Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Final LAHA meeting of 2009: November 7

The final LA Heritage Alliance meeting for 2009 will be held on Saturday, November 7 at the Pico House at
El Pueblo (at the southern end of Olvera Street and the plaza) in Downtown LA. The meeting will begin at 10am and will be completed by 12noon so you can enjoy a lunch or a tour on your own at Olvera Street. (A special thanks
goes to El Pueblo and the City of Los Angeles for hosting our meeting.)

The topics we will cover include:
-an update on the online calendar and LA Heritage Day 2010,
-a discussion and creation of an action plan addressing the structure of the LA Heritage Alliance and its future
-county-wide preservation alerts,
- a short workshop on effective outreach techniques

This meeting will be full of useful information for your organization, so make sure you take the train or Metro or drive bike or walk to the heart of the City to participate.

Please share this information with other staff and/or board members and leaders of your organization.

We look forward to your input and collaboration as we set a direction for the future as we celebrate our past.

Please make sure you RSVP by November 5th at 5pm by emailing laheritage[at]gmail[dot]com.

“DIA de LOS MUERTOS" at the Andres Pico Adobe

From the San Fernando Historical Society:

SAN FERNANDO VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

&

CULTUAZTLAN

INVITE YOU TO

CELEBRATE

“DIA de LOS MUERTOS"

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2009

11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

ANDRES PICO ADOBE PARK

10940 SEPULVEDA BLVD. (AT BRAND BLVD.)

SPECIAL GUESTS

MARIACHI AZTLAN * VIOLETA QUINTERO

ALEJANDRO MOLINA * BALLET OLLIN
DANZA AZTECA CUAUHTEMOC
EL MAESTRO DEL CABALLO ROSENDO SOLIS
DANZA AZTECA MICTLANTECUHTLI
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO MARIACHI TESORO
CONJUNTO TENOCELOMEH

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO RESERVE ALTAR SPACE

818.257.4072 OR 818.448.0511


Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Tour Sixties Sites in the South Bay on November 8

From the Los Angeles Conservancy...

"It's a Mod, Mod, Mod, Mod City"
Sunday, November 8, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

$30 ($25 L.A. Conservancy members; $10 kids 12 and under)
Click here for details and tickets

Join the L.A. Conservancy and our Modern Committee on a "magical history tour" of unique sites from the sixties! This one-time-only event offers a rare chance to visit 1960s gems that helped fuel Los Angeles’ growth into a modern metropolis.

You'll drive yourself to each of the official tour stops (carpooling encouraged), at your convenience and armed with a booklet full of interesting sites to see along the way. When you get to an official stop, you'll receive a docent-led tour of the site.

Focused on the South Bay area of Los Angeles, the tour includes:
  • The iconic LAX Theme Building, with access to its observation deck for the first time since 2001
  • Flight Path Learning Center and Museum at LAX, with a special display of '60s airline uniforms just for tour day
  • The former IBM Aerospace Headquarters, designed to resemble a 1960s computer punch card
  • St. Jerome Catholic Church, a remarkably intact example of sixties religious architecture
  • The Proud Bird Restaurant, a first-rate example of the "destination restaurant" fad popular in the sixties and seventies

The tour is part of The Sixties Turn 50, the Conservancy and ModCom's nine-month program celebrating Greater L.A.'s rich legacy of 1960s architecture. If your organization is holding a sixties-related event between now and June 2010, let us know and we'll add it to our calendar! (E-mail Cindy Olnick at colnick@laconservancy.org).

Click here for tour details and tickets. Hope to see you there!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Free Training for Non-Profits to File New IRS - 10/22/09

From Public Counsel's Community Development Project...

Revised form 990 Seminar offered October 22, 2009

Public Counsel’s Community Development Project is co-sponsoring a free seminar, called “The Revised Form 990 – Preparing For A New World,” on October 22, 2009 from 7:30 AM – 12:30 PM. The seminar will be hosted at the offices of DLA Piper LLP in Los Angeles, 550 South Hope Street, Suite 2300, Los Angeles, CA 90071. As you know, the redesigned IRS Form 990 significantly changes the reporting requirements for many nonprofit organizations. Now, the IRS wants to know in more detail how your organization sets executive compensation and how much it is paying its executives; how it handles potential conflicts of interest; and whether it has a record retention policy, independent directors and a whistleblower policy. This seminar is designed to walk you through all the new requirements so you will be prepared when you have to file the revised form. Please click here for more details, including RSVP information.

*****

SAMPLE FORM 990 POLICIES NOW AVAILABLE

Through the release of the revised Form 990, the IRS indicated its intent to continue its scrutiny of the corporate governance policies and procedures of nonprofit organizations. One of the changes to the new Form 990 is that it includes a new section on corporate governance which asks, among other things, whether the organization has adopted a written conflict of interest policy, a whistleblower policy and a document retention policy. Although not required by tax law, the IRS increasingly views such policies and good governance practices as a means to establishing transparency and ensuring compliance.

Public Counsel’s Community Development Project, with the support of the Annenberg Foundation, has designed a sample conflict of interest policy, whistleblower policy and document retention policy for nonprofit organizations seeking to adopt or amend such policies and the pro bono attorneys who represent them. These samples are annotated with explanatory endnotes, including citations to applicable laws, alternatives and recommended practices. To access these sample policies, please click on the links below.

