Jim Alger Files Complaint Against Neighborhood Council
Alger tells the Sister City "They (the Council board of directors) consistently violate the open meeting law by taking up items not on the agenda and deliberately try to circumvent it with 'ad-hoc' meetings that are not legal."
Among numerous procedural matters relating to the Council's Board of Directors' activities the key point of Alger's complaint relates to a position taken by NWNC on the upcoming Proposition B on the City's March primary, a controversial measure dealing with solar energy. Alger says that "In addition to the violation of the Brown Act, the NWNC did violate an existing Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Water and Power where it did not provide the required 14 days notice to the DWP (as required by the MOU) or the required 3 days notice to the community (as required by the Brown Act) prior to taking a position opposing Proposition B, the LA Solar Power Initiative."
The MOU that Alger refers to is one agreed to by NWNC and other Neighborhood Councils that, among other things, requires Neighborhood Councils to give the DWP a 14 day notice of any issue the Council Board of Directors is considering that relates to the DWP, in order for the DWP to have an opportunity to provide sufficient representation at the meeting at which the item will be discussed.
Alger told me "What annoys me is that these are not hard rules to follow. Simply place the item on the public agenda, or post a special meeting notice, and then you're in compliance. All I want them to do is follow the law, why is that so difficult?"
The Northridge West Neighborhood Council has until January 8th to select a committee of five random stakeholders to hear Alger's complaint. The committee will make a final recommendation to the full Council board for final action. If Alger is not satisfied with the Council's response, he may follow-up his grievance with the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners for further action.
We have sought a response from the Northridge West Neighborhood Council but at press time not received any comment from them. We welcome their response, if they have one.
Labels: Brown Act, dwp, jim alger, measure b, northridge west neighborhood council
Posted by Michael Higby @ 1/05/2009 01:00:00 PM
32 Comments:
Big deal.
All anyone, including local "activists" ever do is whine about the Brown Act.
Then, the people in charge ignore the complaint. That's all they ever do. Ignore it, because no one really knows what to do about it.
I think it is a big deal - if the Council votes on something the public doesn't know about ahead of time all kinds of shadiness can occur.
I know my NC is fanatical about this issue. If something isn't on the agenda, it doesn't get voted on.
I guarantee that this thread will garner a record number of posts from an anonymous commentor thanking Jim so much for making this complaint while also calling added attention to what a great leader he is for doing this. Can Citizen of the Year 2009 be too far behind?
Give me a break. Yeah, we all know it's a big issue.
And so what? Big issues, and Brown Act violations are ignored 99% of the time.
Name any local pol who lost his paycheck because of it. In fact, name me a GM who lost his or her paycheck because of it.
People do not get in any sort of trouble for violating the Brown Act.
Shit, look at Villaraigosa slipping that he kept two calendars. So, one is hidden from the public, which is a violation of the Brown Act multiplied by every time someone requested it.
Think anyone is in trouble for that? Hell no. Antonio just misspoke.
Yes, it's a big deal. But so what? Why go through the exercise if it means nothing?
Watch all the haters come out of the woodwork to blast Jim. The same ones who act like crybabies and personally attack anyone who attempts to be speak out on issues. The same idiots who attack Zuma for speaking out yet they sit on their lazy butts and whine. I remember when Jim Alger and his group of Neighborhood council reps blasted city council a couple of years ago on the DWP rate hike AND WON. Thanks to Jim's leadership the rates didn't go up at that time. What can the haters say they've done for their communities??
Does anyone doubt that Heather is either Jim or his wife?
This really fits into the BFD category. All the NC has to do is hold another meeting and take the same position. It accomplishes nothing.
The Brown Act is there so that the DA can go after the big ticket violators. They don't have time to deal with penny ante crap like this.
The City Council probably has a vote a week on matters that weren't on the agenda. They use their Rule 23 to do it. NCs can do the same thing.
Jim is just bitter because his lost his position and title there, and probably had to get new license plate frames and name badges.
I don't think Heather is Jim or his wife; I know their writing style.
I know that there have been two main guys who jump on Alger and one of them is kind of busy with a new job.
That should be "removal of its directors."
Jim is just bitter because his lost his position and title there, and probably had to get new license plate frames and name badges.
Hmmm, that's what's odd here: wasn't Jim ... ahem ... told he didn't need to waste his time with the NWNC anymore (I'm trying to be nice) as his valuable services were no longer needed? 'Cause he sucked?
This reeks of another open bottle of Jim Alger Sour Grape Juice(tm).
HOT OFF THE PRESS!
