NC's Getting a tad miffed
Apparently some 4th floor residents missed my education on section 907 of the City Charter.Monday morning the City Attorney released a brief summary of a $1-billion issue to pay for low income housing. As shown in Walter Moore's Article, the issue is being called on a special agenda of the City Council today.
While there are many reasons to be concerned about this, the question being asked, (again) is what part of section 907 does the City Council not understand?
"These Special Agendas are a convenient way to bypass public comment as well as Neighborhood Council Review, " said LANCC Senator Jim Alger in an email earlier today, "for the life of me I don't think they get it."
Alger isn't the only one.
LANCC Senator and Chair Brady Westwater asked "Will they ever learn?" While Mid City West Neighborhood council member and editor of the publication "CityWatch" Ken Draper, issued a "Citywatch Alert" to the Neighborhood Councils stating "City Watch is calling your attention to (the special agenda item) because it appears that Neighborhood Councils have been left out of the process, required by the City Charter.
To repeat Senator Westwaters question... Will they EVER learn?
Posted by Councilman John @ 7/25/2006 12:10:00 AM
21 Comments:
The City Council acts as if they have no time. Do these clowns not own a calendar?
With all the money spent on Blackberrys, you would think they could manage their time better.
Nope, this is all about rushing things past the public. Throw LA into even more debt.
And these guys want 4 more years? We can't afford 4 more years!
I hope they never learn.
Folks that belong to NC's are idiots and don't deserve the time of day.
As opposed to anonymous bloggers at 1am right?
You hope they never learn? To follow the law? Never learn to represent the people? Never learn to get community support?
You must be one of those intelligent staffers.
Hey, 1am anonymous, nice job understanding the issue here. Which CD do you work for?
Well, at least in this case, the arrogant buffoons on city council don't want to hear from the NC's or the public because this will not suit their agenda and political purposes. This is a terrible bond that deserves to be thoroughly defeated.
NC's are glorified gadflies. I'm glad the Council is bypassing their opinion on this very important matter.
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9:24 am -- go choke on your own saliva. You are a pompous useless backside who needs to stay in your closet and breathe you own toxic air.
July 25, 2006 11:24 AM,
And you're just a glorified gadfly who dreams of one day wielding political power. You have none now, and from your attitude and that of your colleagues, you never will.
You are true inspiration for the litter box.
Just speaking truth to power. Oh wait, NC's have no power.
If you assholes really wanted to make changes, you would reassess your priorities. Walk the walk, stomp the pavement, et al. Instead, you NIMBY's pester the Council offices with the most mundane stuff. As long as these are your priorities, you will continue to be a joke not just to the Councilmember I work for, but for all the others, and their successors.
Thank you, Mitch! You can go back in your little closet now.
3:09
CD 12 is well represented on Mayor Sam!
Mitch? CD 12? What are those things?!?!?!?
7:26 Mitch is the aide to Greig Smith of Council District 12. Anytime someone post a generally negative comments about Neighborhood councils some yahoo suggests it is "Mitch from CD 12."
The suspect for these post is Jim Alger a gadfly who has an inflated opinion of himself and the value of neighborhood councils. Oh and he wants to be a paid politician. What are his true motives? How about a paycheck!
Mr. Alger usually ignors the warm relationship Smith and his staff have with all of the other Neighborhood Councils in his district.
"Senator Westwater"
Is that like President (of the Condominium Association) Jones?
The best way to get back at these council clowns is VOTE IT DOWN. Why aren't the NC's organizing with all the bullshit city council members have been doing without their input? Show your power by organizing and making a statement. You get at least 10 NC's at council to tell them off and that will send a message.
I want to know how the hell they can change public comment to 1 minute?
