Calling for Accountability for Loss of Police Communications...

April 4 2012 We introduced a motion calling for a full investigation and accountability for an incident that shut down the entire citywide Police dispatch system for 12 hours. On Tuesday, April 3,the General Services Department (GSD) conducted a power test at Mt. Lee, which houses all the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) radio communications equipment for the Metropolitan Communications Dispatch Center (MCDC). The activity shut off the power at Mount Lee, disabling all radio communications capabilities for the MCDC. This occurred on a day when the Valley Dispatch Center was down since Saturday due to an electrical problem that GSD was working on. As such, all 911 calls were being handled by the MCDC, and when it also went offline, it left the City completely without its dispatch capabilities. GSD knew that Valley Dispatch was not functioning, and did not check in with the Police Department before it conducted its test on Mt. Lee. Thanks to the excellent capability of our Police Department, all 911 calls were still answered and handled, and fortunately, no large scale emergency took place that day. However, it did leave the public and officers in the field vulnerable to unacceptable risks because dispatchers no longer had the ability to directly communicate with officers. Our motion calls for GSD to report to the Public Safety Committee in 10 days. Click here to see the motion.

Lowest Prices for Purchasing City Supplies

April 3, 2012 Councilmember Mitchell Englander introduced a motion calling for new policies to enable the City to get the lowest prices for the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of materials and supplies the City purchases every year, in order to save taxpayer money. "We need to do what every family in Los Angeles does when money is tight – find savings, eliminate wasteful spending, and shop for the best prices,” said Councilmember Englander, who serves as Vice Chair of the Budget & Finance Committee. The motion directs the City Administrative Officer (CAO) and Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA) in consultation with the General Services Department (GSD) to report to the Council with recommended procedures for all new procurement contracts that would allow departments to shop for lower commodity pricing; negotiate with suppliers on new pricing; and purchase from a lower-cost supplier if the contracted supplier fails to meet or beat the lower price. The motion also asks GSD to contact the City’s current contractors and ask them to voluntarily comply with a lower commodity pricing policy. It also would require all current contracts be extended only if the vendor agrees to offer a lower pricing policy. Click here to see the motion.  

Working To Bring Leading Edge Technology to the Fire Department...

March 21, 2012 Councilmember Englander introduced a motion requesting that the Fire Department (LAFD) report on the possibility of implementing AVL, or Automatic Vehicle Location technology (similar to GPS) for all fire and emergency vehicles. This would include an assessment of the system's costs, how the system would be overseen and managed by Fire personnel, and how the system would be used to enhance emergency operations. The LAFD is working to modernize its operations. This is increasingly important with the transition to a new citywide deployment plan. AVL technology uses GPS to transmit locations in real time to a centralized monitoring center. The benefits include ensuring that the closest available Fire Department vehicle is always sent to an emergency. A comprehensive AVL system would enable the Department to track the location of every vehicle in the field, whether it is at a fire station or on the road. This would help maximize the use our existing emergency response people and vehicles. Click here to see the motion.

Calling for Third-Party Analysis of Fire Department Response Times...

March 20, 2012 Councilmember Englander seconded a motion by Councilmember Eric Garcetti, and another by Councilmember Jan Perry. Both call for the Chief Administrative Office (CAO) and the Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA) to contract with an independent, third-party to analyze past and current Los Angeles Fire Department response times, including during full deployment, modified coverage (MCP), and the current depLoyment plan. This analysis shouLd include an accurate accounting of response times, a report on how these numbers measure against best practices t,hrougnout the nation, and recommendations on how to improve response times, specifically through equipment, technology, personnel and changes in management practices. Click here to see the Garcetti motion. Click here to see the Perry Motion.

Requesting a Report on Methods Used to Calculate Fire Department Response Times...

March 16, 2012 Councilmember Englander seconded a motion by Councilmember Dennis Zine requesting that the Fire Department report on the methodology used to calculate emergency response times and the factors that contributed to any changes in the methodology. This motion was in response to concerns raised about inconsistencies in LAFD's reporting of response times that have emerged recently. Click here to see the motion.

Banning Mobile Billboard Blight in L.A...

