Gerald
Silver Newsletter Index SF Home owner's home page#11 Neighborhood Council Debate
I am pleased with the interest and number of responses to the Neighborhood Council Debate. It continues to generate may emails and comments. It is vitally important that community leaders, residents, elected officials and others have a forum for making both positive and critical comments through a medium that is not or controlled by the City of Los Angeles.
Below are several items of interest regarding Neighborhood Councils.
September 05, 2003 Los Angeles Daily News
By James Nash Staff Writer
Members of the West Hills Neighborhood Council decided Wednesday night to try to untangle bureaucratic red tape involved in getting an office and city funds rather than dissolve the advisory panel.
The West Hills Neighborhood Council, the first of 26 neighborhood councils in the San Fernando Valley and about 100 in Los Angeles, has been stymied by roadblocks in securing a permanent office and tapping into $50,000 in city funding.
Members of the panel said it can't perform its role representing West Hills to Los Angeles City Hall without an office in or near West Hills and without money to rent a post office box and buy office supplies and other equipment.
Their frustrations boiled over into a movement to dissolve the neighborhood council. But at a meeting Wednesday night, council members voted unanimously to postpone any decision on the council's future until after its November election for officers. "Nobody wants to dissolve this thing," Ed Youngblood, a member of the council board, said Thursday. "Everyone wants to see it work. It will require a little more proactive commitment on our part as well, to push (city officials) toward coming to more creative solutions."
Last week, Greg Nelson, the head of the city department that oversees neighborhood councils, proposed new guidelines that would allow neighborhood councils to lease space in private office buildings or city facilities.
Nelson said the new rules would allow neighborhood councils to get offices in a matter of weeks instead of months -- a key complaint of the West Hills Neighborhood Council leaders.
Los Angeles Councilman Greig Smith, who represents northern West Hills, said none of the roadblocks identified by neighborhood council leaders should stand in the way for long.
"Whether they're issues of city bureaucracy or just a lack of understanding by someone -- whether they're city staff or neighborhood council staff -- I think they're fairly easily resolvable," Smith said.
Thursday, September 04, 2003 5:16 PM
[Below is the source of information on] independence of councils generally here at http://www.northridgecouncil.org/done/index.htm
Specifically at http://www.northridgecouncil.org/done/96-1157.htm
Which is the enabling ordinance that contains these great quotes:
"It must start with the City Council formally empowering each of our City's neighborhoods to form their own neighborhood Council, which in turn selects its own leaders, determines its own priorities, and reflects the broad diversity of its community."
" ... begin the process of further defining the boundaries of their neighborhoods, of forming their own councils, and of selecting their own leaders in whichever manner they choose."
"Each neighborhood council will adopt its own by laws and procedures for selecting its representatives."
" The key to the success of the neighborhood councils must be their independence from City Hall, and their ability to truly represent the diverse interests of their community"
RESPONSES TO #10 NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL DEBATE
Friday, September 05, 2003 11:24 AM DONE: Daily News Editorial Reply I have attached the Daily News editorial from September 2 regarding the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council. Below is the response that I submitted. They called today to verify. That doesn't mean that they will print it, but it's a good sign. Check Sunday's paper.
September 3, 2003 Editor Daily News A recent Daily News editorial complained that the Van Nuys Neighborhood Council hasn't been meeting, and that there is no schedule of meetings to come.
If the Daily News had attended the neighborhood council's meeting on August 28th, it would have known about the progress that is being made.. and it could have reported the good news to its readers.
After a tireless effort to find a meeting time that worked for the board members, which isn't easy to do during August, the neighborhood council met but it didn't have a quorum because one of its members was involved in a traffic accident.
Nevertheless, the board talked informally for 90 minutes about its plans, which included when their next meetings will be held. The board members were installed, Councilman Tony Cardenas' office will start working with the neighborhood council in project planning for the 101 Corridor, and one of the board members explained how they will be getting involved in helping the mayor shape the new city budget.
But the "Above and Beyond the Call of Duty Award" went to Board Member Lisa Spicer who attended the meeting with her 2-week old child in her arms.
The Van Nuys Neighborhood Council is making remarkable progress, and it deserves better treatment from the Daily News. Please, find the good and praise it.
Greg Nelson <gnelson@mailbox.lacity.org> DONE
Thursday, September 04, 2003 1:32 PM Your series of articles on Neighborhood Councils was interesting and sad. I just wanted you to know that it is not true our Council or of the Neighborhood Councils. I am familiar with. In a year and a half the NC's in the Harbor area have become important lobbyists for the community. We are still learning, but it is amazing what a group of volunteers can do with good will and hard work! We see having to represent the entire community as an advantage, because we have to look at all viewpoints.
JG
Thursday, September 04, 2003 4:22 PM Great idea [Neighborhood Councils Forum] , Jerry, What would be cool is if someone could show me how to create a "forum" on the HollywoodNeighborhoodCouncil. LA website so that folks from all over the city could speak out (pro or con) their feelings on this issue. We lack the opportunity to really share in a safe and open environment.
We were hoping that the CityWide alliance of neighborhood councils (headed up by Noah Modisett and Bill Christopher) would have been such a safe and independent forum for this interaction. Sadly, it has become a place where folks come to brag about their "successes" - most of which were - "We got certified in the face of a competing group!" Or "We made it through mediation and are now certified!" or "We've had great meetings and are waiting to be certified..."
That's a real sad one since they are about to see the end of those great opportunities for free flowing discussion and interaction - once certified, the meetings take on a City tone and no longer allow for conversations on issues to take place. But we do need a way to converse.
Do you know anyone who is willing to provide such a forum on their website -
doesn't matter who does it. What matters is that it is provided to us sooner rather than later.
Also, will send you a copy of the Fall issue when it comes out from the printer in a few days - the H.U.N.C. knows they are being monitored and their report card looks much better this time. They even joke with us about it.
FR
Thursday, September 04, 2003 1:30 PM Hi Gerald, Please run my colmun from the Venice Watchdawg about what we are facing with Grass Roots Venice Neighborhood Council. We soon will hear. . . .
Thanks, Rick Feibusch Editor, Venice Watchdawg W A T C H D A W G Editorial All Quiet On The Western Front - Sort Of The GRVNC elections are still in limbo as the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) decides how to handle the voter fraud charges and the interpretatiion of stakeholder status requirements that would allow non-Venice residents to vote and hold office because they might have some sort of loose connection to Santa Monica and Westside non-profit social service organizations that have published ties with Venice non-profits or the voting rights of homeless people who get some of their services in Venice.
In fact, it is beginning to seem that there is a major connection between a number of our local non-profit social services, the Grass Roots Venice "Progressive" slate, Santa Monica based labor unions, and the local chapter of the Peace and Freedom Party. While social service spokespersons adamantly deny any connection at all, it is interesting to go over old "Progressive" propaganda from the election and see how many of those candidates claimed support and membership in some very well known Venice non-profits.
Then there is the emergence of a Santa Monica education-based group called POWER (Parents Organized for a Westside Renewal) that appears to be using the LA Unified School District to organize parents (union style) to provide written substantiation and support of social service proposals in Venice by people who use Venice based services but do not actually live here.
POWER leadership was present amongst the "Progressive" badgering of the election organizers at the end of the election day event in June. Most recently POWER leaders attended a meeting between St Joseph Center and the immediate neighbors near a proposed expansion of the SJC school and some new kitchen facilities to be built on the grounds of St. Cements Church between Hampton and Third at the Venice/Santa Monica border. While area residents expressed doubt about some height, parking and conditional use issues, the room was primarily filled with out-of-area, SJC supporters who sang praises and attempted to discredit the locals. POWER was there to lend support and was overheard offering widespread approval letters to be considered by LA City officials. Another interesting connection is that the POWER database and one from another social service advocacy group called "Metro" are part of the DONE investigation and the basis for questions about stakeholder status.
Is this bad? I guess it is a matter of perspective. These groups make no bones about what they do - they promote social services and organize the people who use them in the most effective ways that they can. The social services are here to do their job as well but are stuck with a dwindling demographic of Venice poor and will need to go outside of Venice for outreach and clients.
Logically, one would think that service providers would go to where the people who need assistance are, but the reality, as what we are seeing in Santa Monica with the new Ocean Park Community Center facilities being proposed between Pico and the 10 freeway, is that no neighborhood actually wants to host these services. Since service provider's offices are already here in Venice, it would be easier to expand here than fight residents somewhere else.
With the looming possibility of a "Progressive" takeover of GRVNC, based on the validity of the after-the-election absentee ballots and the notion of expanded stakeholder status, combined with the obvious connections between Venice social services, Santa Monica social services, and the "Progressive slate/Peace & Freedom Party" folks, added to the fact that a number of Venice based non-profits are proposing massive, multi-million dollar development projects that will require Venice Specific Plan exceptions, loose interpretation of zoning and occupancy regulations, not to mention the gift of millions of dollars worth of city land, you might begin to see where this is going. . . . . .