This is hilarious in LA Times
Staffing the mayor
...got his hands on a fascinating instruction sheet given to staffers who accompany Mayor Villaraigosa in his travels around the city...."offers a rare glimpse into the mania behind the man...[and] portray a chief executive focused on detail and comfort, always appearing in control and on message." Aides are told to always have available Listerine breath strips, bottle of water "preferably room temperature," two pens and an extra copy of the mayor's briefing paper and talking cards. That last instruction is bolded, as if some lapse happened before. Aides staffing the mayor at events are told to greet him at the car with a full briefing about any elected officials or media in attendance, and to secure him something to eat:
Secure food for the Mayor if it is available. Please note the Mayor avoids breads, starches and other carbs. Fish and chicken are preferred over beef plates, and also stay away from sweets....If getting tea for the Mayor, please get Green Tea with four packets of Splenda and very little non-fat soy milk if possible.
These sorts of details are expected to remain private — part of the stagecraft that keeps the frenetic mayor gliding effortlessly and relaxed through the city.
July 26, 2006 7:27 AM,
The best way to get back at these council clowns is VOTE IT DOWN. Why aren't the NC's organizing with all the bullshit city council members have been doing without their input?
Because you people don't know how to, duh!
It's too bad that as a Council employee, I have to use this anonymous forum to convey a message to you all that I wish I could do directly. You people are nothing more than ankle bitters, and you know this. It's obvious that I have ruffled some feathers with some of my previous posts, but I'm only repeating what is conventional wisdom amongst my colleagues.
NC's have the mechanism in place to create an effective political voice for communities to give their input. But so long as you dwell on NIMBYism, both Councilmembers and Mayors will continue to brush you aside, occasionally tossing you a bone to keep you content. Sad.
Help me with this. I read the Charter language on NCs. Here is what I found:
Sec. 900. Purpose.
To promote more citizen participation in government and make government more responsive to local needs, a citywide system of neighborhood councils, and a Department of Neighborhood Empowerment is created. Neighborhood councils shall include representatives of the many diverse interests in communities and shall have an advisory role on issues of concern to the neighborhood.
Then it goes on to say:
Sec. 908. Powers of Neighborhood Councils.
Subject to applicable law, the City Council may delegate its authority to neighborhood councils to hold public hearings prior to the City Council making a decision on a matter of local concern.
Sec. 909. Annual City Budget Priorities.
Each neighborhood council may present to the Mayor and Council an annual list of priorities for the City budget. The Mayor shall inform certified neighborhood councils of the deadline for submission so that the input may be considered in a timely fashion.
Sec. 910. Monitoring of City Services.
Neighborhood councils shall monitor the delivery of City services in their respective areas and have periodic meetings with responsible officials of City departments, subject to their reasonable availability.
Pretty clear on what NCs are expected and empowered to do.
The way I read the newspapers, staff reports, etc., having a functioning housing market is a Citywide issue, not a "neighborhood" issue, and helping the homeless off the streets is to everyone's benefit (altho the folk downtown may feel they will benefit more, since more homeless live on the streets there). And it is pretty clear that there is a severe housing problem, which has caused housing prices to balloon skyhigh.
So, the Council has not delegated the hearing authority over Citywide issues (or any issues that I have read about), and this doesn't have anything to do with preparing the annual Budget or monitoring City services. So where do NCs fit in this or any other matter heard by City Council, other than to participate in the public debate. And the way I see it, there have been efforts to inform the NCs about this and opportunities for NCs to comment at public hearings.
Wasn't there a table at the Congress of NCs?? Did anyone who has posted to this stop to ask the folk who were there what this was about?
And didn't this issue appear on the City Council HCED Committee agenda on June 27 (http://lacity.org/clk/committeeagend/clkcommitteeagend2338740_06272006.pdf), and again on the City Council Agenda July 5 (http://lacity.org/clk/councilagendas/clkcouncilagendas338914_07052006.pdf)?
Both on the Regular Agendas, which I think are sent to all NCs.
So, there were two notices, and opportunities to speak, with a couple of weeks for interested people to ask their Councilor about it, or to get involved.
What's the beef?? There is clearly a crisis in LA's housing market -- it just doesn't work for most people and it clearly doesn't work for low-paid workers who either have to commute forever, double up or live in slums. LA is the homeless capitol of America. And anyone who was paying attention should have known about it. (I am discounting the fact that there were articles in the Times and Daily News, TV and radio covered it and other blogs carried items about it.)
Nobody wins when people are misled, and this posting is just plain misleading.
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