http://www.ronmilam.com/component/jb2/rss description http://www.ronmilam.com/component/jb2/post/165 I’m in San Francisco for the weekend and as always, curious to learn about what other cities are doing to promote urban sustainability.  I just finished breakfast at an outdoor café at the intersection of Duboce and Sanchez and jotted down 10 things I really liked about what I saw: 1. On the “wiggle” bike route and in the course of an hour, 100+ urban cyclists rode by 2. Lots of shade from street trees 3. MUNI light rail passed by at regular 5 minute intervals 4. Wide sidewalks with lots of people walking 5. A small urban park across the street with lots of people and kids 6. Quiet streets with cars driving slow 7. Outdoor dining with lots of good people watching 8. A clear, blue sky with sun (I hear this isn’t always the case) 9. Sharing a healthy meal with friends 10. The opportunity to learn from another place (I'd like to see more examples of intersections like this back in LA) http://www.ronmilam.com/component/jb2/post/163 I’m planning another Leadership Los Angeles Seminar for the Southern California Leadership Network.  The theme of this upcoming seminar is “Neighborhood Development” and we’ll spend the entire day in Pacoima.  I recently met with Nury Martinez from Pacoima Beautiful and was impressed with all of their environmental justice work in the  community.  If you have any suggestions for speakers, please let me know.  We’re looking for local leaders from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to share more about their work in the community.  If you have any suggestions for places to visit in Pacoima, please email me your thoughts as well. Thanks. http://www.ronmilam.com/component/jb2/post/156 I’m excited to invite you to a very special summer happy hour on this Friday, August 27th from 5:30pm to around 9pm. What makes this happy hour extra special is that we’ll have a tasting from LA’s most up and coming brewers: the Eastside Brewers.  They brew their fantastic ales right here in Los Angeles and I’m hoping someday we’ll be able to sample their ales in quality bars across LA.  In support of their efforts, I’m looking forward to introducing their ales to you. We’ll host the event just outside of Downtown LA near Historic Filipinotown at one of the homes of these fine brewers.  For $10, you’ll get to sample three different pints of ale.  There will also be food as well.  8/25 Update: I just talked to Ben Guzman (one of the brewers) and learned we'll be sampling the following ales:  Black IPA, Old Ale, Camomile Agave Kolsch, Imperial Red, Black Mild and a Petit Saison (I wouldn't necessarily recommend them in that order). Here's the facebook link so you can see all of the good folks planning to attend.  8/26 Update: My friend James Rojas will join us at tomorrow's happy hour and will bring his building blocks so we can build a model for a sustainable Los Angeles while we appreciate locally brewed ales!   Here's more info about Eastside Brewers:   Eastside Independent is a collaborative effort based in the traditions of homebrewing. Eastside believes in experimentation and variety of flavor while at the same time producing a drinkable, crowd pleasing product. Eastside seeks to expand the publics awareness of quality locally produced craft beer while  at the same never forgetting their roots in the community. Here’s some more info that I wrote awhile back about why I host these happy hours: "In the spirit of building community in Los Angeles, I’ve hosted/facilitated a monthly happy hour for the last two years.  As a Consultant, I interact with phenomenal leaders working on a variety of issues all throughout LA.  This is one way in which I bring everyone together and I welcome you to attend. For every one of these I've hosted, a fantastic group of thoughtful, engaged and interesting people have attended, always having a variety of engaging discussions."  http://www.ronmilam.com/component/jb2/post/164 Agendas help structure your time at meetings and play a key role in making your meeting effective.   Below are ten quick tips to help you develop agendas for your own meetings: 1. Plan ahead: Develop your agenda before your actual meeting. 2. Involve your leadership:  Have the organization’s leadership (often the Executive Director and President) plan the agenda together and forward it to other Board members before their meeting for their input. 3. Set time limits:  Estimate the amount of time for each agenda item to help keep the group on track towards making decisions.  4. Have meeting participants lead different items: Make sure each agenda item has someone leading it and that they are prepared to present it. 5. Use your time wisely: Use your time together to make important group decisions. Minimize updates and reports. 6. Don’t pack in too much:  Prioritize the most important decisions you need to make. 7. Review:  Review the agenda before you start the meeting and make sure all are in agreement. 8. Stick to the agenda:  Many temptations exist to go off-topic.  If a good idea comes up, but is outside of the agenda, add it to a list of future agenda topics. 9. Plan for breaks: Give yourself some time to stretch, socialize and rest during meetings.  10. Brainstorm future agenda items at the end of your meeting:  Use the end of the meeting to start listing potential agenda topics for your next meeting. I hope these tips help and wish you the best as you move forward meeting in whatever group you are a part of.   If you need assistance putting together an agenda, please contact me.   http://www.ronmilam.com/component/jb2/post/160 Today I joined approximately 300 people who packed the Metro Board Room for the Mayor Villaraigosa’s Bike Summit. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that so many people came out to support a more bicycle-friendly Los Angeles. I remember standing in that very room 12 years ago as a young Executive Director of the LA County Bicycle Coalition speaking to the MTA Board of Directors with only a handful of other advocates advocating for and eventually winning a commitment for $6.7 million more dollars for bike and pedestrian infrastructure.   