(Bumped. Disclosure: Todd Beeton, who originally bumped this post, is doing blog outreach for Eric Garcetti. Garcetti’s blog is here. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

Last week, I announced the formation of the Los Angeles City Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Economic Recovery and Reinvestment. The goal of the committee is to develop strategies to help Los Angeles win the maximum amount of federal stimulus dollars for which we’re eligible and to create a plan for allocating the funding to most efficiently and effectively meet the needs of the city’s businesses and residents.

You may recall that in February, President Obama put local governments on notice, calling on us to “spend that money wisely, free from politics, free from personal agenda.” That’s precisely the spirit in which I convened the first meeting of the committee last Tuesday. At that meeting, we established a set of 9 guiding priorities by which we intend not only to fulfill the president’s vision for efficient allocation of the stimulus funds, but also to make Los Angeles the most accountable, transparent, and effective city in moving economic recovery programs forward. We’d like to see these priorities serve as a model for local governments all over the country, particularly in our nation’s cities where “urban acupuncture”, or the careful targeted allocation of funds to projects that have the most combined benefit, can be used to best effect.

Those priorities are over the flip (edit for space by Brian).

1. projects that are truly shovel-ready

2. projects that produce or protect jobs

3. projects that lessen the human impact of the economic downturn

4. projects that have the highest level of transparency and public involvement

5. projects that have the highest level of accountability, including internal city audits

6. projects that involve partnerships to better spend federal dollars

7. projects that have multiple benefits (green affordable housing could clean air, build affordable housing AND put people to work)

8. projects that promote adopted public policy goals of the city (clean port air, plant trees, promote transit-oriented development, etc.)

9. projects that promote strategic industries for long-term growth, such as green jobs in environmental technology

This committee will make sure we leave no stone unturned when it comes to identifying and winning federal stimulus dollars and will be working closely with the Mayor’s Office and City Departments to coordinate our efforts to bring badly needed federal money to Los Angeles. In fact, because we have already taken the lead on many of the policy areas where dollars are targeted (energy efficiency, green jobs, port and airport projects, etc.), I believe Los Angeles may be able to access as much as $1 billion.

As I work to make Los Angeles a model for quick, effective and accountable implementation of stimulus dollars, I’d welcome your input. What projects would you like to see us target? Where can we get the most bang for the buck and how else can cities lead the way toward economic recovery?