Area Councils May Get More Money

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn said Friday that he wants to increase the amount of money in next year’s city budget for the fledgling neighborhood council system.

In a preview of one of his budget priorities for the 2002-03 fiscal year, the mayor said he is proposing to increase the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment’s budget by nearly $1 million, and create a pool of $3 million in city grant money available to neighborhood councils to pay for neighborhood cleanups, playground equipment and planting trees.

The neighborhood council system was approved by voters in 1999, and the local groups began organizing this year.

Hahn said that by next year he hopes 70 local groups will be up and running. They each could apply for up to $50,000 in grant money for neighborhood projects.

“This is all happening because City Hall is changing,” he said during a visit to a San Pedro school to tout the funding increase. “We’re listening to neighborhoods.”