March 7, 2012 The City Council unanimously approved amendments to the City's ordinance prohibiting mobile billboard advertising displays in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 7. Councilmember Englander's motion initiated the ordinance. The restriction applies whether they are standing alone or attached to a motor vehicle, on any Los Angeles City street. Once a 24-hour advance warning citation has been issued to a first-time offender, we will be able to impound the ad trailers that have blighted our streets. Councilmember Englander worked for nearly 9 years on this legislation, in close cooperation with City Attorney Michael Nagle and Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield, on the City Council and as Chief of Staff to the previous Councilmember. Assemblymember Blumenfield's state bill AB 1298  cleared a path so the City of Los Angeles could create regulatory tools to address this as a traffic safey and public safety issue. In order to address the proliferation of the blight and safety hazard of the mobile ad displays, the State gave cities the authority to regulate advertising on non-motorized vehicles. Unfortunately, mobile billboard operators constantly found and exploited loopholes in the law  and began attaching billboards to sleds, bicycles and inoperable vehicles, and moving them a few inches at a time to avoid the 72-hour parking restriction. The state legislation also gave us the authority to establish a minimum distance a vehicle must be moved after 72 hours. Click here to see the ordinance and motions. 

Protecting Police Radio Communications From Hacking/Evesdropping Technology...

March 2, 2012 Councilmember Englander introduced a motion requesting that the Police Department report on how radio and other mobile communications are encrypted and how to better secure the Department's
methods of communication. The boom in smartphone technology and apps has made it extremely fast, easy and inexpensive to obtain smartphone apps that will allow anyone to listen in on Police broadcast frequencies. This can be highly problematic for Police operations if criminals are listening to the movements of the Police out in the field. Under state law it is a crime to use police scanners to evade arrest or to assist another
person in evading arrest. But that is not a sufficient deterrent. Councilmember Englander wants to be ensure that the Police Department is monitoring these consumer technologies to possibly identify better methods of
encryption and/or more secure communication methods. Click here to see the motion. 
 

FIRESTAT LA - Making America’s Greatest Fire Department Even Greater…

Feb. 17, 2012 Councilmember Englander introduced a motion to implement FIRESTAT LA, a new system modeled after the LAPD’s highly successful COMPSTAT system. FIRESTAT LA will enable us to use today’s leading-edge technology and innovative management techniques to make the best Fire Department in the country even better. COMPSTAT is founded on the principles of accurate and timely intelligence clearly communicated to all, rapid concentrated deployment of resources using the most effective strategies, and relentless follow-up and assessment, to constantly find efficiencies and make improvements. This system has proven highly effective in New York, Washington D.C. and has helped reduce crime rates in Los Angeles to their lowest levels in decades. Near real-time data collection and mapping of incidents would be key components of FIRESTAT LA, as well as frequent meetings to open more dialogue between all levels of the Fire Department. The motion requests that the Fire Department report to the Public Safety Committee on the capabilities of the technology platforms currently being used by the LAFD, an analysis of the solutions that would be necessary to meet the operational objectives of the Department in the context of “FIRESTAT LA,” an operational plan for frequent management meetings and a timeline for implementation. Click here to see the motion.

Year of Preparedness: Motion to Improve L.A.'s Disaster Preparedness and Response...

Jan. 17, 2012. Councilmember Mitchell Englander introduced a motion on the anniversary of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake  meant to improve L.A.'s preparedness and response to disasters such as earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and wind events, which regularly effect Los Angeles. The motion calls for the Police Department, Fire Department, Emergency Management Department, Public Works Bureaus, Department of Transportation,  Department of Water and Power, and other relevant departments to report to the Public Safety Committee on ongoing efforts to achieve inter-departmental and multi-jurisdictional coordination; the types of training and exercises conducted to promote interagency coordination; the process for completing and reviewing after action reports for rnulti-agency incidents; an assessment of the City's ability to communicate with the public during disasters resulting in a power outage; and the availability of grant funding for a multi-agency disaster exercise. Click here to see the motion.

Motion Calling for Accounting of Costs of Occupy L.A...

Nov. 30, 2011 Councilmember Mitchell Englander introduced a motion calling for a thorough report on all of the costs that the City of Los Angeles incurred because of the Occupy L.A. protest encampment. At a time when the City has to weigh the cost of every service, every dollar spent and every employee hour, it’s our duty to the taxpayers to explain and justify the massive expenditure of resources associated with the Occupy L.A. encampment. The motion calls for the City Administrative Officer (CAO), Police, Fire, Transportation, Recreation and Parks, Bureau of Sanitation and any other impacted City Department, to report on all of the public resources that were expended during the 60-day illegal encampment that was built on the lawns of L.A. City Hall. For 60 days, Police Officers and Firefighters were working, or on standby, to manage the protest encampment and the associated damage to public property, crime, drug and alcohol use, and public health and safety threats that had emerged. We must have an accounting of those costs. For 60 days, all of those resources were diverted away from providing the regular City services that L.A. residents depend on, and the public needs to know what that impact was. The operation to remove the encampment on the night of Tuesday, Nov. 29, involved 1,400 officers and large numbers of other personnel, vehicles and other resources.

