This posting has a summary of a lot of information and opportunities provided by the City and from the community.

The Mayor's 2012 Community Budget Survey is now online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2012LABudgetSurvey.

In a joint effort to present the arts and culture to the diverse and myriad communities in Southern California, the Museum Marketing Roundtable announces the seventh annual ‘Museums Free-For-All’ Saturday-Sunday, January 28th and 29th, 2012. The museums—presenting art, cultural heritage, natural history, and science—will open their doors wide and invite visitors free of charge.* Get more information at www.museumsla.org.

Participating Museums include:
The Annenberg Space for Photography
Autry National Center

When kids go online, it's natural for parents to worry. There are predators, fraudsters, and now even online bullying. And who knows what ill-advised posting will come back to haunt them at school or later on? With easy internet access and so many sites and potential dangers, it's hard to keep with it all. But teaching your children about the dangers and the right values will help them protect themselves, even if you can't look over their shoulder.

Right about now, the City is sending out notices about increases in the sewer service charge. This charge appears on your DWP bill, and is related to how much water you use in the winter time. Every winter, the City tracks your water usage and assumes that all that water is going down the drain, because we don't water our lawns much this time of year. This sewer charge goes to build and maintain our sewer system and the water treatment plants.

The winds and weather are reminding us all how un-Californian the weather can be sometimes, especially in the winter months. Fortunately, the LA DWP is having better luck restoring power than SoCal Edison, but it pays to be prepared the next time the unexpected strikes. In some cases, we may all be on our own for hours or days in a major emergency. So here are a few tips

In many cities, homeowners or neighborhood associations are responsible for sidewalk maintenance. But, since 1974, Los Angeles has kept this responsibility for themselves. In difficult budget times, city leaders are considering changing this and making all of us responsible

With the rainy season almost upon us, the Los Angeles Stormwater Blog is offering information about how to install a rain barrel of your very own.

Si a usted le gustaría ver esta página en español, visita nuestra opción de traducción en la parte superior del menú en el lado izquierdo de la página. The translation is done automatically by Google. Even this message was translated by Google. We apologize for any mistakes, but we hope more people become a part of this Council.

Patch, the community-focused website, was at the Council meeting this Thursday and is hosting a video of one of public speakers at http://patch.com/A-mgf3. It's Susan Williams from 'Save a Heart, Save a Mind' talking about the work she's doing in the community and asking for support. Check out the video for an example of how the community and the Council meet when the public can speak. Thanks to Patch editor Craig Clough for his work on the video, and the accompaning report on the Council meeting.