District 14 News - March 25, 2011

Dear Friends:

With the election season behind us, we can now return to our regular distribution of the e-newsletter. Please read below for important updates in Council District 14, including City Election Results, El Sereno Vision Workshops, the new TAGRS Graffiti Tracking Program, Ascot Hills Open House and much more.

• City Election Results
• Ascot Hills Phase II Open House
• TAGRS Graffiti Tracking Program
• L.A. Street Car Gets Funded
• El Sereno Vision Workshop
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City Election Results

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Congratulations to Councilmember Huizar, elected on March 8th to serve another four-year term in District 14 starting on July 2, 2011. Stay tuned for community swearing-in information.

In addition to the election for the CD 14 Seat, there were a number of citywide measures; two of which Councilmember Huizar strongly supporting and helped get on the ballot: Measures H and I. You can see the results below as well as click here for information on all Council seats, L.A.U.S.D. Board of Education Seats and Community College Board seats.

CHARTER AMENDMENT H – Contract Bidder Campaign Contribution Restrictions/Strengthening City’s Campaign Matching Fund Program
YES – Votes: 131,553 (74.98%) / NO – Votes: 43,904 (25.02%)

CHARTER AMENDMENT I – DWP Office of Accountability; Ratepayer Advocate
YES – Votes: 137,581 (77.57%) / NO – Votes: 39,776 (22.43%)

CHARTER AMENDMENT J – DWP Preliminary Budget to City Council; Procedures for Transfers to Reserve Fund
YES – Votes: 143,422 (81.53%) / NO – Votes: 32,486 (18.47%)

CHARTER AMENDMENT L – Public Library Funding Votes Percent
YES – Votes: 113,350 (63.32%) / NO – Votes: 65,669 (36.68)

PROPOSITION M – Taxation of Medical Marijuana Collectives
YES – Votes: 106,654 (59.34%) / NO – 73,074 (40.66%)

CHARTER AMENDMENT N – Campaign Finance Votes Percent
YES – Votes: 119,643 (70.19%) / NO – Votes: 50,820 (29.81%)

PROPOSITION O – Los Angeles Oil Production Tax Votes Percent
YES – Votes: 82,898 (48.93%) / NO – Votes: 86,509 (51.07%)

CHARTER AMENDMENT P – Establishment of Contingency Reserve Fund
YES – Votes: 107,996 (65.91%) / NO – Votes: 55,867 (34.09%)

CHARTER AMENDMENT Q – Employment Provisions
YES – Votes: 102,455 (62.38%) / NO – Votes: 61,784 (37.62%)
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Ascot Hills Open House Celebration – Grand Opening Coming Soon

Councilmember José Huizar joined community members, Rec and Park officials and Wilson High School students for an “Open House” celebration of the much-anticipated Ascot Hills Nature Park Phase II improvements. The improvements, which will be fully completed by March 31st, include full stream restoration, an outdoor amphitheatre, hiking trails and 300 new trees and plants.
Councilmember invites you to join him and Mayor Villaraigosa on Earth Day, Friday, April 22 at 9 a.m. for the Grand Opening of Ascot Hills Nature Park. For more information, please call (323) 226-1646.

Enjoy the slideshow of the Open House event.

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TAGRS Graffiti Tracking Program to Focus on Chronic Taggers

Councilmember Huizar joined with Mayor Villaraigosa along with LAPD officials and City Attorney Carmen Trutanich to launch TAGRS, a graffiti tracking program in Hollenbeck, Van Nuys, Harbor and Central LAPD divisions. Councilmember Huizar first introduced legislation to create a City-operated program in 2008 and worked with the Mayor’s office, LAPD and the City’s Information Technology Agency to implement TAGRS. While the program was launch in four divisions, it is designed so that all 21 divisions will have access to it and will be used Citywide. Mayor Villaraigosa provided funding for the program, which will equip the City’s Graffiti Removal teams with smartphones to take pictures of tags, which will then go into the TAGRS database monitored by LAPD. Police will use that evidence to help pursue prosecution and restitution by the City Attorney and District Attorney against the City’s worst taggers and tagging crews.

Here is a slideshow of the program launch. Below is recent media coverage.

