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Most Important Budget Day Ever |
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(Story provided by the Mayor’s office)
Each year, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa prepares a fiscally responsible City Budget that addresses the essential issues relevant to residents living in Los Angeles.
This year, it is especially important that Neighborhood Councils and
community members fully participate in the Mayor’s Budget Process. The
City of Los Angeles will face some extremely difficult challenges in
the next fiscal year. According to projections by the City
Administrative Officer (CAO) and the City Controller’s office, the
City’s budget forecast will project a deficit of $218.6 million for
2008-09. Furthermore, the likely loss of the 2007-08 telephone users'
tax revenue will further impact the City’s budget and restrict the
City’s ability to fund vital programs and services.
In less than three weeks, the diverse communities of Los Angeles will get an opportunity to provide direct input on budget priorities at the 2007 Mayor’s Community Budget Day event. From the administration’s perspective, this is most significant budget day event ever. Neighborhood Councils are needed more than ever during this critical time to advise the Mayor’s office on the key issues facing our City. The Mayor’s office encourages neighborhood councils to participate in this important event so that the needs and concerns of their stakeholders will be considered during the budget process.
Since the inception of this Mayor’s first budget process in 2005, neighborhood councils have played a crucial role in every stage of Budget Process. During the previous Community Budget Day in 2006, over 250 community members and neighborhood council representatives participated in educating and engaging the neighborhoods they represent. Over 1,800 community members completed budget surveys providing invaluable input on how the City’s budget could best serve the people of Los Angeles.
The citywide results from the budget surveys were compiled, and Neighborhood Councils were reconvened to discuss regional budget issues and priorities. From those regional meetings, 14 regional Budget Representatives were elected by their peers to deliver their respective region’s budget priority message to the Mayor.
Utilizing input from the Community Budget Day, the Mayor established his priorities for the 2007 – 2008 City Budget. Closely reflecting the priorities stated by neighborhood councils, including transportation, infrastructure and youth programs; the Mayor’s budget increased funding for community plan updates, and contributed $40 million to the development of the Expo light Rail line over the next few years. The budget also dedicated $4 million to Youth Employment and Learn and Earn, two important programs that give young people education and real life work experience.
Last year, neighborhood councils suggested the addition of an educational component to help the councils better understand the budget process and its impact on the City. To address that concern, the Mayor’s Office is in the process of developing a new interactive survey that will dramatically improve the educational capability of the process. The interactive survey will help inform participants of the real and pressing issues facing the City. Furthermore, the new survey format will allow the Mayor’s Office to collect meaningful data that will help guide the development of the 2008 – 2009 City Budget.
The 2007 Community Budget Day is scheduled for Saturday, October 13, 2007 in Council Chambers at City Hall. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilmember Bernard Parks will participate in the Community Budget Day event. Furthermore, Sally Choi, Deputy Mayor of the Finance and Performance Management from the Mayor’s Office, along with the City Administrative Office, will be present to facilitate the various regional discussions and activities. (Need to know:Online registration is available at www.lacityneighborhoods.com . You may RSVP by calling 213.485.1360 or you may email the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment at
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