This past weekend I had the opportunity to join my friends at Operation Gratitude as they passed their millionth care-package milestone--a significant accomplishment for this organization that does so much to give back to the men and women of our military.

I've had the opportunity to work with Operation Gratitude for many years, dating back to my time working on veterans issues as Congressman Howard Berman's District Director. Since 2003, Operation Gratitude has sent more than 100,000 care packages each year to our service men and women deployed in hostile regions, to their children and to our veterans, first responders, wounded warriors and their care givers. Care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation have lifted morale and brought countless smiles to the faces of those who have sacrificed for our Nation.

My friend and Veterans Community Action Team (CAT) Chairman, Art Sherman, was given the important honor of laying down a memorial wreath to honor fallen Vietnam veterans at the ceremonial wall exhibit. Another Veterans CAT member, Angel Cuevas serves as Director of Strategic Operations for Operation Gratitude, and I’m excited to continue to work with Art and Angel and our entire Veterans CAT to ensure that LA leads the way on veterans’ issues.

It’s been my honor to have been involved with this initiative for many years, now. Thank you to Operation Gratitude’s founder and president Carolyn Blashek for inviting me to participate in this milestone achievement.

Cilck here for more information on how you can get involved in our Veterans Community Action Team, or call my Emergency Preparedness Field Deputy, Erik Rodriguez at (818) 774-4330.

Check out a photo gallery from the event after the jump:

Councilmember Bob Blumenfield's proposal to bring citywide broadband to Los Angeles is featured in the November 25th issue of TIME Magazine, on newsstands now:

Los Angeles has a plan to speed up its traffic, but it doesn't involve any freeways. The city is launching an ambitious project to bring broadband Internet service to its residents and businesses that's roughly 100 times as fast as the average U.S. connection.

Doing so requires running fiber-optic lines--which transmit data much faster than copper cables--throughout the city. The proposal's cost, estimated at $3 billion to $5 billion, would be picked up by the company that wins the right to provide gigabit-speed Internet, TV and phone service. "This effort is hugely important for our economy," says L.A. city council member Bob Blumenfield, who is spearheading the effort.

Read more: Broadband Boost - TIME (login required)

By Matthew Grant Anson

It’s not every day that proposals in the Los Angeles City Council get talked about in media outlets like LA Weekly and Salon, but it’s also not every day that councilmembers seriously discuss bringing free citywide Wi-Fi to one of the largest city's in the country. The impact on not just the local economy but to government transparency could be huge.

That’s just what the Council has been grappling with since Councilmember Bob Blumenfield first introduced his proposal back in August, and while some pointed at the idea as a symbolic and altruistic pipe dream that would go nowhere, Blumenfield recently told the California Forward that that’s not the case.

The City Council agreed. Earlier this month, the Council unanimously directed the city’s Information Technology Agency to draft a Request for Proposals for the service, a key move forward if Los Angeles is to join other California cities like San Jose and Riverside in offering free Wi-Fi.

Over 65 neighbors and community leaders turned out yesterday for a design charrette at the former Fire Station 84 site in Woodland Hills. The charrette process is designed to ensure that the community’s vision is represented in the final project’s design. It was a great opportunity to hear from so many neighbors and community members about what they would like to see at the park, and to continue a productive dialogue with the residents about the future of their community.

Each Fall Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) grants staff convenes discipline-specific teams to review, compare, and score proposals for an array of arts and cultural activities that will benefit Los Angeles residents and tourists. DCA is currently seeking artists, arts administrators, educators, historians, cultural professionals, and art enthusiasts to serve as panelists for this process.

Applications are due December 1. Are you interested? Check out how to apply after the jump:

At Tuesday's Los Angeles City Council Meeting, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield's initiative to increase access to high speed and wireless internet across Los Angeles received its first hearing before the Los Angeles City Council. 

Less than 4 months since it was first introduced, Councilmember Blumenfield's push to bring community broadband to Los Angeles has worked its way through major milestones of the City process at “breakneck speed.”

Speaking in favor of the proposed broadband initiative on Tuesday were Councilmembers Englander, Krekorian and LaBonge who cited the proposal's benefits to public safety and workforce development in Los Angeles. Kevin Taylor, Chairman of the Reseda Neighborhood Council, which has adopted a motion in support of the proposal, also spoke in favor. The Council voted 13-0 to direct the City's Information Technology Agency to draft a request for proposal for release.

Please find relevant information, including press releases and select articles, below:

On November 5, Los Angeles will celebrate 100 years since water began flowing into Los Angeles from the Owens Valley via the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Speaking at the Aqueduct's opening that day, the City's Chief Engineer William Mulholland remarked as water began flowing into the San Fernando Reservoir, "There it is. Take it." Last week, our Policy Director, Stephanie Magnien-Rockwell took a two-day long tour along the Los Angeles Aqueduct and through the Owens Valley as part of ongoing commemorations ahead of the November centennial. Stephanie shared her reflections on the trip for our first guest post.

Policy Director Stephanie Magnien-Rockwell visits the Middle Gorge Power Station in the Owens Valley as part of a two-day tour of the LA Aqueduct.

This past Friday and Saturday, I was privileged to attend a tour of the LA Aqueduct led by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) as part of LADWP’s commemoration of the centennial of the aqueduct’s first delivery of water from the Owens Valley to Los Angeles, observed on November 5^th.  Councilmember Bob Blumenfield is the vice chair of the Energy and Environment Committee, the committee that deliberates policy decisions relevant to the LADWP prior to being considered by the full LA City Council.  As the Councilmember’s Policy Director and his lead staff member for this committee, I took advantage of this opportunity to gain a better understanding of one of Los Angeles’ most important pieces of infrastructure.  

Follow these easy safety tips to ensure that your Halloween celebrations are safe and fun:

• Make sure children’s costumes are flame retardant and provide adequate vision. If they’re carrying props, check that the edges are flexible enough to avoid injuries.
• Have an adult or responsible teen accompany children. If they’re going without you, ensure they’re traveling with a group and agree on a time for them to return home. Provide a watch for them to wear to keep track of the time.
• Fill kids up with dinner before they leave, which will make them less likely to snack on their candy before you have a chance to look it over.
• Give children a flashlight to carry, and ask them to only approach houses with lit porch lights.
• Consider having them bring along an ID, which includes their home address and telephone number.
• Apply reflective tape to children’s costumes and bags. You might also want to add glow-in-the dark makeup.
• Remind children to stay on sidewalks, walk facing traffic and never cross the street between parked cars.
• Be careful with the little ones when carving pumpkins! Small children should never handle knives, but can still be incorporated in the fun. Let them draw a face on the pumpkin to be carved by an adult, or let them scoop out the insides.
• Use caution while driving—stay alert and watch for children running into the street.
• If you plan to display pumpkins or candle in the area you hand out candy, set them far enough out of the way to avoid fire or injury.
• Explain to children the difference between tricks and vandalism. Throwing eggs at a house may seem like fun at the time, but they should understand the damage and cost such destruction can cause others.

The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks has compiled a list of Halloween events in Council District 3. Check out the list after the jump: