BY JUDY LIN-EFTEKHAR
UCLA Today Staff
A delegation of nearly 100 alumni, faculty
and students paid a visit Oct. 15 to L.A.’s City Hall
with an important message: UCLA is firmly committed to cultivating
strong community partnerships.
The afternoon began with roll-up-your-sleeves
meetings with 15 city council members, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo
and Controller Laura Chick to talk about the UCLA in LA initiative
— the nearly 200 programs in the Los Angeles region that
provide essential services in the areas of youth and family,
economic development, arts and culture, and health care. On
hand were representatives from such programs as BruinCorps,
which enables UCLA students to earn academic credit for participating
in community service, and the Community-Based Learning Program,
which places “high-risk” high school students in
internships with businesses and community organizations.
“We want City Hall to know that we extend
well beyond Westwood and the Westside,” said Keith Parker,
assistant vice chancellor for UCLA Government and Community
Relations, who led the delegation. “We were represented
by constituents involved in community-based programs in each
district, which made the message really relevant to every council
member.”
Also on the agenda was Proposition 47, the educational
facilities bond coming up on the Nov. 5 ballot. The City Council
voted unanimously last July to endorse the $13-billion kindergarten-to-university
school construction bond. If it passes, UCLA will receive $26.3
million for seismic correction of the Engineering I building.
The day concluded with a reception in the City
Rotunda hosted by Chancellor Albert Carnesale and attended by
nearly 300 guests, including Mayor James Hahn and many alumni
who work at or near City Hall downtown. Among those introduced
to the gathering was Franklin Gilliam, UCLA’s first associate
vice chancellor for community partnerships, who leads the UCLA
in LA initiative.
Councilman Jack Weiss presented UCLA with a
Certificate of Appreciation for decades of “extraordinary
dedication and unwavering service to education and the city
of Los Angeles.”
Said Parker: “I’m very pleased with
how it went. This was the first time we’ve had that kind
of presence in City Hall.”