The bicycle movement has come so far since then, growing in numbers, organizations, rides and capacity to influence the city (For more info on the growing bike movement, check out my Mexico City Bicitekas blog post).  Today, so many people eloquently called for Los Angeles to do more for cycling. I’m very grateful for all of the people and organizations that came out and spoke today. I also appreciate the Mayor, head of Metro, head of LADOT and head of City Planning listening to everyone’s comments.  I’m hopeful that the City works to implement its bike plan and would like to see the entire 1,600 miles of proposed bikeways created in the next five years.  I know this will certainly cost more than $6.7 million, but given today's strong turnout and growing bicycle movement, I know it's absolutely possible.       http://www.ronmilam.com/component/jb2/post/162 Here’s a list of the things I liked the most while spending the a recent weekend in Columbus, Ohio, leading another “Winnings Campaign” training for the Alliance for Biking and Walking. 1. President William McKinley’s quote (see photo above) 2. FireWater – Hundreds of people enjoyed music by the river on Friday night with the added bonus of enjoying 30 fire pits ON the river, in front of the city skyline.  3, “The Cradle of Great American Leadership” -  a quote I saw celebrating the fact that eight U.S. Presidents came from Ohio. 4. I could learn more about some of the monuments by the Ohio Statehouse by dialing a phone number...try calling (614) 728-6885 to learn about their monument to peace.   5. I finally got to see the home town of Sara Wookie, who I have enjoyed collaborating with as part of the LA Urban Rangers 6. Jeni’s Icecream – fresh, local organic ingredients made this little shops ice cream so rich and tasty. 7. Bicycle Boulevards – If Columbus Ohio can prioritize some residential streets for smooth, pleasant bicycle riding, why can’t we do the same in Los Angeles? 8. Germanville – a beautiful old neighborhood with brick roads and sidewalks 9. Jeremy Grandstaff – a native of Ohio, Jeremy and I co-led the Winning Campaigns training.  His sense of humor kept me laughing the whole weekend. 10. The hospitality of the locals – I appreciated the warmth and friendliness of all of the folks I met while in Ohio I look forward to learning more about Burlington, Vermont and Asheville, Tennessee later this year.  I’m scheduled to lead trainings in these places for the Alliance for Biking and Walking. http://www.ronmilam.com/component/jb2/post/161 This Friday, I'm pleased to present at this Pecha Kucha and invite you to attend.  Here's more information about it: "For to long Angelenos have driven directly from destination to destination, relegating the city to an infrastructural racetrack.  To often voids in the city are not pedestrian parks or plazas, but instead storage units for automobiles.  What would happen if we didn't have cars?  How would it alter our lives?  How can we create a city of co-existence, and of community?  How will alternative transportation positively affect this change?  Join us for drinks, criticism, optimism and presentations, all based around the theme of Alternative Transportation, at the LA Beyond Cars exhibition. Presentations start at 8:20 but come early for seating and to see the exhibit."   http://www.ronmilam.com/component/jb2/post/159 I'm a big fan of Los Angeles and always curious to learn more about both the history and current issues of the multiple neighborhoods and landscapes in LA.  One of the most innovative organizations currently engaging people and place in Los Angeles to uncover layers of social history is Public Matters.  This Friday night, Public Matters along with the Philipino Workers Center in Historic Filipinotown will host their mobile Hi Fi Jeepney tours and a video screening.  I invite you to learn more about this event and attend.  I'm thrilled to be a part of the Public Matters team and am excited that this project in Historic Filipinotown continues to move forward.  http://www.ronmilam.com/component/jb2/post/158   Every month I email out a newsletter with tips, updates, lessons and upcoming trainings.  Here's a link to the full newsletter.  If you would like for me to email future newsletters to you, please contact me.  Thanks and enjoy! http://www.ronmilam.com/component/jb2/post/157 (I don't have any photos of Matt but I do have a photo of some of the recommendations Alta presented at a recent meeting in Culver City) I’m continually impressed watching the movement for a bicycle-friendly Los Angeles grow and prosper in Los Angeles.  Many people make up this movement and I’m writing to recognize one person who has worked hard over the last 10 years in the public sector, nonprofit sector and private sector: Matt Benjamin.  After graduating from UCLA Planning School, Matt worked for the Metro in their Bikeway department and helped get numerous projects connecting bicycling with transit off the ground.  Just after I left directing the LA County Bicycle Coalition, Matt joined the organization as its Planning Director and led a major planning effort engaging low-income, immigrant bicyclists in the bicycle planning process.  Most recently, he led the LA office of Alta Planning and Design, working for clients such as the City of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Culver City.  While I’m sad that Matt will be leaving Los Angeles, I’m happy for him and very appreciative of all of the hard work he’s put in to help make Los Angeles a better city to bike in.  Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Matt.  Most recently, I teamed up with Alta Consulting and facilitated six focus group meetings for the City of Long Beach and one large public meeting for the Culver City Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.    I wish Matt the best as he continues his work outside of Southern California. I also look forward to a new generation of leaders working hard to continue transforming LA into a great place to bicycle, or as the LACBC puts it in their vision statement, "a great place for everyday, year-round cycling; a Los Angeles with healthier, more vibrant communities, where the air is cleaner, streets are safer and quieter; a Los Angeles where people can live, work and thrive."