Government Innovation

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Eric Garcetti was joined by leaders from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and CalTech today to announce critical updates to the ShakeAlertLA app that will lower the notification threshold across Los Angeles County. Starting this month, the nation’s first publicly available early warning system will alert residents to earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or larger; the previous threshold was magnitude 5.0. “Every day we are communicating the importance of preparedness, so that every Angeleno has the tools and resources they need to build a better life — and then protect that life when disaster strikes,” said Mayor [...]

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced his selections for this year’s Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) program, an innovative initiative that connects some of L.A.’s most accomplished entrepreneurs with future business leaders and job creators. This year’s EIRs are Dr. Tanya Petrossian, a renowned biotech researcher and entrepreneur; and Ellen Chen and Mario Del Pero, co-founders of Mendocino Farms. “Los Angeles has one of the most robust start-up ecosystems in the world — and I am determined to do even more to help it grow,” said Mayor Garcetti. “There are no limits to what we can accomplish when we put [...]

LOS ANGELES—Mayor Eric Garcetti is strengthening cybersecurity for L.A. businesses and residents with the launch of America's first city-based Cyber Lab, a public-private partnership that will analyze nearly a billion potential threats every day, and block millions of attacks from penetrating City systems. The Los Angeles Cyber Lab — formed in partnership with Cisco — builds on the Mayor's second Executive Directive, which created a Cyber Intrusion Command Center to lead cybersecurity preparation and response across City departments. The lab will alert small and medium-sized business partners to attacks as they occur, and larger businesses can receive automated updates to [...]

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Eric Garcetti has launched a new online portal that will help the City maximize the value of its property, and more efficiently provide options for affordable housing, homeless service facilities and other priorities. The comprehensive, searchable property database will enable staff to manage City property more effectively, and allow the public to track the development of community assets like police and fire stations, libraries and public parks. The portal is available at lacity.org/property. "City-owned property is one of our most valuable assets, and we must maximize its value to advance critical priorities like building affordable housing and expanding [...]

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Eric Garcetti has signed a new Executive Directive aimed at reducing the City’s vulnerability to risk and improving workplace safety for City employees. Executive Directive 18 (ED 18) outlines a rigorous standard for managing risks throughout the City by creating increased accountability. It sets forth a series of specific instructions to improve the way City departments report, analyze, and strategically reduce risks through data analytics and improved technology infrastructure. “Our City workers keep Los Angeles running every day, and they deserve a working environment that is as safe and healthy as possible,” said Mayor Garcetti. “At the [...]

LOS ANGELES—Mayor Eric Garcetti is challenging residents to help him find creative solutions to L.A.'s most pressing challenges. Today, the Mayor announced his first annual Mayor's Cup competition, which will solicit proposals from student entrepreneurs and local academics to support local economic growth and encourage civic engagement — on issues ranging from beautifying vacant and blighted spaces, to building affordable housing. "Los Angeles is full of dynamic thinkers who work to improve our quality of life through everything from entertainment and transportation, to clean tech and manufacturing," said Mayor Garcetti. "The Mayor's Cup will incentivize the creativity of young entrepreneurs [...]

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced this year's participants in his innovative Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) program, which was launched in 2014 to connect the most accomplished entrepreneurs in the City with L.A.'s future business leaders and job creators. This year’s EIRs are Eva Ho and Jason Nazar, two renowned professionals with decades of experience building startups into strong, successful businesses. During their year with the EIR program, Eva and Jason will help to shape City policy and create initiatives designed to help entrepreneurs across L.A. They will also work with local non-profit organizations and institutions to help foster [...]

LOS ANGELES—Mayor Eric Garcetti today announced the appointment of Ashley Z. Hand as the transportation technology strategist fellow at the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT). The fellowship is funded through a grant from the Goldhirsh Foundation. “It takes ingenuity and technical savvy to plan the safe, dynamic and widely accessible transportation future that Los Angeles deserves,” said Mayor Garcetti. “Ashley has shown these qualities throughout her career, using uncommon creativity to help local governments build comprehensive networks. L.A. is defining the curve for transportation in the digital age — and Ashley will help steer us away from being the [...]