NC's "Preparing for war, hoping for change"
Well who didn't see this one coming?Neighborhood Council leaders from accross the city coming together on several issues with one common theme; "Listen to us damn it!"
If you work in City Hall and didn't see this coming you should resign immediately.
It seems that at the last meeting of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Congress more than a few Neighborhood Council Representatives were miffed about being bypassed on the bond issue and chose not to hold in their displeasure when faced with a staffer to bond proponent Eric Garcetti and a paid lobbyist for the campaign. (THAT is en entirely different story)
According to sources who were present at the meeting, Senator's Joe Viti (GHNNC), Charlotte Laws (GVGNC), and Jim Alger (NWNC) were three of the more vocal representatives listing off a host of items the City Council has bypassed the Neighborhood Council system on including the bond issue and term limit extensions. However, the consensus in the room was that something needs to be done "to change the way they (City Council) think and operate."
"Neighborhood Councils are getting sick and tired of being sick and tired. We are on the verge of a fight like you have never seen in this town" said one NC representative on the condition of anonymity. That representative went on to describe what appears to be the workings of two simultaneous tracks, one of hopeful cooperation and one of battle.
The "peace" track consists of passing several resolutions through the NC Congress and its member NC's asking for certain changes in how City Council and Commissions deal with Neighborhood Councils, then sitting down with Council Members and working out what amounts to a Memorandum of Understanding.
The "War" track consists of a committee that is planning out a generic strategy to handle media, NC Resolutions, direct lobbying, etc. to apply massive political pressure on the City Council in an election year and compel change in how the City does business. Should that fail, legal action could, and in all likelihood, would be taken to force the City Council to comply with the Charter.
It would seem that the battle or war track would be a last resort should the cooperation track fail but either way change appears to be coming.
As Greg Nelson loves to say, "power is never given but always taken." Let's see if the City Council can see the writing on the wall and work with the NC's, and the citizens of LA or if they will keep up the status quo.
Posted by Councilman John @ 8/12/2006 12:05:00 AM
23 Comments:
The war track is better than the peace track, minus the legal action. Fuck that MOU shit.
Hire lobbyists, educate yourselves, gather forces and go after them. They don't respond to nicey nice favors and they don't respond to direct assaults.
Learn their game and turn it on them. You can do it.
I amm going to have to agree with 12:56am accept I think a full frontal assault might work, either that or organize and get them one at a time.
Hope it works. There is alot of people counting on you guys to change things.
NCs have lost hope in the City Council. I do not like the MOU approach because I believe that is what the Charter is -- and City Council is blatant in their distain for NCs that do not "sign on" to whatever they desire. Their discretionary funds are under scrutiny. They are no longer "listening" or even appearing to listen. NCs are after a different kind of "war." All I can say to the Council and their staffers is: Remember what happened with the 18% DWP rate increase request? NCs are quite capable and it is not a bright move to rile this group. All of the Councilomembers need a "come to Jesus" call and NCs will make that call.
I think the NC's are planning something huge, or at least the leadership is. Westwater and Alger have been everywhere the past few weeks. Both appeared with Jayson Lyon at the Rules and Election committee with about a dozen other Neighborhood Councils and pretty much forced Eric Garcetti to accept the council file motion with 3 NC's being able to have an issue assigned a City Council file number and sent to a City Council committee. THAT IS HUGE!
Councilman John did a story a while back about how all of these issues were coming together at once. It does seem as if the NC's are latching on to seize the moment.
Wait just a minute here; are you guys just naive, or plain stupid?
Hire lobbyists? Which lobbyist do you think is dumb enough to want to take on the City Council?
They have to work with thse folks; there is no way they would accept that assignment.
Well, there is no way any decent lobbyist would accept it, but you might get a has-been or a never-was to take your money.
Believe me, I know.
Greg Nelson talks big; he won't be around when you get your asses handed to you in the Council Chambers.
No offense, in my humble opinion I beleive that we would all be better off without the NCs. They are just an added beurocracy. The average citizen does not get to voice an opinion. Many of the people who run them have thier own agenda, many times it has nothing to do waith the community. Also politicians are already using them for thier own benefits, they are supposed to be their as a voice representing that particular district. I won't go any further ands tell you how bad the situation is, however, individuals need to learn the laws, and depend on themselves , participate, write letters to your reps. Speak out on your own first, then join a group, thats your vote, use it wisely. Why let anyone take it for their own needs?