Wait, watch and see for yourself. There is something called "The Consolidated Plan" that could remake Venice into the Westside social service supermarket that it had been in the past - only this time with a bussed-in clientele and loud vocal support from a well organized group of people from Santa Monica, Mar Vista and Culver City.
Editor Rick Feibusch
Friday, September 05, 2003 3:18 PM Dear Mr Silver:
Since you have sent me an email including a report on the Hollywood Unified Neighborhood Council's [HUNC] meeting. I am a resident of the council's area, and I want to comment. The report you quote from the Beachwood Vox mentions nothing of what, if any, business was transacted, what the activities of the Council are; it is merely a carping, and rather infantile report card as to attendance and comportment of the Board members at a particular meeting. The trivia it examines stop short only at discussing the dress of the Board members.
It is unsigned...[name deleted]...
owner/editor/publisher/chief writer of the paper has been conducting a continuing campaign of disparagement of the new Council ever since she led a group of hooting, stamping and cat-calling dissidents out of the BONC meeting which certified HUNC. This is simply another canard she has fired.
I am sorry that you have made yourself a party to her mischief by giving her more publicity. The HUNC Board has met with regularity since its certification at the beginning of this year; so have its committees.
[Name deleted]... is persuing a policy of "If you can't join 'em, beat [on] 'em," to reverse the old phrase. Why? Please refer to "The Fox and the Grapes" in the Fables of Aesop.
DS
Sunday, September 07, 2003 6:27 PM I agree with DS. It's interesting that someone as intelligent as you would fall for something like this hook line & sinker.
Hopefully you'll learn a little more about the Hollywood United Neighborhood Council before you quote those who are out to destroy the process. We are a group of hard working individuals, with real jobs too, unlike the person who you quoted who is a housewife and has lots of time to write for her newspaper. We've always believed in the process and fought hard to get where we are today. It's hard enough without this sort of rhetorical blasphemy!
Why don't you come to a meeting and write your own story rather than pass on other's lies?
VG
Saturday, September 06, 2003 10:19 AM Dear Mr. Silver, It is much too early for anyone to judge whether Neighborhood Councils are, or better said, will be a success. As a co-founder and Board Member of the Granada Hills North Neighborhood Council I can tell you absolute certainty that our Council is very effective and getting more so each month. We have
already won several battles for our constituents and expect more to be won.
You do great disservise to the thousands of hard-working unpaid people who are trying to make their neighborhoods better by your criticism. Wait 5 or
10 years to see whether L.A. City Hall will be strongly influenced by these grass-roots groups who are not bought by the highest bidder as are many (most?) of our City Councilmen/ women.
I must also say that most of your beliefs about what is good or bad for the city are simply wrong. Urban villages are a great idea if served by public transportation. As our population ages and more of us can't drive, urban villages in communities where we have lived for years would be great. We could do most of our shopping below our living quarters, attend our places of worship close by, and use public transportation on those occasions when we need to get to remote locations. Also, the only hope for traffic in Los Angeles is rapid transit. The traffic on the101, and several other "Freeways" ("parking lots" would be more accurate) MUST be relieved by rapid transit within the next 10 to 15 years or Los Angeles will become unlivable.
Please, open your eyes to the big picture!
I would appreciate it if you would remove me from your e-mail list.
Thank you.
WKA
Sunday, September 07, 2003 9:53 PM We worked hard to form the Greater Valley Blvd. Neighborhood Council.
However, Mayor Hahn personally ordered that BONC not recognize us because he did not want to face the problems in our community. Instead he split us up into adjoining neighborhood councils and most of us were denied membership in the two recognized neighborhood councils.
Our basic issues are the trains leaving and entering the Alameda Corridor and the physical health, safety and welfare issues to our residents. We still have the problems but being divided have no access to our City Administration. Over 20,000 stakeholders are denied police protections, fire protection and paramedic rapid response. Our Mayor does not like to hear this.
CS
If you wish to share comments on this report, please contact:
gsilver@sprintmail.com
Homeowners of Encino (HOME) serves as a watchdog over community issues. It monitors the work of elected officials, Neighborhood/Community Councils, Van Nuys Airport, etc. HOME is NOT another form of Neighborhood Council, that by law must represent Chambers of Commerce, business interests, developers, apartment associations, high-rise building owners, homeless, and "anyone who lives, works or owns property" in a community. HOME's mission on the other hand is to preserve the single-family habitability of our community.
As such, it actively addresses issues of traffic, congestion, aircraft noise, over-development, sign blight and air pollution. While Neighborhood Councils seek to be all things to all people, HOME targets issues that specifically affect the residential quality of life, and is NOT under the control of the City of Los Angeles Department of Neighborhoods (DONE).
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