December 9, 2002

Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn embarked on a 10-day Asian trip November 16-26, first announcing a series of initiatives designed to increase tourism from Korea by 4 percent in 2003 to generate an additional $7 million in revenue.

In China, Mayor Hahn and Beijing's Mayor Liu Qi signed a memorandum of understanding, promoting information sharing on a range of issues, including planning for the 2008 Summer Olympics. "This agreement will allow our great cities to actively support and collaborate on economic development, education, culture, tourism, and sports initiatives," Hahn said.

Hahn also announced that Los Angeles will be the first U.S. city to host a pair of endangered golden monkeys from China.

In a squeaker, Seattle voters on November 20 endorsed creation of a monorail system, the first of its kind in the nation, by a margin of 811 votes. The new system will cost $1.75 billion to build and will run for more than 14 miles. According to city officials, the new system will open in 2007, with all construction expected to be completed by 2009.

A delighted Mayor Greg Nickels said, "Let's build it. The debate is over. The vote counting is done. Let's begin." An existing monorail, built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, connects downtown with the Seattle Center. Today, the trains carry approximately 2.5 million riders every year. The Seattle Center Monorail is the nation's only fully self'sufficient public transit system.

New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin held a "Regional Strategy Summit" for area mayors and parish presidents November 18. The summit focused on growing the regional economy, building stronger working relationships, and improving the quality of life within the metro area. "I-ve invited the mayors and parish presidents from around the region to initiate a dialogue of success," Nagin said. "We need to work on ways to improve the metropolitan area's economy. This is about the economy, not about politics."

Nagin joined officials of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in a groundbreaking ceremony for the Desire HOPE VI Revitalization project. HUD officials credited Nagin for bringing the restoration of the Desire public housing complex to fruition.

New Orleans received a $44.2 million grant to reconstruct the Desire complex into a mixed-income housing development. Once completed, the Desire community will include 283 public housing units, 142 rental units, and 150 single-family homes.

Fort Collins (CO) Mayor Ray Martinez, in November, hosted a group of five local mayors for a Mayoral Institute for Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism Preparedness seminar last month. "The U.S. Conference of Mayors identified this as one of the things we needed to do," Martinez said. "I think it's important for mayors to come together and understand these issues. It's the first step to bring more information to communities and their citizens through their mayors."

An overview of the meeting is available online at http://fcgov.com/council/wmd-slide1.htm.

Former Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin has been appointed director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's West Coast regional office. As director of Region IX, which includes Nevada, California, Arizona, Hawaii and various American territories in the Pacific Ocean, Griffin will oversee disaster response, emergency preparedness programs and mitigation efforts. "I'm excited to be able to do it," Griffin said, adding that he was approached by FEMA officials shortly after announcing in April that he would not seek a third term as Reno mayor. Griffin said he gained national exposure while chairing the U.S. Conference of Mayors Criminal and Social Justice Committee and co-chairing a task force on local and federal law enforcement cooperation.