It’s a brand new year in the neighborhood.  It’s also a brand new year in Metro Louisville.  We began this year with the inauguration of our new mayor, Greg Fischer.  California was well represented at the Inaugural breakfast on January 3, 2011.  California neighborhood offered gifts for the Community Chest.  We placed one of the Neighborhood banners along with a small gift bags with momentos of our neighborhood.  The Mayor’s theme was One City, One Community and One family.  So we enter this new year with hope and optimism about our future.

The California neighborhood has been going through revitalization.  Some of the efforts are tangible such as the banners and trash receptacles while other are not so easily seen, such as money being spent in the neighborhood on a variety of things.  The California Block Club Federation has hosted a series of Health Dialogues in the community in search of systematic causes of poor health in the community.  Greater Friendship Baptist Church took the lead this fall in promoting a program to assist parents with monitoring the development of their children.  This program is called Ages and Stages and has been successful in the California Community.  If you are a parent of a child from newborn to 5 years old, you are eligible for the program.  Contact myself or call directly to Metro United Way.  On this website we are asking you to fill out the small questionnaire and see if you have noticed a difference in the neighborhood.  We need to hear from you about what you would like to see to improve the neighborhood or your surroundings.  The community needs to hear from you.  There are two neighborhood residential groups in the California community.  We need more active voices and membership to support these groups.  California is a neighborhood with over 7,000 residents.  Don’t let a few people determine your neighborhood development.  Please join a residential group or form a block club and participate in your neighborhood development.

Last summer, a number of residents in California signed up for weatherization.  I received a number of calls from residents asking about the status of the weatherization.  I have contacted Metro and have been told that it will be based on a priority basis.  I want to assure those that have successfully signed up for this program, that it will happen.  I know it is hard to be patient about weatherization especially when winter is upon us, but I am asking that we be patient.

In my visits across the community, I am constantly aware that there is a communication gap.  Many residents have stopped me and inquire to why they have not heard this or the other.  When programs or initiative are started, many do not hear until its too late.  Communication is a two way street.  In order to have dialogue both groups have to speak.

Last issue we asked that you answer a few questions and try to get back to the California Collaborative with your responses.  I did not receive any responses.  If positive change is to come to our community, it must involve you.  Only you as a resident can facilitate that change.  As always I am stressing that if we are to be a striving and resilient community, we will need to hear from all our residents.Our voice is strong and is strengthened by numbers. Let’s ban together and let them hear us all the way from city hall.  Again we have included a questionnaire portion in the newsletter.  I am asking that you take a few minutes and complete the questionnaire.  Soon there will be a mass mailing in the neighborhood.  This will be another tool to gauge the reaction of the residents to what they are already seeing in the neighborhood.  Good or bad, we need to know what you are thinking if we are going to respond to community concerns.  Much like a doctor, we cannot cure unless we understand the ailment.  Tell us what is wrong….suggest ways to correct it, or tell us what is good so that we may continue it.  But silence is also deafening.  It implies one does not care.  I know that in the community of California, we all do care, we are just trying to find our voices.  Please allow the California Collaborative to help.

Thank you and I pray that this will be a Very Good Year in 2011 for the community of California.

Sincerely,

Michael Dean

 There are exciting things happening in your neighborhood.   This month we will have two celebrations of the California Neighborhood.  August 7, 2010  we will celebrate Victory Park Day.  This will be the third annual Victory Park Day celebration.   The Victory Park Day was started 3 years ago by the Fathers of the Park.  The California Block Club Federation started sponsoring the celebration last year, and with help from the California Collaboration, formalizes this celebration of people and neighbors of the California Community.  Arts Reach, a partner of the California Collaborative has lined up a fine entertainment schedule for the celebration.  There will be plenty of food, drink and entertainment.  The Victory Park Day is a fun time for people of all ages.

Also this month we will celebrate California Day.  August 28, 2010 at the California Community Center and Park.  Californians have been celebrating California Day for over a decade.  This is one of the largest celebrations in the West Louisville area.  It has truly become a family affair.  Originally set as a family reunion, people come back to California from all over the USA.  There will be a line up of entertainment again thanks to Arts Reach, a partner of the California Collaborative.  Please come out and help us celebrate these two events.

In the last two months, I have been involved with neighborhood stomps, getting out and meeting many of the residents of the California Neighborhood.  In June along with Making Connections Louisville, we stomped the neighborhood to get residents interested in the 2010 Census.  We offered help and directions to insure that we are counted in the California Neighborhood.  I am happy to report that the sector that included the California neighborhood had some of the highest returns in the city.  I want to thank all of those that completed your census forms and insured that the California Neighborhood would be counted when it comes to funds and services that our neighborhood needs and deserves.  Also in July, again with the Making Connections Network, we stomped to insure that residents of California were aware of the Weatherization Assistance Program of Metro Louisville.  This program was part of the stimulus funds provided under the Department of Energy.  Our goal was to reach as many households as possible and to secure weatherization assistance for at least twenty-five households.  I am proud to announce that we actually enrolled over 37 households in the program.

Lastly I want to announce the installation of beautiful banners that will adorn our neighborhood.  In my talks with residents of the California Neighborhood, it has come to my attention that there may exist an identity crisis as to the neighborhood borders.  I believe that with the installation of these beautiful banners proclaiming the area to be the California Neighborhood, it will be a transitional step in bonding our neighborhood as one.  So continue browsing our website and come back often as the California Neighborhood is on the move.

Check out this short video taken at Growing Power in Milwaukee.  Our resident team took a tour during the Community Leadership Institute (CLI) training in October.  It was a great trip!  Learn more about NeighborWorks by visiting their website.  CLI will be in Louisville this Fall!