CONFERENCE ON HOMELESSNESS AND COURTS DRAWS STATEWIDE AUDIENCE

The City of Santa Monica continued its efforts to meet the challenges of home-lessness with a March conference at RAND headquarters, entitled Addressing Homelessness: Innovations Through Community-Court Partnerships. Cosponsored by Public Counsel, the California Endowment and RAND, the conference was facilitated by the city’s special representative for homeless initiatives, Ed Edelman. The gathering drew more than 150 leaders from the government, judicial and nonprofit sectors of the state, and explored how these problem-solving courts can positively impact homelessness and benefit the communities they serve.

Following a keynote opening speech by California Chief Justice Ronald M. George, presenters offered real-life examples of the DNA of community courts in New York City, San Diego County and San Francisco, and described the courts’ limitations and their potential. An afternoon panel with State Senators Darrell Steinberg and Gil Cedillo, Assemblymember Mike Feuer and members of the Santa Monica City Council featured a discussion of legislative initiatives, required leadership and potential opportunities, as well as lessons learned from endeavors such as Prop 63.

Santa Monica’s homeless court, a pilot project launched in early February, continues to meet on a monthly basis at City Hall. For more information on the conference, please visit communitycourtconference.smgov.net. To learn more about the homeless court, call the city’s Human Services Division at (310) 458-8701.

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NEIGHBORHOOD PLACEMAKING INTEGRATES
PLANNING AND PEOPLE

A citywide “Neighborhood Placemaking” workshop, an important component of the Land Use and Circulation Elements (LUCE) process, will be held in the East Wing of the Civic Auditorium on Monday, May 7, 2007 at 7 p.m. The city’s Planning and Community Development Department (PCD), placing a renewed focus on outreach and consensus-building, has been hosting a series of workshops in which community members share their vision of how their neighborhood could evolve in ways that benefit the community.

The May 7 workshop will build on principles developed in earlier sessions which took place in the Pico, Wilmont/Mid-City and Ocean Park/Sunset Park areas, where the focus was on neighborhoods as building blocks of the community. They included a “hands-on” planning exercise to explore neighborhood linkages to commercial areas and to services along the boulevards. Break-out groups also explored how the boulevards could be configured to maintain quality of life for residents and minimize impacts on the neighborhoods.

On May 7, we will explore the qualities that make Santa Monica an interesting and desirable place to live through hands-on activities and discussions. PCD’s message to the community is, “Come take your place at the table! This is your opportunity to have an important say about the future of your neighborhood.”

Visit  www.shapethefuture 2025.net for the latest workshop updates and information on other LUCE topics, or call (310) 458-8341.
 

 

CELEBRATE 25 YEARS OF “CELEBRATE AMERICA” WITH US! Don’t miss the 25th anniversary of Santa Monica College’s Indepen-dence Day celebration— the biggest, most sensational patriotic community event on the Westside! Bring your family and friends to Corsair Field (1900 Pico Blvd.) on Saturday, June 30, for a star-spangled salute to our nation’s independence. Come early, picnic on the lawn, enjoy continuous entertainment and special exhibits (with plenty of refreshments available for purchase), and cap off the evening with a spectacular fireworks salute to America. Gates open at 5 p.m. Admission is free, parking $5. For more information, please call (310) 434-3000.

NEW CALL-IN SHOW ASKS VIEWERS TO TALK ABOUT HOMELESSNESS

It’s Your Call: Homelessness in Our Community, is CityTV’s newest series to air live each week on cable channel 16. The new call-in show, on the air through June 13, invites viewers to join the discussion on regional homeless issues. Guests from around the Los Angeles area will share their expertise and insights with program hosts Stephen Solomon and Ralph Saltsman from CityTV’s popular “Legal Help Live” program.

“It’s Your Call” will air live at noon on Wednesdays, with repeats on weekdays at 12 noon and on Friday evenings at 8 p.m. This program is presented by CityTV in partnership with the Westside Shelter & Hunger Coalition. For more information, please visit www.citytv.org.