Henry Casas, Deputy Chief of Staff to Councilmember Jose Huizar, arrested for domestic violence:
Click Here To LA Times Article
How about what Jim pulled with the Beckford School PTA?
Mayor Sam:
Perhaps you could answer this: remember when Alger helped derail a Wal-Mart that was supposed to go into the old Best store in Northridge (off of Nordhoff)?
Last time I drove by there, there was a Target or some other big box store.
I thought the reason Alger and company fought Wal-Mart was because of the traffic.
Did something change in Alger and the NC, or did they just fight for PC reasons because it was Wal-Mart?
I don't really care about Wal-Mart, but I sense hypocrisy. I know you like Alger, and I respect your judgement.
I'd like to hear what you have to say about it. Thanks!
Jim Alger is pretty cheasy. Doesn't his own website call him, and I quote, "Senator Jim Alger?" Like he's the Blagojevich appointment or something.
No, it refers to some kind of cheasy Neighborhood Council Senate or something that he participated in at some point.
Hey, I went to the Congress of Optometrists last year. I think I will start calling myself "Congressman."
You have to question the ego and motives of someone who takes a picture of himself with the flag in background, as if he is an elected official. The same guy who calls himself "Senator." And apparently has license-plate frames and the like.
It is resume padding by implication. It's cheasy. Lame. Clearly there to impress his relatives back in Arkansas or whatever.
What else does he exaggerate?
My website has been down for quite some time now.
As for those who never learned that blowing out someone else's candle doesn't maake theirs shine any brighter:
a) I had nothing to do (for or against) the BEST BUY that now sits where the Wal Mart was to go. I opposed the store on behalf of the community whom I served as NC Chair. I am not on the NC anymore so had nothing to do with what ended up there.
B) Mike's story says the central argument was Prop B, it really wasn't, more like the final straw. These guys are breaking rules for sport and that is unacceptable. If NC's are EVER going to be taken seriously they MUST be honest brokers at the table. Holding secret meetings to push a Chamber of Commerce agenda is not OK. Steering funds to your professional friends is NOT OK. Violating the Brown Act and Ethics rules is NOT OK. I fought Lisa Sarno for almost a year as she attacked the NC system with countless examples just like this.
C) No amount of attacking me changes this one simple fact, either they are in violation or they are not.
d) This is about accountability not sour grapes. I don't hold any beef because they won a political battle - I am big enough not to take it personally. But considering how hard they fought for it, I am wildly disappointed in what they have chosen to with their supposed victory.
It is important to note I have NOT asked for their de-certification, merely that they receive training in the Brown Act and Ethics. Should they continue this nonsense, I "reserved the right" to go farther. That certainly isn't where I want to go with this.
6:56 What are you some kind of Alger Stalker or something? As I recall the LANCC reps were called "Senators." That got a few City Hall 6 year old's panties in a twist but it was what it was. When Jim gave me his card some time ago it said "LANCC Senator" which is what he was at the time.
"You have to question the ego and motives of someone who takes a picture of himself with the flag in background, as if he is an elected official."
He WAS elected, and worked at a State office and I heard a rumor he still works in government at some capacity (perhaps you could let me know since you've got the skinny of what Alger is doing.
I've had my issues with Alger, haven't agreed with some of his positions and I don't hate Wal-Mart.
But I have to agree his complaint seems valid and the concepts are all correct. Those facts aren't changed by how much you insult Jim.
And I have YET to hear from anyone from the NWNC to present a different side of the story. Perhaps they are some of the folks anonymously dissing Alger; that's their right I guess but it would be better to hear their argument that Alger's charges are incorrect.
They are acting just like some of our favorite Clowncil members!
Go get 'im, Jim!
Jim,
Unfortunately, as most have noticed, you have the transparent habit of posting right after yourself. It is so obvious that you are 8:20 pm too.
If you have a point to make, just make it. Don't write that you "heard a rumor."
People need not be stalkers to notice your behavior.
You have a point with this issue. Breaking the rules is not right and is an important issue, but your history of grandstanding and pettiness makes you lose credibility on these important issues.
Jim,
Are you still such a novice that you lie about such simple to verify facts?
Your lame, self-aggrandizing, exagerrating-your-role-in-government web site is still up.
http://www.jimalger.net/intro2full.html
And not one, but two folks:
http://www.votealger.com/sfs030606.html
Yes, maybe the more ridiculous stuff is gone, but you still have that egotistical picture, like you were in the West Wing or something. It's lame. Lose it.
Oh, and I suggest stopping lying. You'll lose even your biggest defenders, like Mr. Higby. He seems loyal to his friends, but doesn't seem to tolerate lying politicians too well.
Jim may be a self-aggrandizing goofball.
