Our Men’s Mission to City Hall recently brought a dozen community-minded men gained a better understanding of the inner workings of city politics.
“It was a great opportunity to learn more about how our local government operates and the most prevalent issues in our community today,” said participant Stephen Rischall.
The day kicked off with a meeting with City Hall insider Harvey Englander, who shared highlights from his long career as a lobbyist and his political campaign work. The group then met with City Attorney Mike Feuer, who spoke about his work combatting hate crimes in the city of Los Angeles, and his Jewish journey into civic leadership. Next, the men had the opportunity to hear City Controller Ron Galperin’s thoughts on transparency in city government.
Before leaving City Hall, Guy Lipa, Chief of Staff for LADWP, met with the group. A graduate of the Federation’s New Leaders Project, Guy spoke about his duties with LADWP and noted his special connection to the Federation, expressing his appreciation to the men for supporting the organization that helped him develop leadership skills. The group then headed to a one-on-one lunch with Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, where they discussed the Israel Partnership with the City of Los Angeles and the current state of politics in California.
Coming on the heels of our successful 2015 Men’s Mission to Washington, D.C., this day-long trip helped connect participants to the people who are directly responsible for effecting change in our city.
“This was a great opportunity to see how The Jewish Federation and our community have an important impact on local politics,” said Valley Alliance Campaign Chair George Hess. “We had outstanding speakers, including our own Federation Director of Civic Engagement, whose job is to connect us with L.A.’s most critical decision makers, issues, and events — and knowing that The Jewish Federation is making our voices heard was the most important take-away from our experience.”
Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming Men’s Philanthropy Mission this fall to Austin, Texas! To learn more, please contact Heath Blumstein at (818) 668-2335 or HBlumstein@JewishLA.org.