Click here to see the motion. Click here to see the press release.

Working to Improve the City Budget With Performance-Based Budgeting...

Nov. 30, 2011 Councilmember Englander introduced a motion in support of the proposal by City Controller Wendy Greuel to begin using performance-based budgeting in the City budget process. Starting with the 2012/2013 budget process this spring, the Planning Department and the Bureau of Street Lighting will use performance-based budgeting in the budget proposals for their departments. They will include program goals for the departments and performance metrics that will allow us to measure the success and efficiency of their programs and activities. Performance based budgeting will allow us to constantly keep track of the effectiveness and efficiency of programs, allow more efficient use of resources, and will reveal which programs are effective and which are not. This is crucial during these tough economic times, when City revenues are severely reduced. Performance-based budgeting will be phased in. For the next phase, we called for all City departments to incorporate performance-based budgeting into their budget proposals for the next year. Click here to see the motion.

Working to Help Bring New Auto Dealerships, Jobs & Revenue to L.A. 

Nov. 8, 2011 We co-authored a motion to eliminate the business tax for auto dealerships selling new cars in the City in an effort to lure them to locate in L.A. The City has lost 95 car dealerships over the last 25 years.
We also announced that Beverly Hills Porsche would be moving to a location in the City of Los Angeles, at a press conference on Nov. 8. Car dealers contribute a far greater amount in sales tax than in business tax to the City. All together, L.A. car dealerships paid a total of only $2.9 million in business tax, but $29 million in sales tax. They employ 5,200 people in the City, generating $640 million in wages and benefits, according to the Greater Los Angeles New Car Dealers Association. Click here to see the motion.  

Businesses Tax Exemption to Boost the Economy...

The business tax exemption for new companies starting or relocating to L.A. for their first three years in operation was set to expire at the end of 2012. Our motion, co-authored with Council President Eric Garcetti, would extend the three-year waiver for new or relocating companies until 2015 in order to help businesses grow the economy and create jobs. Click here to see the motion.

More Local Control for Van Nuys Airport...

Nov. 2, 2011 Councilmember Englander co-authored a motion calling for more local control and accountability to help improve Van Nuys airport, together with Councilman Tony Cardenas. The Airport is one of the nation's busiest general aviation airports, used by more than 320,000 people every year, and is one of the City's most valuable assets. An economic impact study from 2007 found that it contributed more than $1.3 billion to the local economy and supported over 12,300 jobs. But because it is so far removed from L.A. International Airport and is the smallest airport under Los Angeles World Airports' (LAWA) management, the neighboring community members, business partners, airport users, and other Van Nuys Airport stakeholders have been neglected for years. Click here to see the motion.

Putting Teeth into the City's Barking Dog Ordinance...

This week the City Council changed the City's ordinance regulating nuisance dogs, establishing a new hearing procedure and fine structure. Before, a citation could only be issued for licensed dogs because the citation was attached to the license. The owner first had to be forced to get a license. Under the new code, Animal Control officers can now issue citations even if the dog is unlicensed. (The dog owner must still get a license.) A dog is a "nuisance" if it barks continuously for 10 minutes or for 30 minutes in a three-hour period. The owner first receives a written warning allowing them to improve the situation. If it persists, a hearing is held where the owner could get a $250 fine for the first offense, $500 for a second offense and $1,000 for a third offense. To report nuisance barking dogs, please call West Valley Animal Care Center at  (888) 452-7381. 
 

Working to Recover City's Costs from Preparations for 405 Closure...
July 15, 2011 Councilmember Mitchell Englander introduced a motion calling for the City to seek full cost recovery for the millions of dollars worth of transportation, traffic, Police, Fire, and engineering costs incurred by the City departments for their preparation to manage the 405 Freeway closure. Despite the fact that the closure went better than anticipated, the City expended significant resources in anticipation of the weekend-long closure. Click here to see the motion.

Improving Public Transportation in the Northwest San Fernando Valley...
July 1, 2011 Councilmember Mitchell Englander introduced a motion to begin the process of establishing a shuttle bus service that will connect to the Metro Orange Line Canoga Extension busway in the Chatsworth and Northridge area when it is completed in 2012. Click here to see the motion.

