News Items
Silence Tour Buses
Volunteers for the City
No More McMansions
Dr. Sammy Lee Honored


Upcoming News Items

Tuesday
CAO’s report on creating a Volunteer Division for the City will be heard in Tom’s Arts, Parks, Health and Aging.

Wednesday
Adjustments to the Water Conservation Ordinance, determining water days for residents, will be heard in the City Council meeting.

Councilmember Moves to Silence Tour Buses
Tom entered a motion on Tuesday to investigate the City’s ability to reduce chatter from tour buses. Buses roaming through residential areas often feature blaring open-air public address systems causing homeowners great distress. Tom proposed tour buses use headsets instead, like those mandated in New York City and popular in Europe. For more information, click here.

Calling All Volunteers: Councilmember Moves to Utilize Federal Volunteer Funds
Also on Tuesday, Councilmember LaBonge made the first move towards a Volunteer Division within the City of Los Angeles. By utilizing federal funds established by the Edward M. Kennedy Volunteers Act (Act), qualified volunteers would be able to earn a wage while assisting city services whose staffs have been cut such as libraries, parks and animal shelters. For more information, click here.

Councilmember: No More McMansions on Our Hillsides
Tom and his City Council colleagues unanimously voted on Wednesday to draft the Baseline Hillside Ordinance (BHO), which will limit over-sized, out-of-character construction in hillside residential areas. Oversized developments have been on the Councilmember’s radar since May of 2006. For more information, click here.

Dr. Sammy Lee Honored by the City of Los Angeles
Councilmembers LaBonge and Wesson joined Olympians and members of the Korean American community to honor Olympic legend and pillar of the community, Dr. Sammy Lee, on Thursday. The Normandie Avenue/Olympic Boulevard corner in the cultural center of Koreatown was christened “Dr. Sammy Lee Square.” Ninety-year-old Dr. Sammy Lee is the first American of Asian descent to win an Olympic gold medal. He is also the first person of color to win a medal in diving and the first man to win back-to-back gold medals in Olympic platform diving. For more information,click here.

Announcements

-The Councilmember will co-host the Second Annual Korean BBQ Cook-Off this Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. at 3600 Wilshire Blvd. in the building parking lot. For more details, visit www.kbbqcookoff.com. 
-The lights along the Silver Lake Walking Path have been installed and illuminate the path beautifully!  Now's the time to begin serene, summer evening walks around Silver Lake!

-Tom would like to thank the students from John Marshall High School’s Environmental Studies class for caring for the trees on Tracy Street, between Hyperion Avenue and Talmadge Street. You’re all Angels in the City of Angels!

-Tuesday’s National Night Out with our local police departments was a blast! See Tom dancing with Dora the Explorer at Hollywood Division’s event in our Picture of the Week!

-Thank you to Walt Disney Studios for your donation toJohn Burroughs Middle School! The Councilmember’s staff joined community members for an unveiling of a brick façade funded by Disney. The Windsor Square-Hancock Park Historical Society and the Hancock Park Homeowners Association were also applauded for their role in design and implementation.

-Every Friday is “Jazz at LACMA” with FREE admission, no reservations. August 6 features Skipper Henry Franklin. For more information, visithttp://www.lacma.org/programs/JazzatLACMA.aspx.