Mayor Villaraigosa's press conference du jour was to announce the members of his newly created panel on homeland security. Councilman Jack Weiss co-chairs with Deputy Mayor for Homeland Security and Public Safety Maurice Suh. Others include former Viacom chairman Jonathan Dolgen, KNBC president Paula Madison, former DA Ira Reiner, departing UCLA chancellor Albert Carnesale and Charter Communications vice chairman Marc Nathanson—plus LAPD Chief Bratton, Sheriff Baca and other officials. Full press release when you turn the page:
* Added: (6:05 pm) Former mayor Richard Riordan; Matt Betenhausen, Director, California Office of Homeland Security; and Amy Zegart, Riordan Center for Homeland Security, UCLA, were amended into the mayor's press release this evening.
MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA ANNOUNCES HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISORS
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles City Council Public Safety Committee Chairman Jack Weiss, Police Chief William Bratton and Fire Chief William Bamattre announced the Mayor's Homeland Security Advisors today. A group of diverse leaders experienced in their respective fields. Their work will fundamentally improve the City of Los Angeles' counter-terrorism intelligence coordination and disaster preparedness training and response capabilities.
"I wake up every day knowing that the people of our city could be impacted by an earthquake, wildfire or terrorist event," said Mayor Villaraigosa. "Our city will be well-served and I will sleep better knowing that we are drawing on the best and brightest talent in our city to assist us in developing strategies and advocating for homeland security funding to keep our residents safe."
Los Angeles City Councilmember Jack Weiss, who will co-chair the Advisory team together with Deputy Mayor for Homeland Security and Public Safety, Maurice Suh, welcomed the opportunity to tap into team members' wealth of knowledge and experience. "With some of the city's best and brightest civic leaders, this group brings knowledge and resources to the table that will help improve local capabilities," said Councilmember Jack Weiss. "I look forward to working with this outstanding group to identify and address issues in local threat preparedness and emergency response."
The Advisors will be organized into working groups and tasked with the following missions:
* Counter-terrorism measures: Research innovative methods employed by cities worldwide to prevent and respond to a terrorist event
* Private sector outreach and involvement: Partner with businesses, trade groups and associations, faith-based organizations and charitable organizations to plan and deliver shelter, disaster relief supplies and aid in evacuation efforts in the event of a disaster
* Governmental outreach and involvement: Strengthen ties with other municipalities, states and the federal government to ensure that Los Angeles's counter-terrorism and emergency preparedness plans are coordinated with other governmental entities
* Evacuation planning: Strengthen evacuation planning in the event of mass disaster
* Emergency preparedness: Ensure Los Angeles first responders have access to cutting edge technology in prevention, response and recovery
The team, which may be slightly expanded to include additional members in the near future, consists of the following individuals:
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa,
Chair
Councilmember Jack Weiss,
Co-Chair
Deputy Mayor Maurice Suh,
Co-Chair
Albert Carnesale,
Chancellor, UCLA
Dr. Detlof Von Winterfeldt,
Director, USC Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE)
Richard Andrews,
Senior Director, National Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination (NC4)
Ellen Gordon,
Associate Director, Executive Education Program, Center for Homeland Defense & Security, Naval Postgraduate School
R.P. Eddy,
Senior Fellow for Counter-terrorism, Manhattan Institute
Peter J. Gravett,
Major General (retired), U.S. Army
Ira Reiner,
Reiley and Reiner
Sheriff Lee Baca,
Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department
Chief William Bratton,
Los Angeles Police Department
Chief William Bamattre, Los Angeles Fire Department
Commander Mark Leap,
Los Angeles Police Department
Deputy Chief Andrew Fox,
Los Angeles Fire Department
Lydia Kennard,
Executive Director, Los Angeles World Airports
Geraldine Knatz, Executive Director, The Port of Los Angeles
Paula Madison,
President and General Manager, KNBC
Jonathan Dolgen,
Former Chairman, Viacom Entertainment Group
Rabbi Abraham Cooper,
Assoc. Dean, Simon Wiesenthal Center
Bishop Charles Blake,
West Angeles Church of God in Christ
Monsignor Kevin Kostelnik,
Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Kerry Carmody,
Administrator, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center
Dr. Thomas Valente,
Director, University of Southern California, Public Health Program
Carol Meyer,
Director, Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency
Captain Peter Neffenger,
Captain of the Port (LA/Long Beach), US Coast Guard
Larry Fetters,
Transportation Security Administration, Federal Security Director at LAX
Ron Iden,
Senior Vice President, Disney
Marc Nathanson,
Vice Chairman and Director, Charter Communications, Inc.
Kirk Hyde,
Board of Directors, American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles
Dan Grunfeld,
President and CEO, Public CounselBarbara Harris,
President, Building Owners and Managers Association
Lee Zeidman,
Senior Vice President, General Manager, Staples Center
Michael Pfeiffer,
Executive Director, Hotel Association of Los Angeles
Jose Villareal,
Partner, Akin Gump, LLC
George Slaats,
Deputy Chief of Police, Union Pacific Railroad Company
Paul Lennon,
Managing Director, Systems, Safety and Security, Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA)
Steve Zipperstein,
Vice President, Legal and External Affairs, Verizon Wireless
Kelly Shivertaker,
Manager, Emergency Planning and Preparedness, Southern California Edison
Bret Lane,
Vice President, Environmental, Safety and Facilities, Southern California Gas Company
Jim McDaniel,
Chief Operating Officer, Water System, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power