Dear Friends, 

Happy Independence Day! 
Last week, we talked about the critical moment we’re in when it comes to fire safety and emergency preparedness. From the flats to the hillsides and the valleys, LA’s 4th Council District is uniquely vulnerable to the increasing dangers created by climate change. For that reason, we’re declaring July to be Council District 4 Emergency Preparedness Month, and ushering in the launch of the Ready CD4 campaign. 

Through this campaign, our Office and partners will be going door-to-door canvassing, hosting public conversations with City officials, and sharing important information and resources across media platforms and in our newsletter to get our residents informed, prepared, and #ReadyCD4.

To kick off CD4’s Emergency Preparedness Month, our team had a training with LAFD’s West Bureau, with information and updates on safety and preparedness for brush clearance, evacuation routes, LAFD/CD4 roles, and communications protocols. Thank you to Chief Hogan and the West Bureau leadership for your time, expertise, and continued partnership in ensuring District 4 stays safe.

We’re so excited to work with you all to make safety a shared priority, and to preserve and protect our beautiful district. And remember -- sign up for the NotifyLA alert system HERE! (It takes a minute, but it's absolutely worth your time!) 

Wishing you a safe Fourth of July Weekend, 
Team CD4

A STEP FORWARD IN HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES
 

At the height of the pandemic, thousands of small businesses across Los Angeles were forced to shut their doors. For those who escaped permanent closure, one lifeline has been the moratorium on commercial evictions for non-payment of rent. This week, our Motion to explore rent relief options for small businesses passed in Council -- calling on the City to report on the scale of rent debt among LA’s small commercial tenants, and  recommend steps Council can take to support them. 

Last weekend, prior to the final vote, Councilmember Raman, our Economic Development Policy Advisor Gregory, and our Field Manager Su visited small businesses in District 4, and saw firsthand how these community stakeholders are in urgent need of this relief. Entrepreneurs like Mr. Kim, owner of Debbie’s Grooming in Greater Wilshire, shared stories of how COVID-19 has put their businesses and livelihoods at stake. 

As our city re-opens, we look forward to meeting more of CD4’s vibrant small business community, and fighting for policy and resources to ensure their longevity.

This week, our Office passed and introduced several pieces of legislation to create safer, cleaner streets for all Angelenos. The first motion, recommendations from which moved forward in Council this past week, reinstates CARE+ clean-ups of homeless encampments on September 1st, but with significant improvements - including outreach teams that can provide advance notice and support to unhoused residents during cleanups. 

Our next two Motions, introduced on Thursday, can also help to create healthier streets in our communities. The first seeks to remedy the lack of available storage space for people experiencing homelessness, and the second seeks to provide a sufficient number of regularly serviced wire trash cans to encampments in the City, in response to insufficient sanitation services. 

Our Office looks forward to continuing to put forth legislation that ensures cleaner, safer, and healthier streets for all Angelenos, even as we work towards increasing housing solutions. 

WEIGHING IN ON A COUNCIL ORDINANCE

This week, the City Council voted to take another step on a piece of legislation prohibiting camping in large swaths of Los Angeles. 
Councilmember Raman voted no on the proposed ordinance, citing her concerns about the ordinance's lack of a clear and humane plan for the enforcement of those rules, and the rushed, closed-door process with which the ordinance was drafted. You can read Councilmember Raman’s full remarks from Council Chambers HERE. 

A MORE JUST SYSTEM FOR STREET FOOD VENDORS 

COVID-19 has been an incredible blow to our City’s small businesses and entrepreneurs. This week, a motion from our Office and Councilmember Curren Price, Jr. reestablished a moratorium on enforcement of permits for food vendors, allowing time for the City to conduct education and outreach on the permitting process, and for vendors to secure a permit to sell their food. The Motion also passed with an amendment to the Los Angeles Municipal Code to extend the reduced cost ($291) of the sidewalk vending operating permit.

REMEMBERING TOMAS MEJIA

Councilmember Raman was honored to join in remembering the life of Tomás 'José' Mejía, a beloved husband, father, friend, leader, and community member, at his memorial held by his union, SEIU United Workers West. Alongside his family and SEIU, we paid tribute to Tomás' heroism and invaluable contributions to the Park La Brea community, where he worked for many years, and our city. We send our deepest condolences to his family, his SEIU community, and all who knew and loved him.

A REMINDER ON FIREWORK SAFETY

Illegal fireworks can often have unseen consequences -- causing injury and distress, especially to children, veterans, and pets, and increasing fire risk in our communities. Instead, find an approved fireworks show happening near you HERE, and report illegal fireworks in your area on your phone through MyLA311, or by calling 1-877-275-5273.

HISTORIC CAMPUS IN HANCOCK PARK

This week, we visited Yeshivat Yavneh, located in the Fred and Betty Hendeles Educational Campus in Hancock Park, and founded in 1958. It was wonderful to discuss issues important to these leaders in education, and we look forward to collaborating with this and other schools in the area to help our District's students and educators flourish. 

Our Chief of Staff will be making regular community visits to discuss priorities across CD4. To request a visit, reach out to our Administrative Assistant and Volunteer Coordinator Walker King at walker.king@lacity.org.

TOURING TELEVISION CITY

Last week, Councilmember Raman and our team were invited to take a tour of Television City, a 25-acre major television studio complex located in the Fairfax District. 

In operation since 1952,  and recently purchased by Hackman Capital Partners, the Television City (TVC) 2050 Project is a $1+ billion effort to modernize and expand media production and studio facilities within the Television City campus, alongside general office spaces, open space, and circulation improvements. Our Office looks forward to hearing more on the TVC Project’s progress, and sharing opportunities for public education and input.

SUMMER WEEKEND IN CD4

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of attending the LA LGBT Center’s  annual Pride Picnic at the historic Fairbanks Lawn at Hollywood Forever. It was so wonderful to celebrate the end of Pride Month with good music, food, and friends! 

We also had the distinct honor of joining the American Cancer Society  at their Relay for Life in Griffith Park, where we joined community leader Nina Sorkin and Assembly Member Laura Friedman to help raise vital funds for the fight against cancer. We were honored to participate in both of these community-led efforts!

• CLOSURE: Runyon Canyon will close at 5 pm on 7/4.

• NotifyLA — Sign up to receive urgent notifications about local emergencies by phone, email, and/or text message. 
• LADWP Outage Info — Sign up for outage alerts in your area.
• MyLA311 — Submit a request for services including graffiti removal, pothole repair, and bulky-item pickup.
• StreetsLA Street Sweeping — Register for notifications about sweeping in your neighborhood.
• MySafeLA FX Reporter —
  Report illegal fireworks in your neighborhood (beta app only). 
• City of LA Vaccine Info Hub — Sign up to get your COVID vaccine today!