true legends of the City of Los Angeles.Catherine Mulholland was certainly one of those people.”

Ms. Mulholland died this week at her home in Camarillo. She participated in many civic events sponsored by LaBonge, including several at the William Mulholland Memorial Fountain adjacent to Griffith Park.

“I once introduced Catherine Mulholland to Peter Fonda at a Saint Patrick’s Day parade, and it was a thrill to see the mutual admiration shared by these two members of two great families,” said Councilmember LaBonge.“I also had the honor of introducing Catherine to Hugh Hefner at the Hollywood Historical Society, when he was honored for his million dollar gift to help save Cahuenga Peak.”

“She was an Angel in the City of Angels; and now she’s with the angels,” said the Councilman.

In two short years, the City of Los Angeles will mark the 100^thanniversary of William Mulholland’s completion of the aqueduct, which brings water to the Los Angeles Basin via gravity alone from 233 miles aay.It’s considered one of the engineering marvels of the 20^th Century.