Continuing the Efforts to Hold DWP Accountable to the Public...
July 1, 2011 Councilmember Mitchell Englander introduced a motion calling for the Department of Water and Power (DWP) Board of Commissioners to first review the report of the Office of Public Accountability before it takes any rate or fee increase actions. As Chief of Staff to former Councilmember Greig Smith, Mitchell Englander worked for years on numerous pieces of legislation to bring greater accountability and transparency to the DWP. Councilmember Smith introduced the motion that now requires third-party review of all proposed DWP rate actions. Councilmember Englander’s motion calls for both the so-called Smith Report and the OPA report to be considered by the Board of DWP Commissioners before any rate actions. All rate actions are then reviewed by the City Council. This motion was unanimously approved by the City Council on Aug. 2, 2011. Click here to see the motion.

Improving Fire Protection in the Northwest Valley Hillside Areas...
July 1, 2011 Councilmember Englander introduced a motion to install a Remote Access Weather Station (RAWS) in the hillside area of Council District 12 that will improve the ability of the Fire Department to anticipate severe fire conditions and monitor weather conditions. It will be only the second RAWS in the City of Los Angeles. On his first day in office, Councilmember Englander identified and secured the funding to have the RAWS installed on time for the fire season. The motion was approved by the City Council o July 8, 2011. Click here to see the motion.

Improving Laws Restricting Trailer Billboard Blight...
July 1, 2011 We co-authored a motion with Councilmember Dennis Zine of  District 3, to improve language in the law that we helped launch, which now restricts trailer billboards that have become a blight on the streets of the San Fernando Valley. Click here to see the motion. 

July 1, 2011 We introduced  a resolution supporting Assembly Bill 1298 (Blumenfield) that closed a loophole in the 2010 State law allowing cities to regulate "mobile billboard advertising displays." Advertisers were getting around the regulations by attaching the ad displays to bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles. Click here to see the motion.

Sept. 6, 2011 In anticipation of the changes under Assembly Bill 1298 (Blumenfield), we introduced a motion strengthening the City's ordinance restricting mobile billboards, to further reduce the blight and traffic hazards they cause on our streets. Click here to see the motion.

Supporting Police Historical Society...
Sept. 27, 2011 Secured the purchase of a decommissioned surplus City truck formerly used by the Bomb Squad to detonate explosives, as part of a historical display. To be donated for $1 to the Los Angeles Police Historical Society. Click here to see the motion. 

Safeguarding the City's Electrical Grid...
Sept. 13, 2011 We introduced a motion calling for a detailed report by Department of Water & Power to the City Counil on the reliability and safeguards of the City's electrical distribution grid. The motion was in response to the record-breaking power outage in the Southwestern United States on July 13, 2011. We must ensure that our electrical infrastructure is robust and that we have plans and safeguards in place to prevent and deal with major electrical outages. Click here to see the motion.

Continuing the Fight Against Weeds & Graffiti...
Sept. 13, 2011 Dedicated $35,000 in additional funds from our community funds toward weed and graffiti abatement on streets, sidewalks and medians in District 12, after the City eliminated funding for it. Click here to see the motion.

Supporting Our Industrial Zone to Boost the Economy...
Sept. 16, 2011 Proposal to expand the uses allowed in the Chatsworth/Northridge Industrial Zone to boost the economy and create jobs. Current zoning code had not been updated since the 1990s, requiring computer, technology, manufacturing and green technology companies to go through a long and expensive variance process. Those are the the kinds of job-creating companies that we want in our District's industrial zone. Click here to see the motion.

Finding Efficiencies to Save Taxpayer Money...
Aug. 9, 2011 We introduced a motion requesting an analysis of the financial, personnel and operational impacts of consolidating the General Services Department's Office of Public Safety into the Police Department in an effort to find operation efficients and save taxpayer money amidst the current recession. Click here to see the motion.

Rewards to Catch Murderers...
We introduced two motions seeking $50,000 and $75,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest and conviction of murder suspects. Click here and here to see the motions.

Fighting the Promotion & Sales of Graffiti Supplies...
Aug. 19, 2011 We co-authored a resolution calling on Aaron Brothers art supply stores to stop their promotion and sales of their "Artrageous: Graffiti Starter Kits” art supplies kits that glamorized graffiti vandalism and taught and encouraged young people to do graffiti. Click here to see the motion.

Seeking Cost Recovery for Vandalism & Graffiti...
July 15, 2011 We introduced a motion calling for a report on how well the City is able to get civil penalties against graffiti vandals to recover the costs for graffiti removal. The motion also requests recommendations on how to improve the City's ability to use criminal and civil actions in our fight against graffiti vandalism. Click here to see the motion.