Sunday Notes on the Neighborhood Council Scorecard

As the Region XI Group of Westside LA Neighborhood Councils go to the polls today, we inaugurate our new weekly, bloggin musing regarding the actions, follies, successes and undertakings of the City of LA Neighborhood Councils, with special attention on its noted Cast of Characters (such as West LA's Jay "Ole Yeller" Handal). 

To paraphrase noted Attorney L.H. Parker, "I'm Jay Handal and I will YELL for you!"

Note to LA-32 NC Rose Hills Community Members, the man above you seen driving a black car, with phone ear piece, that was searching for illegal campaign activity as a paid Independent (naught!) Election Administrator (IEA), has returned to his West LA NC confines.

** Blogger's Note: Bloggin time permitting, we hope that our inaugural "Sunday Notes on the Neighborhood Council Scorecard" will become a weekly blog feature. From the grieving employees of "Disempowerment LA", to the cast of characters (bloggers included) who comprise NC's across the city, the story of the continuing evolution of the City of LA's NC System, is one that merits continuing coverage (with comedic flavoring of course)---Scott Johnson.

** If there is one person among the core group of NC Activists, who is the "bark" (think loud, yapping Chihuahua) of the movement, then that person would be West LA NC Member Jay "Ole Yeller" Handal. Handal, who recently oversaw the Region VIII Group of NC Elections as its IEA (enabling CD 14 City Councilman Jose Huizar to tighten his grip over certain NCs), is seek re-election to the West Los Angeles Neighborhood Council. In "Ole Yeller's" own words, we bring his "West LA First!!" Candidate Statement (with our comments in bold).

This campaign is about putting West L.A. 1st.(Ole Yeller is territorial) We face challenges of affordable housing and traffic (a Westside Liberal sound bark?). We are challenged to make decisions on how to allocate our City’s diminished resources while the needs of our residents continues to increase (No duh). I am committed to protecting and improving the community that we live in.West L.A. 1st.means putting the people in our community first. (Another no duh) Putting West L.A. 1st.means transcending personal bias and relegating personal interest in favor of the greater good ( I left my self-serving biases and personal interest with Yolie Garcia and Huizar's staffers in LA-32). Putting West L.A. 1st.requires that we set aside personal differences to attend to the service of the residents (that's unless I can influence NC elections for personal gain). I will continue communicating (loudly) with and responding (more loudly) to our residents and businesses . Listening to and understanding their needs (Ole Yeller showcased his keen, subjective, political listening skills as LA-32 NC IEA). I will constructively propose good solutions to the challenges we face. I will continue to engage in the planning process, to ensure that we avoid problems before they affect our quality of life (which for NCs such as LA-32 are now worst thanks to Ole Yeller).

** The Board of Neighborhood Commissioners will hold its semi-monthly meeting tomorrow at 1 PM on the Tenth Floor within City Hall. In noting the agenda, we want to commend the BONC for its dedication to public participation as the following agenda items note .........

4. General Public Comments - Comments from the public on non-agenda items within the Board’s subject matter jurisdiction. This agenda item will last a total of 15 minutes and no individual speaker will be allowed more than three minutes. (15 minutes). Then for an encore .........
11. General Public Comments - Comments from the public on non-agenda items within the Board’s subject matter jurisdiction. This agenda item will last a total of 15 minutes and no individual speaker will be allowed more than three minutes. (15 minutes). Either the BONC is empowering Public Comment or the same "Disempowerment LA NEA" that oversees the LA-32 NC crafted the agenda? 

** Meet the new favorite "Disempowerment LA Grieving Employees" NC President Marleen Fonseca of LA-32



 New LA-32 NC President and EAA Labor Rep Marleen Fonseca.

If any one NC President is going be on the receiving end of empowering service from the grieving employees of Disempowerment LA, then its a sure bet that former LAPD Management Analysis II, now Engineers & Architects Association Union Rep Marleen Fonseca, would be that person.

While Fonseca does not directly oversee "Disempowerment LA Employees", her knowledge of internal "Disempowerment LA" work issues creates an interesting situation for General Manager Grayce Liu (who Fonseca has allegedly stated is a weak negotiator).

Since being voted President (despite a majority of the new board voting for now Vice-President Kaprisha Vallecillo over her), Fonseca has aligned herself with the likes of El Sereno Bicentennial "Shredding Parade Coordinator" Genny Guerrero and El Sereno Historical Society Members Yolie and Jorge Garcia (aka the "Procedural Bullys"), who's racial and vile attacks on noted LA-32 NC Community Members have been repudiated.

Judging from reports of yesterday's LA-32 NC By Laws Committee, Fonseca is already showcasing her lack of inclusion by wanting to change the name of the LA-32 NC to the "El Sereno Neighborhood Council" and not seeking to fill vacancies on the 21 person board, with the support of "Disempowerment LA" who subjectively want to down size the board to 15 members via unapproved new By-laws.

Your thoughts ..............

Scott Johnson in CD 14