New Website Feature

Please visit our CD4 Projects page to see what Councilmember LaBonge is doing in your neighborhood. To see JUST the projects in your area, choose your neighborhood council from the pull-down menu on the lower right side of the page.
To find the name of your neighborhood council, please visit the Interactive Maps page and then click on the gray box on the left that says, "Neighborhood Councils Map." This is part of Tom's on-going effort to keep residents informed about what is happening in their City and their neighborhood.

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Councilmember LaBonge joined several local politicians in encouraging Angelenos to vote on Nov. 4.

Councilmember LaBonge and many area politicians had the same message at a press conference on the steps of City Hall: Vote on Tuesday, November 4.
Holding a poster that said, "Hope Act Vote," the councilmember said in Spanish and English that this is the most significant election of a lifetime. "Si se puede, yes we can," the Councilmember said. "The most important thing you can do is make sure that you get to the polling place and cast your ballot.
Among the others at the press conference were: State Senator Gil Cedillo, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo, Council President Eric Garcetti and Councilmembers Richard Alarcon, Janice Hahn, Jose Huizar and Jan Perry.

Supporting Griffith Park Historic Designation

Councilmember LaBonge whole-heartedly supported the Cultural Heritage Commission's vote yesterday to designate Griffith Park a historic cultural monument of the City of Los Angeles. The commission voted 3-1 for the designation at a packed City Hall hearing.
The Councilmember, who received overwhelming applause when the commission chair called him to testify, reiterated his love of Griffith Park where he hikes daily.
"I'm the richest man in town at 6:22 every morning when I reach the top of Mount Hollywood and see the beauty of Los Angeles spread before me," LaBonge said. "It's the most special park in the world. I'm not prejudice. It just is." The councilmember decided to support the historic designation after doing extensive research into how the designation would effect the daily operation and maintenance of the 4,217-acre park. At the hearing, he directed city departments to work closely together to ensure that preserving the park's historic elements does nothing to impede safe and efficient park operations.
The park designation must still be considered by the City Council before it is approved; the date for that hearing has not yet been set.

Councilmember Focuses on Community Beautification

Before and After: Sylvan De La Cruz, Special Assistant for Neighborhood Beautification, trimmed back an overgrown tree and helped brighten this corner of the neighborhood.

Councilmember Tom LaBonge has created a position in his district to handle direct community beautification, similar to the position he himself held 34 years ago under Mayor Tom Bradley.

The councilmember was successful in finding equipment and funding for this position, and has hired Sylvan De La Cruz to be his new Special Assistant for Neighborhood Beautification.

This has been one of the councilmember's goals since he was first elected in 2001, and sets a new precedent for community responsiveness on the City Council.

At the direction of Councilmember LaBonge, Sylvan will work closely with field deputies to identify and address quality of life issues in the district.

The councilmember has asked Sylvan to handle bulky item pickup, maintain public walkways, trim unruly trees (pictured), and other hands-on tasks to help keep our neighborhoods beautiful.

Prior to joining Team LaBonge, Sylvan worked with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps’ Clean & Green program, where he supervised young people in beautification projects throughout the city.

Sylvan De La Cruz, Special Assistant for Neighborhood Beautification, may be reached at Sylvan.DeLaCruz@lacity.org or by calling the CD4 Valley Field Office at (818) 755-7630.

Hollywood Community Breakfast

Councilmember LaBonge hands a certificate and a loaf of his signature pumpkin bread to Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council member Valorie Keegan, who helped mastermind the recent Nichols Canyon emergency evacuation drill in September.

Electronic billboards and emergency preparedness topped the agenda at Councilmember LaBonge's Hollywood community breakfast today. About 40 business and neighborhood leaders attended the meeting, which was held at the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Museum.
Tom discussed two recent legislative initiatives to rein in billboard proliferation in Los Angeles. The councilman's initiatives targeted two specific types of signs: electronic billboards and supergraphics, which are oversized advertisements that cover the sides of buildings.
"I support advertising in the appropriate place," the Councilmember said of electronic billboards, "but I don't want to watch TV when I'm driving down the street. I want to watch it in my living room."
The councilmember seconded Council President Eric Garcetti's October 1 motion directing city departments to identify ways to legally limit the blight of electronic billboards. Tom introduced another motion on October 24 instructing city departments to investigate whether supergraphics pose a safety hazard to drivers.
The councilmember also applauded the Hollywood Hills West community for organizing a well-attended emergency evacuation drill on Sept. 6.

Equestrian Meeting

Tom invites everyone who rides horses in Griffith Park to attend a meeting on Wednesday, October 29 at 6 p.m. at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, 480 Riverside Drive, Burbank, CA 91506. Please join him to talk about a report on the impacts of flower vendors on Forest Lawn Drive and a new water pipeline whose construction will effect trail usage.

Reward in Homeless Burning Death

Composite sketch of the suspect in the death of John Robert McGraham.

The City Council unanimously approved Councilmember LaBonge’s motion to establish a $75,000 reward in the murder of John Robert McGraham. On October 9th at 9:30 p.m., a man poured gasoline on Mr. McGraham and set him on fire. Witnesses tried to extinguish the flames, but Mr McGraham, who was homeless, died before they could save him. This happened on Third St. between New Hampshire and Berendo avenues, where Mr. McGraham lived. His horrific death evoked both outrage throughout the city and waves of grief in his own neighborhood, Koreatown, where he was a fixture in people’s lives. Hundreds of neighbors attended his funeral service last week. If anyone has information about the incidents leading to Mr. McGraham’s death, please contact the Los Angeles Police Department at: (213)485-2531.

Click here to see the LAPD reward poster in Spanish

Refugee Camp in Griffith Park

Councilmember LaBonge hands a loaf of pumpkin bread to Denisse Reyes, coordinator of the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) “A Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City.”

Councilmember LaBonge welcomed a refugee camp exhibit to Griffith Park today. The international medical organization, Doctors Without Borders, set up the camp to educate the public about the plight of 42 million displaced people world wide. "I commend the noble work that Doctors Without Borders is doing around the world," the Councilmember said. "I am glad to see so many Los Angeles school children visiting the camp." About 600 Los Angeles students per day will visit the camp exhibit, which will be in Griffith Park until Monday, Oct. 27.