Traffic Relief: Los Angeles Depends on Teamwork: Rita Robinson, General Manager, LA Department of Transportation

It is a pleasure to work with the Mayor and Council as we announce traffic relief efforts to improve the quality of life for the people of Los Angeles.

The Department of Transportation joins with all our stakeholders toward implementing initiatives and programs that can improve traffic flow and provide for increased safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists, while improving our environment. Traffic relief initiatives will help with congestion which means less time spent in traffic, and less air pollution because of that.

It will mean safer streets and intersections for people walking, bicycling, shopping and driving. It will mean that riding public transit with any of our transportation partners, can be a smoother commute; faster, more reliable, convenient and safe.

We will work with all of our City partners, and regional transportation agencies to make traffic relief programs effective and efficient. LADOT has the best engineers, field crews, maintainers and administrators. We are anxious to raise the quality of life for everyone in Los Angeles. And, like all citizens, we want whatever measures can best address traffic.

Let’s face it. We are traffic… all of us. But together, we can make traffic congestion relief real. Every incremental improvement, added on to our current programs and operations will work if we all participate. Participate in the idea’s creation, its community impacts, and in its implementation. Together, we can make it work. We look forward to contributing.

LADOT also stands for Los Angeles Depends on Teamwork.

A New Dawn in Public Education: Angelea Bass, Superintendent for Instruction, Partnership for LA Schools

I am truly blessed to be a part of a new dawn in public education. The Partnership for LA Schools is going to be a turning point.

Sometimes we think we have to put reform as an entity in and of itself, but it’s an ongoing evolution of great things to come. For the first time we’re going to engage the entire community in the quest for academic excellence. We don’t just want to improve the scores. We want to accelerate achievement for all children.

I visited schools in the Partnership and as I went to classrooms I saw that, without exception, our children are brilliant. They’re excited about learning. They’re here. They’re ready. They’re resilient. We have to be ready for them.

Teachers are working hard and doing their very best. We have to be able to support these teachers who want to come here everyday, and give them the resources that they need.

Our schools have all the right ingredients – great students, great teachers, great principals wanting to do their best. So I wondered why so many of our schools are failing.

From 30 years working in schools I know that each school is different and I know we can change things. In San Diego we had to work differently because the old ways weren’t working. We looked at individual schools’ needs and strengths and were able to turn schools around.

We can do this work. We know we can do this work and our children’s future depends on it.

Jobs for Angelenos: Robert Sainz, Assistant General Manager, Community Development Department

The Community Development Department plays a critical role in the creation of jobs and the placement of Los Angeles residents into living wage jobs. The Community Development Department is the administrative entity for a number of City policy leadership boards including the Workforce Investment Board and the Industrial Development Authority.

The Mayor's leadership on the development of an economic and workforce development strategy is paramount to its success. The strategy embarked on by the City includes building consensus within City Council, the business community, organized labor, community-based organizations, workforce and economic development professionals, and our leading educational institutions, Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Community College District.

By building a regional system, the City will be able to educate, train and place thousands of City residents into living wage jobs. Additionally, by creating a strong workforce, Los Angeles will be more competitive for future capital investment within the City. This will only enhance the quality of life for all residents and businesses.