So what?
No one (or is it Noone?) has addressed the issue which isn't Alger but what the NWNC has done.
No one (or is it Noone?) has defended their actions.
I don't need Alger to see it - you simply go to their website and you see that the agendas don't match the minutes.
9:38pm, Sorry, the MAIN PAGE of the website has been down for some time. Didn't realize you went to individual sub-pages within the site. Guess I will look into that (And Vote Alger goes to JimAlger FYI)
Thanks for paying closer attention to my site than I do.
Now tell us again what this has to do with whether or not NWNC followed the law?
After what those punks did to you? Kick their ass Jim. You built that council and they have destroyed it.
Jim Alger filing a complaint against any Neighborhood Council is a huge deal. There aren't many people in this city who have fought as hard for NC's as he has. He presided over an NC for years and served as Vice Chair to the Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils Congress. I have seen him in front of city council countless times, usually defending an NC.
In other words, he isn't the first person you'ld think of to file a complaint against one. Looks like all Jim is asking is that they follow their own rules. I am not sure why the NC would even let this go to a grievance panel, seems pretty straight forward.
So Higby, will MS be "covering" this story at the NC meeting? Curious to see how that goes.
Right Jim,
Everyone who posted here knows you scrupulously monitor ALL the neighborhood councils and the city council to make sure the decisionmakers in your beloved city never violate the Brown Act.
This latest act by you has NOTHING to do with the fact you have a feud with the council you complained of. It has nothing to do with sour grapes, the fact you are no longer part of this council.
Perhaps this is why it is hard to swallow. Yes, there was a misdeed. Is it akin to jaywalking or speeding?
And you, a self-appointed cop, (a) picked on one council and (b) as always, tried to get a lot of press for it.
MS, do you now understand? Not too many citizens make splashy citizens arrest for jaywalking offenders. Perhaps that is next for Jim Alger.
OK let us start with reality. People called me about the NWNC. I ignored it for some time. Now back up a few months to when I received a csll that the DWP MOU with Neighborhood Councils was falling apart. I put together a meeting with David Nahai, the DWP MOU Oversight Committee and a few other people who helped put the MOU together. To make a long story short, we saved it. Was there much press about that? No. Did I ask there to be? No.
So when I get a call that my own former council was blatantly violating that very MOU along with everything else I sent an email to the NWNC. What I got in return was defiance. That put me in a position where if I am to be an honest broker at the table, I couldn't continue to ignore this. So I filed a grievance.
Did I issue a press release? No.
Did I notify Mayor Sam, No. He sent me an email requesting comment.
So while you may want people to believe I am some horrible monster with nothing better to do than screw around with a couple of knuckleheads who seem hell bent on running my former council like a club, fact is that that simply isn't true.
It isn't about "playing cop" to the NC and it is much more serious than jaywalking. It is about conflict of interest, possible misappropriation of funds, violations of State Law, City Attorney advice letters, the citywide plan for Neighborhood Councils as well as the councils own bylaws. Perhaps you are OK with a Neighborhood Council doing that, I am not.
All I have asked for is their compliance with the law, that is it. Doesn't seem that complicated.
By the way, one last point 8:05 am, there isn't any "feud". I have had no interaction with this council for over a year. (Been kind of busy working) So, nice try on the spin there but your defense seems to be to plead guilty and attack me. How about they just follow the law, follow the ethics rules, and move on?
8:05 AM LMAO You're rant sure makes a whole lot of assumptions. How do you know what press Jim did or didn't try to get? Maybe you should try running your council properly. A while back Jim had the city clowncil office in his crosshairs and as I recall it didn't work out so well for Mr. Smith. Maybe you wannabe clowncil members in Northridge could learn something from that, pissing of Jim is generally not a smart move. He probably knows enough about the process to keep you buried in paperwork for months f he really wanted to.
I don't know anything about Mr. Akger, but the white turtleneck is a crime of some sort.
You don't know anything about Jim Alger but you comment on clothing he isn't even wearing?
Wearing a shirt and tie in the photo.
Anything to take a shot I guess.
^
Dude (or dudette)-
Clearly the turtleneck comment was a joke.
And you are blind because he is clearly wearing a turtleneck (more 1970s creme beige-y than white, but still a fashion don't).
But your strange reply does raise the question - why are NC types so thin skinned and humourless?
I have looked at the document posted here earlier and I am appalled. The Northridge West NC has been wasting our money when it could be put to much better use.
How about cleaning up the neighborhood? The NC used to do that. How about speed signs? How about outreach to the community? Or do we not matter?
Thank you Jim for standing up for us once again.
jim alger is not who he says he is, right jim?
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