Welcome to OurLA.org -- Coming Soon the News, Information and Networking Site for LA

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Nearly five years ago, I went to work on the kernel of an idea on how to reinvent journalism to serve the community using the technology of the 21st century -- a central place where all of Los Angeles can come to share their knowledge and ideas and learn about what's going on in our city.

 

It started with the launch of the Daily News citizen journalism website valleynews.com and has evolved in the last year into OurLA.org with the help of Internet experts, business and civic leaders and community activists from across Los Angeles.


I'm pleased to announce that Our LA was approved last week to become part of Community Partners, the largest incubator of non-profit community organizations in Los Angeles. It is fully operational but will not be launched until the spring when it is loaded with content.

 

This is really exciting, a dream coming true for me. It is what I set out to do when I left the Daily News in April and started blogging and became a community activist.

 

Operating under Community Partners auspices and with the help of its President and CEO Paul Vandeventer and Senior Program Director Cynthia Freeman who refined the concept of Our L.A., we are now able to seek tax deductible contributions.

 

If you wish to contribute, you may send a check to Community Partners FBO (for the benefit of) Our LA, 1000 North Alameda St., Suite 240, Los Angeles CA  or go to their website and contribute by credit card.

 

Initial funding will allow us to hire staff to load OurLA.org with content from the hundreds of websites and blogs all across the city that deal with issues of community importance.  Volunteers with basic computer skills are welcome and needed. Just write me at ron@ronkayela.com.

 

Our LA is intended to be the Public Square for Los Angeles. I describe it in simplest terms as Huffington Post meets Facebook meets the old Valley News & Green Sheet. It combines citizen journalism with professional journalism, blogs and commentary, video and podcasts, forums and databases.

 

I've prepared a short explanation with more information about Our LA ( OURLA1Page.doc )   and don't be shy about providing me with your ideas and feedback.

 

This is a non-profit because it's meant to belong to the community.


Toward that end we will be creating an advisory board and a series of regional networks who want to be involved in helping to develop this Public Square into a place where the grassroots of civic engagement can grow into a new civic culture for Los Angeles, a place where people of all backgrounds and beliefs can come together and give birth to a new spirit for the city.


The success of Our LA will depend on your participation and the value it brings to you and the community.


Our LA will launch in the spring. Please let me know what you think and your interest in being involved.

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11 Comments

Congratulations! Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Hi, Bruno, you are a good dog. You and Ron are a great pair. And this is really great news.

I remember the Green Sheet. Geez, I even remember the Helms Bakery Trucks.

Brave new world this internet news coverage. I heard a great idea the other day in which the pundit proposed that our traditional print newspapers may have to become non-profit entities in order to survive, much the same way that museums are. They may have to change their character from being businesses into being entities that the community and gov't. supports because they are needed for the public good. Sort of like KCET and KPCC.

I don't know. We'll see. But I can't imagine a world without a paper newspaper. Just as I can't imagine a world without a library.

Oh, yeah, I remember valleynews.com -- a real hallmark of good journalism. That site had more p-r puffery than the Daily News' real web pages, and that is no small task.

Kaye, your time has come and gone. Your decade of crusading at the Daily News for a city to hang your masthead on was a miserable flop.

Go get a job at Kaiser Permanente or some other flack shop and stop wasting bandwidth. At a time we need professional newswriters, editors and copydesks we get valleynews 2.0. Spare us.

Hi Ron: heard you on kevin james show at K.R.L.A. 870 A.M. 9 - 1 P.M.- A.M. sounds interesting what you're doing. I woud like to keep abrest on what yo're doing. You might check on the new proposed 710 tunnel,( toll fee tax) and also paid for by taxpayers, another multi billion dollar ricket to ???? At one of the meetings we were given some historical background on 710 can you believe attorneys, politicians,developers and cal-trans has been at this project for over 50 years??? Sounds like job security to me.

there was only one comment, maybe aong winded? I didn't fill the whole box??????????????????

Hey... I'm having a bit of problem with the way your site is displaying. For some reason the text block overlaps the edge. Is this just me or have other people mentioned this? Just wanted to let you know in case you've been making changes. Thanks! Jaimie Reader

I definitely enjoyed reading through this write-up.Thanks.

Darling Lohan will stay out of jail till the court date. Celebrity justice strikes once more!!!

was very useful thanks to contributors

To sum up, disagreeing with this particular idea to any degree is always censorship, and that is classic for both you and your misdefined 19th-century agenda.

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"WHERE'S RON"

Catch Ron on the Kevin James wShow on KRLA 870 at 9:30 p.m. this Wednesday night and as a regular commentator on NBC's innovative news sho "The Filter with Fred Roggin." "The Filter" is broadcast on NBC's Raw Channel 225 at 7:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday.

Here's links to the latest appearances on The Filter http://tinyurl.com/25b79k2 and http://tinyurl.com/2bk2kan and http://tinyurl.com/27esc63 and http://tinyurl.com/23b4h4v and http://tinyurl.com/25latgt http://tinyurl.com/28jn4l3 http://tinyurl.com/38zyylc http://tinyurl.com/33ffpv4 and . Here's links to the last appearances on Kevin James show http://tinyurl.com/334kejy and http://tinyurl.com/y2d4tew and the link to Councilman Zine's response to Ron's criticism http://tinyurl.com/yyac5oa.  

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Support the "LA Clean Sweep" campaign to end corruption at City Hall by electing candidates who will serve the public interest -- not special interests. For too long, concerned residents throughout Los Angeles have fought their own separate battles against the powerful forces that run City Hall and control our elected officials. The city's financial crisis, cuts in core services, layoffs of city workers, selling valuable assets, massive subsidies to insiders -- we have reached the point of no return. Only you can save LA. Join the Clean Sweep campaign and come together with people from all over the city to make a difference. Get more information on volunteering your time or contributing to at lacleansweep.com http://lacleansweep.com or contact me at ron@ronkayela.com..

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This Sunday, Aug. 29, LA Clean Sweep will provide training sessions from professional politicial consultants to help you become a more effective activist and help candidates mount successful campaigns in the March 2011 or future elections. The sessions will be held at the Mayflower Club, 11110 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood. The morning session from 9 a.m. to noon is for activists; the afternoon session from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. is for potential candidates. Lunch will be provided to all participants at noon. For more information or to register for this invaluable training gohttp://lacleansweep.com/#/events/

About Ron

Ron Kaye

is the former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News who has become a community activist, helping to found the Saving LA Project. He writes on city issues in Los Angeles and is a frequent speaker at community groups on the need to get informed and involved in the effort to make LA a city of great schools and neighborhoods, a city with a healthy business climate and good jobs, a city where the people are respected and have a seat at the table of power.

Email Ron at ron@ronkayela.com