"WWG's BLOGGIN BUDDY" on Neighborhood Council Report
From the "cyberpage" that is the LA Observed Blog, are the comments of one Bill Boyarsky. For those outside of the LA insider community, Boyarsky is, like "WWG", a "westside" residing, retire scribe from the "OLD GREY HAG ON SPRING STREET", who when not bloggin on "OBSERVING WEST L.A. LIFE AND HIS TIMES", sits on the LA City Ethics Commission.
Today, Boyarsky can be found opining on the report, pertaining to refining the Neighborhood Council system. You can read his views on the provided link. But what I would like to do here, is provide the "THREAD" for dialog on the "WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW and WHY" needs to be done, to achieve the best potential for the Neighborhood Council System.
For one who may have a chance to sit on a Neighborhood Council in the near future, I find myself cynical on the role, and influence that Neighborhood Councils can have. I read here the dubious exploits of the likes of "LA RAZA 32". The Lincoln Heights Council where minors vote, and some would say are control by an "THREE LETTER BLOB" who would "CHAVEZ RAVINE" the Greater Hazard Park Community. A former Northridge Neighborhood Council Czar, who wanted to turn over public money to a "DO IT CENTER LOCAL". And most recently,the exploits of "CITIZEN BRADLEY".
But I also remember the charge against Prop R led by the likes of Lyons, Jacobberger and the current fight against DWP rate hikes. And hopefully the accomplishments of a certain blogger on a NoHo Council.
My simple thoughts aside, sway me either way. I leave that to the NC experts of this blog to do the swaying and comments.
href="http://www.laobserved.com/boyarsky/2007/09/
save_the_neighborhood_councils.php">Bill Boyarsky: Save the neighborhood councils from city hall
Labels: proposition r
Posted by Red Spot in CD 14 @ 9/26/2007 12:08:00 PM
10 Comments:
Gee you think these developers WANT something in return from Antonio? Of course they do.
Developers give LA schools $50 million
LOS ANGELES - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will announce this morning the single largest donation ever made by individuals to Los Angeles schools this morning in his latest effort to raise funds for a plan to control a cluster of them.
Real estate developers Richard and Melanie Lundquist will donate $50 million over 10 years to the Partnership for Los Angles Schools, the nonprofit organization that will allow mayoral oversight of two low-performing high schools and the middle and elementary campuses that feed into them.
MS - thanks for all the putang pics on the blog today!
Give the hottie a "OUTREACH" position on the "NoHo" Council.
Bill Boyarsky writes that the Dept. of Neighborhood Empowerment staff should be doing the "grassroots activity" of community organizing by going door-to-door to pursuade people to participate. That grassroots activity should be done, but not by DONE. Each neighborhood council has a board, and most times alternates, totaling 20-40 members. These folks typically live or work (or both) in the community, and make the best ambassadors for their council. The primary mission of all NC board members is to increase public participation, not show up once a month and put their positions on their resumes. DONE has a handful of street-level personnel - about 20 for the entire City - while each NC has at least 20 boardmembers. While Boyarsky's ideal of "rallying at city hall and generally raising hell" is the dream for most of us who support NCs, this end won't be achieved by one City employee doing outreach in a community. Neighbors make the best organizers, and the NC boardmembers are poised in the best position to inspire and encourage their neighbors to participate.
Many N C's are a sham. The Board of
"mine" is all HOA Board members, who all joined the N C just to further their HOA aims, usually, being anti- all development. They don't really want more outreach, since as it is, they can claim to represent thousands of households, but no one knows who they are or what they do, so they have an easy time controlling the NC.
One of the Board members has been on record, and quoted by an attendee in a Letter to the Editor in CityWatch, saying that it was NOT in their best interests to include renters, business owners, workers and others, because "those people" might actually want things like mass transit, bike paths and things that these longtime owners found anathema.
It gets even worse: areas in the NC with no HOA, like mine, are allegedly now represented by three self-appointed people who live in the area and formed a committee. These people are not only even more obscure, but the woman in charge is a three-dollar bill, confrontational and rude, and when we did have a real neighborhood mobilization over a project before, she alienated everyone, which is a big reason the group was disbanded after that one issue in the first place.
Plus, there are a couple of Board members of the N C who are using that position to claim they rep the whole area when really, they are only pushing a personal agenda.
Problem is, no one is overseeing these people, or disciplining Board members for abusing their position.
Thank Goodness they don't have MORE power, like power to stop projects or control city finances above the limit they have now. These people are not elected, operate unknown and in secret, often actually oppose the agenda of the majority, and the whole thing is a sham.
time to give Bradley from Glassel Park the boot and fire him.
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/10030111.html
L.A. council setting new rules
The direction neighborhood panels receive from the city could soon change.
By Rick Orlov
Staff Writer
Amid growing concern that neighborhood councils are ineffective, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday began reviewing a list of recommendations designed to reinvigorate the panels and promote grass-roots democracy.
After a two-hour presentation where City Council members voiced their own frustrations at problems with the 7-year-old system, the report was sent to the council's Education and Neighborhoods Committee for an analysis.
Mr. Bill Boyarsky,
DON’T be afraid to be the only descending vote when representing we the people. Hope to see some descending votes soon while serving the good people on the L.A. City Ethics Commission.
Remember the minority speaks for the MAJORITY.
10:48 PM -
Do you mean dissenting?
We need some City Oversight Dept. to Save the People from Tyrannical N C's
NOT the other way around in many cases. When the N C does NOT represent the neighborhood and/or operates in secret, WHO does the resident go to?
At least with the CM, Mayor and City Depts. there are staff and procedures even if some people don't feel they're listened to.
There is NO ONE to appeal unfair, dictatorial and exclusionary N C's and their members to. NO WAY should these groups have control over "their" areas -- neighbors/ residents should be able to ignore their biased recommendations AND appeal to someone.
Let's remember a few important things. The City Council is only 15 people, and we've certainly seen our shall of crzy ideas and people pursuing personal agendas. There are 1600 NC board members and they only advise the City Councilmembers who make the final decisions.
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