• LAPD has a new assault to combat graffiti
• LAPD Releases High Tech Graffiti Program (click on videos)
• Usarán tecnología para atrapar a los que hacen "grafiti"
• LAPD use computers and smartphones to fight graffiti
• Citywide Graffiti Database Launches to Prosecute Perps
• L.A. launches graffiti-tracking program using smart phones
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Downtown L.A. Streetcar Receives $8.4 Million– Environmental Study Gets Go-Ahead

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a plan by the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles (CRA/LA) to obligate $8.4 million in funding for the Downtown L.A. Streetcar. The streetcar effort is a public-private partnership project championed by Councilmember Huizar’s Bringing Back Broadway initiative. Previous actions obligated $1.6 Million of the $10 million pledged by the agency for the project.

In early March, the City Council voted to allocate $1 million to the project from the Measure R Local Return program. And Councilmember Huizar sits on the Metro Board of Directors, which voted unanimously Thursday to begin an environmental study for the L.A. Streetcar, which also puts the project in position to receive federal funds.

An AECOM report indicates the Streetcar will generate 9,300 jobs, spur $1.1 billion in development and generate $24.5 million in annual tourism and spending.

Enjoy the slideshow and footage from the recent Streetcar press conference.
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“Our Downtown” Living Streets Plan Workshop

Sponsored by Councilmember Huizar, the El Sereno community once again met with consultants for a walk along Huntington Drive and a discussion about potential pedestrian plaza sites as part of the on-going El Sereno Our Downtown project.

About 40 people gathered to discuss the pros and cons of each of the potential locations during their evaluation. A few additional locations were proposed based on their proximity to the El Sereno Library, Community Garden, and weekly Farmers’ Market.

For more information on the El Sereno Our Downtown Vision Plan, please call (323) 226-1646.

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Media Coverage of the TAGRS Graffiti Tracking Program

Below are some updates on the new TAGRS program I helped announce at a press conference in front of Hollenbeck Police Station.

LAPD has a new assault to combat graffiti

LAPD Releases High Tech Graffiti Program (click on videos)

Usarán tecnología para atrapar a los que hacen "grafiti"

LAPD use computers and smartphones to fight graffiti

Citywide Graffiti Database Launches to Prosecute Perps

L.A. launches graffiti-tracking program using smart phones

City Launches New Graffiti Tracking Program to Catch Offenders

RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Contact: Rick Coca

Mayor, City Attorney join LAPD, Public Works and City’s Technology Department to launch four-division program introduced by Councilmember Huizar

LOS ANGELES (March 4, 2011) — City officials announced details of a four-division program today that will allow graffiti removal crews to take photographs of graffiti tags, which will then be uploaded to an LAPD database that will be used to gather evidence for prosecution and restitution.

The new Tracking Automated Graffiti System (TAGRS) database means the City, which spends an estimated $10 million a year on graffiti abatement, will now have the ability to expand the program to all 21 police divisions using a single system.

The program was launched through legislation introduced by Councilmember José Huizar in 2008 and has been a multi-agency effort with significant support from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilmember Huizar, LAPD, the Public Works Department, Information and Technology Agency, the City Attorney, and the District Attorney, with assistance from the Orange County Sheriffs Department.

“This database will help our law enforcement and City partners team up to ID, arrest and prosecute the worst taggers and tagging crews in the City,” said Councilmember José Huizar. “Graffiti is one of the biggest quality-of-life issues our residents face – it is a problem that demands action and working with the Mayor, the LAPD and our City and County partners, I am proud to be part of a solution to combat graffiti and blight in our neighborhoods.”

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa helped secure funding for the TAGRS database system, earmarking $340,000 in federal CDBG funds in last year’s Consolidated Plan.

“TAGRS is an innovative, city-wide anti-graffiti program that gets at the root of the problem—the criminals who tag,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “Graffiti breeds crime and devalues property and has no place in our communities. By using smartphones to gather evidence, the LAPD will be able to track graffiti and apprehend the criminals who vandalize our City.”

The new program (building on a pilot at Van Nuys Division), includes Hollenbeck, Van Nuys, Harbor and Central Divisions and will test out a new City of L.A. only TAGRS database.

Previously, in Van Nuys, the City shared Orange County’s system.

Public Works graffiti abatement contractors have been trained to access the system using more than 90 new smartphones that the City purchased for them.

LAPD will use those photographs to gather evidence that will be submitted for prosecution by the Los Angeles County District Attorney when an individual causes more than $1,000 in damages. The Los Angeles City Attorney will pursue misdemeanor cases and financial restitution.

The City’s TAGRS database system became fully operational this week.

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