Shalome and I have been talking a bit about getting more involved in community groups. Wait a sec, back up there. I mean, we've been talking about going to neighborhood council meetings. That's the first step. We're both generally shy and reserved when we're put in a group of people we don't know at all*, so we'll see how it goes from there, if we can bring ourselves to even do that.
In any case, a lot of people bemoan the downfall of their neighborhood, either to developers or to gangs and whatnot, but they just watch as the upward or downward spiral transforms the neighborhood around them. Our neighborhood could go either way, or more likely, both ways, with developers building condos and shopping plazas on major streets while graffiti, trash, and grime creep into the side streets. I guess that's just Hollywood for you. The point is that little things can be fixed really easily, and those things have a concrete impact on quality of life. Things like tree coverage, potholes, graffiti, piles of trash, abandoned property, cracked and broken sidewalks and traffic signals can be fixed pretty easily and have a huge day-to-day impact on the neighborhood. I think the problem in many places is that nobody bothers to tell the city things in their neighborhood need fixing.
That brings me to The LAist, who posted this awesome article about using Google Maps to illustrate points of improvement for neighborhood council meetings and dealing with city officials.
But you know, you don't even need to go to a neighborhood council meeting to take action on some problems. LA has some nice web forms for requesting city services. I just found out about them, so I have yet to see if they're actually connected to anything, but it's encouraging to see the graffiti removal service request, street light maintenance request, and sanitation service request forms (the Bureau of Sanitation will pick up bulky items left on the street for free if you ask them to, even if it's not your stuff).
Oh, and I'm officially giving up on doing a single "best of 2006" post. So hopefully I'll be better about posting new stuff. Maybe I'll toss in an occasional "today's 2006 highlight" occasionally as they come up.
bean!
*I know, you're thinking, "Wait, you guys? Shy? Sure, whatever!" But really, can any of you think of a time when you've seen us around a large group of people we don't know? Maybe Maxx might remember my first outing with SGLA, when I met everyone for the very first time at dinner at Real Food Daily. I was really quiet and reserved for the most part until I got comfortable and talked with people for a while.
In any case, a lot of people bemoan the downfall of their neighborhood, either to developers or to gangs and whatnot, but they just watch as the upward or downward spiral transforms the neighborhood around them. Our neighborhood could go either way, or more likely, both ways, with developers building condos and shopping plazas on major streets while graffiti, trash, and grime creep into the side streets. I guess that's just Hollywood for you. The point is that little things can be fixed really easily, and those things have a concrete impact on quality of life. Things like tree coverage, potholes, graffiti, piles of trash, abandoned property, cracked and broken sidewalks and traffic signals can be fixed pretty easily and have a huge day-to-day impact on the neighborhood. I think the problem in many places is that nobody bothers to tell the city things in their neighborhood need fixing.
That brings me to The LAist, who posted this awesome article about using Google Maps to illustrate points of improvement for neighborhood council meetings and dealing with city officials.
But you know, you don't even need to go to a neighborhood council meeting to take action on some problems. LA has some nice web forms for requesting city services. I just found out about them, so I have yet to see if they're actually connected to anything, but it's encouraging to see the graffiti removal service request, street light maintenance request, and sanitation service request forms (the Bureau of Sanitation will pick up bulky items left on the street for free if you ask them to, even if it's not your stuff).
Oh, and I'm officially giving up on doing a single "best of 2006" post. So hopefully I'll be better about posting new stuff. Maybe I'll toss in an occasional "today's 2006 highlight" occasionally as they come up.
bean!*I know, you're thinking, "Wait, you guys? Shy? Sure, whatever!" But really, can any of you think of a time when you've seen us around a large group of people we don't know? Maybe Maxx might remember my first outing with SGLA, when I met everyone for the very first time at dinner at Real Food Daily. I was really quiet and reserved for the most part until I got comfortable and talked with people for a while.
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feel better!