The PEOPLE will win out! We have to systematically remove all of the garbage at city hall. Imagine...they are sticking us with a "trash 'fee'"! When we all know the trash is sitting on Channel 35 every day...preening like peacocks and ignoring the peasants...uh, er...the "people".
Villagrossa thinks the tv camera lens was invented only for him....and it is working against him.
Remember, these crooks don't give a flying fuck about the 'people'! Never before has this city been so corrupt...and it's the Revolutionary Party of Mexico type of corruption!
Stomp them out and stop them in their tracks. Vote AGAINST all bond issues, and vote AGAINST anyone or anything that Villagrossa endorses! It's as simple as that.
ITS ABOUT TIME THE NC'S ORGANIZED. I agree forget the MOU and put on your battle helmets. This is going to be a great fight. You bet your ass those city "clowncil" members are terrified when the NC's organize. When you have Alger, Jason, Brady, Rusty and others they can't be beat. They beat DWP pay hike. They need to go after those clowns for being sneaky and by passing them on the term limit extension ballot measure. There are tons of people citywide cheering for you guys to be our voice. DO IT!!!!! We've been wondering when you were going to get up off your asses.
Don't forget about Jason and Jeff Jacoburger leading the fight against the crooked term limits measure on the ballot. That is more NC action. Every council should vote to OPPOSE that measure and tell them if they want 4 more years, they can damn well ask us clearly andnot mix it up in some fake ethics changes that were written by lobbyists. This is the issue EVERY NC can get behind.
". . . faced with a staffer to bond proponent Eric Garcetti and a paid lobbyist for the campaign. (THAT is en entirely different story)"
A paid lobbyist!
PLEASE tell us that story! Man, the plot thickens!
Who is paying the lobbyist? What's his or her name?
This is exactly the kind of thing the public needs to know!
I sincerely hope that some of the assholes on Neighborhood Councils, who very clearly are interested in nothing but getting some power, one day become City Councilmembers.
Because then they themselves will have to suffer by dealing with all those other assholes on Neighborhood Councils.
About 50 mostly white, mostly male, disproportionately older, disproportionately homeowning, disproportionately conservative people think that they suddenly are grassroots. They are nothing but folks with a lot of time on their hands. Not dumb, mind you, but playing completely on the periphery, and in their own neighborhoods, known by few and out of touch with a city that is over 70% people of color and almost two-thirds renters. I'm not impressed. 15,000 people at the One LA convention, mostly poor, linked to congregations, mostly renters, mostly people of color. Now that is power. The NCs use the council as their straw men and women because it is a convenient way to mask their lack of depth and support in the city at large. The mayor is the one clamping down on them, not the council, and god bless him. The council actually does 90% of what these people (who will never get elected to a city council seat themselves--can you imagine Brady Westwater representing CD9 after Jan Perry--it is a black and latino district--without the NC system, he couldn't get anywhere) want. Only the mayor's staff at DONE has the cojones to call these folks the frauds that they are. When a single NC can match the precinct turnout of a regulat election, then they will be listened to.
NCs are okay, but pretty lame still. Janice Hahn, Wendy Greuel, Eric Garcetti, and Dennis Zine are the only real supporters of them on the council and meet with them regularly. Mayor hates 'em, as do Jan Perry, Jack Weiss, Ed Reyes, Alex Padilla, Bernard Parks, and Greig Smith. Whatever. I think Jackie Goldberg is secretly laughing and how she got them to be distracted with petty little stuff going after the council believing that they are making the difference. Glad they could impact DWP rates, but they haven't done anything about the big issues (cops, traffic, education) that real people without hours of spare time care about.
Collaboration is always better than way. But NCs will learn this lesson eventually.