Conflict of Interest Policy – www.publiccounsel.org/cdp/coi_policy.pdf
Whistleblower Policy – www.publiccounsel.org/cdp/wb_policy.pdf
Records Management and Retention Policy – www.publiccounsel.org/cdp/records_policy.pdf

Friday, October 2, 2009

Paving the Way: The Stories Behind the Names of L.A.'s Streets

From Heritage Square Museum...

On October 4th at 4:00 PM join us for a special living history presentation of Paving the Way: The Stories Behind the Names of L.A.'s Streets.

See the characters from Heritage Square’s latest exhibit come to life before your very eyes. Witness as they recount their various tales of fame, fortune, heartache and triumph. Stick around after the presentation to discover why the streets we all travel today are named after these fascinating individuals.

Admission to this very special presentation is $10 for the general public and free for museum members. Seating is limited, so be sure to RSVP by calling (323) 225-2700 ext. 221.

Paving the Way: The Stories Behind the Names of L.A.’s Streets is generously supported by Morley Builders and curated by Mitzi M. Mogul and Laura Meyers.

Celebrating 40 Years of Preservation and Interpretation of the History of Southern California, Heritage Square is an open-air, living history museum dedicated to telling the story of the development of Los Angeles. Heritage Square Museum is located at 3800 Homer Street, off the 110 Arroyo Seco Parkway (110/Pasadena Freeway) at Avenue 43, just north of downtown Los Angeles. For further information, visit our website at www.heritagesquare.org or the museum blog at heritagesquare.blogspot.com.

New Preservation Funding Opportunity for L.A. County

From the National Trust for Historic Preservation...

Seed Grants for Los Angeles County Historic Preservation Projects


New Funding Opportunity From the National Trust for Historic Preservation

Contact: pr@nthp.org, 202-588-6141 or
Melita Jureša-McDonald/Elizabeth Boylan/Hugh Rowland, Western Office, 415.947.0692

San Francisco (September 23, 2009)–The National Trust for Historic Preservation announces a grant program targeting historic preservation across Los Angeles County. Grants from the newly created Los Angeles County Preservation Fund will provide seed monies (typical award $5,000 to $10,000) to nonprofit organizations and government agencies for preservation, stewardship, and community revitalization involving historic resources.

Initial funding for this Los Angeles County opportunity has been made possible by support from the Getty Foundation, matched by additional funding from the Ahmanson Foundation. Uniting funding from two visionary Los Angeles philanthropic institutions, the Los Angeles County Preservation Fund provides a dedicated fund to support preservation and community revitalization across Los Angeles County. The newly established fund will showcase and build awareness of historic preservation efforts in the nation's most populous county.

City governments, government agencies, and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply and the application deadline for the inaugural grant round will be November 6, 2009. Individuals and private, for profit businesses are not eligible to apply.

Grant awards will support activities and projects such as:

-Providing consulting services in areas such as architecture, archaeology, engineering, preservation or land-use planning, economics, fundraising, organizational development, media relations, education, and law
-Sponsoring workshops or community forums
-Designing, producing, and marketing printed materials or other media communications to advance historic preservation
-Bricks-and-mortar construction activities at designated historic sites and structures Surveys and inventories of historic resources
-Funds may not be used: to acquire property or purchase equipment; to conduct academic research; for salaries, operating, or overhead expenses; or to raise general operating funds towards capital campaign goals.

The catalytic seed grants are intended to build credibility, leverage additional support, and provide momentum to get community preservation projects off the ground, providing capital in early stages and at critical junctures. Cash awards ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 will be distributed to assist governments and government agencies, fledgling grassroots groups, and seasoned organizations: contract for professional services; conduct planning to overcome obstacles; restore historic properties; take steps to reinvigorate historic neighborhoods; and build public awareness of historic preservation activities in Los Angeles County. For the application for Los Angeles County Preservation Fund, as well as complete guidelines and instructions, please see: www.preservationnation.org/lapf.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation considers its national program of providing seed grants to historic preservation efforts a hallmark of its work to bring people together "to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them."

Los Angeles County's 4,084 square miles are home to an inspiring range of irreplaceable heritage resources; its 88 contributing cities hold 421 National Register-listed resources, 91 state monuments, 6 California Register sites, over 900 Historic-Cultural Monuments (local landmarks), and 22 Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (Historic Districts). Like heritage resources nationwide, cherished and distinct community landmarks across Los Angeles County -- humble to magnificent -- are at risk: threatened by demolition, natural disaster, urban sprawl, and deferred maintenance.

The Los Angeles County Preservation Fund will be coordinated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation Western Office, in San Francisco, in collaboration with the Los Angeles Conservancy, a Partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Applicants are required to contact the National Trust for Historic Preservation Western Office for assistance in identifying an appropriate eligible project prior to submitting an application.

The Getty Foundation fulfills the philanthropic mission of the Getty Trust by supporting individuals and institutions committed to advancing the understanding and preservation of the visual arts locally and throughout the world. Through strategic grants and programs, the Foundation strengthens art history as a global discipline, promotes the interdisciplinary practice of conservation, increases access to museum and archival collections, and develops current and future leaders in the visual arts. The Foundation carries out its work in collaboration with the Getty Museum, Research Institute, and Conservation Institute to ensure the Getty programs achieve maximum impact.

The Ahmanson Foundation serves Los Angeles County by funding cultural projects in the arts and humanities, education at all levels, health care, programs related to homelessness and underserved populations as well as a wide range of human services.

The Los Angeles Conservancy is the largest membership-based local historic preservation organization in the country and is dedicated to the recognition, preservation, and revitalization of the architectural and cultural heritage of greater Los Angeles.