First of all the NC's are VOLUNTEERS you moron. Its easy to criticize but the CLOWNCIL MEMBERS get paid and they don't do shit. NCs in numbers definitely are powerful that's why our midget napoleon syndrome Mayor Antonio is terrified of them. I have seen NC reps at council a couple of times speaking on issues and every single CLOWNCIL MEMBER listened and I believe swayed their vote. I have seen NC reps make people like Cardenas completely make an about face on a motion with their presence. So unless you've done anything to help your community, like someone here posts 'SHUT THE FUCK UP
Jason Lyons got Garcetti to do an about face at the city council this week about the NCs being able to make motions. they do have power when they show up.
For the moron talking about NC's being disproportionatly homeowners... Brady Westwater, Jim Alger and Jeff Jacoberger - 3 of the most high profile NC members and leaders in the city are all renters.
Enough of the bs rhetoric, help them or get the hell out of their way. At least their standing up for YOU!
You always have the whiner/complainers. They don't do shit but complain. Do they take the time to go to tons of meetings? NO Probably have never been to city council. These leaderes of NC's Alger, Jason, Brady, Rusty, Louise all spent hundreds of hours on Saturdays with DWP people to be YOUR VOICE. We owe all of them a great deal of gratitdue and should support them on this issue they are organizing to again be our voice. EVERY MEDIA OUTLET WILL START REPORTING WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
I fully support Jason Lyon and Jeff Jacobberger in their opposition to Measure R, and put out a press release to that effect yesterday. I stand behind NC's and support them in their effort to say NO to being left in the dark over Measure R.
As someone who served on an NC and is now running for State Assembly, I fully understand the value of NC's. Sure, there are always some members on an NC that rub folks the wrong way. And it always seems that NC's move with the speed of molasses when the item on the agenda is a RIGHT NOW thing. But for every one NC Board member who may or may not be a total doofus, there are at least three or four others who can and do stand up for you, me and everyone else ON THEIR OWN TIME AS VOLUNTEERS.
I may be the only Assembly candidate to come out of the NC system, but I'm still a stakeholder and that isn't changing. The only thing that has changed is my weapon of choice; I put down the plastic knife of an NC Board member and picked up an Assembly sword.
Count me in.
Samantha Allen-Newman
Republican Nominee
AD=45
I got a copy of the press release....here it is.
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Los Angeles, CA (12 August 2006)
Press Secretary Contact (323) 222-6647
The Sam For Assembly campaign announces today that Samantha Allen-Newman, Republican Nominee For State Assembly/AD-45 supports the Opposition to Measure R Argument written by Jason Lyon and Jeff Jacobberger. (Los Angeles City Councilmember Term Limits of Three Terms; City Lobbying, Campaign Finance and Ethics Laws, Charter Amendment And Ordinance Measure)
On August 2, 2006, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to place the combined question on a single ballot measure that will be put before voters in November. Prior to that, no ENS (Early Notification System) announcement was made to any of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils. Such practice is usual and customary with any item slated for commission and/or committee review.
"As a founding Board Member and Officer of the Arroyo Seco Neighborhood Council, I object to the fact that there was NO Early Notification to Neighborhood Councils on this issue, and no chance for public review and input. "
"The measure mixes two separate issues on a single November ballot, and was done so without any sort of transparency; this seems to be the standard method of operation in governmental affairs these days. In short, it skirts the spirit of Brown Act and becomes nothing more than a Black Hole."
"I fully endorse the efforts of Jason Lyon and Jeff Jacobberger and I urge everyone to join me in opposing Measure R this November. "
For more information concerning Sam Allen Newman's campaign about Representing EVERYONE in the 45th Assembly District....not just the vocal few, visit her web site at: www.sam4assembly.com
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Neighborhood councils are a waste--ego's that keep on growing with their own self importance. This is just another of Riordans bullshit legacy. what a waste of taxpayers money. Go back to your homeowner groups so i don't have to pay for you loud mouths and childish daily demands.
Gad to see the City Clowncil Staffers checking in.
Neighborhood Councils have been a disaster since the Charter was passed. They were deliberately created devoid of power, without any comprehensive instructions, and allowed to go Helter/Skelter instead of with some common form of coherent and cohesive structure.
Some NCs don't do too bad at dispensing information, although the Early Notification is a joke, and others do what they can to get better city services which, folks, was all they were created to do.
It would be wonderful if they could actually do something, but Algers is a buffoon trying to climb the political ladder, and I doubt that the rest of these rabble rousers are any better.
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