Views from far away

When I compared the work of the City Council Redistricting Commission to how the Allies created Yugoslavia after the First World War, little did I realize the post would attract a modest but steady stream of views from that part of the world. At least some people from the states once part of the most poorly [...]

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I guess Neighborhood Councils have all the time in the world

Maybe Stephen Box has time to spare, or at least time to tackle all of the issues facing the city and the nation. However, chiding neighborhood councils for not weighing in on issues such as Occupy LA, campaign reform and the city budget reveals his lack of appreciation for the limited time unselfish volunteers have to conduct [...]

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Attack on NC funding from another direction

Regardless of the size of the neighborhood council allocations the City Council approves in the next budget cycle, possible restrictions on the use of the city-issued purchasing cards may make it all moot. The situation was discussed at last Saturday’s Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition meeting. B H Kim, general manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE), updated the members. [...]

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Neighborhood Council’s Pothole Lottery: Is it the wrong message?

Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council staged a unique form of outreach: a lottery where the stakeholders could decide what was the worst pothole in the community.  The winning hole would be filled; funding provided from the NC’s budget. I have to credit SONC for imagination.  There are few problems in this city that appear to get [...]

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NC Outreach: Village to Village

Street banners are popular marketing tools for events and organizations. In Los Angeles they are controlled by permit and must be replaced periodically in the case of long-term installations. I hate to see old banners go to waste, so why not find alternative uses? My wife and I placed two prior versions of the NCVV banner [...]

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Neighborhood Council Congress: Time to free the system from City Hall

The long-anticipated Neighborhood Council Congress is less than two weeks away. A dedicated group of volunteers, under the leadership of Cindy Cleghorn of Sunland Tujunga,  have succeeded in wresting control of this event from DONE and City Hall.  For the first time, we will truly have a congress that represents the stakeholders and board members.  While NCs have formed [...]

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BH and the BS of a 1% Voter Turnout Requirement for NCs

Bong Hwan Kim, the general manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE), supports a concept requiring a neighborhood council to attain and maintain a 1% turnout of registered voters in order to seat a board.  This is according to an article in Joseph Mailander’s blog. Council Member Paul Krekorian acknowledged the embarrassing low turnout [...]

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Are the Neighborhood Councils at a Crossroads or an Off-Ramp?

I really wanted to write a post about the unraveling economy and how it could affect California and Los Angeles.  I’ll save that for next week. The NC system was rocked by the allegations against Al Abrams, until recently the President of the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners.  I have no comment concerning the allegations.  They [...]

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Wanted: A Conservator for DONE

It is an understatement to say I have harshly criticized the management of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. It’s not a personal issue.  I am acquainted with a handful of the department’s employees, past and present, and have respect for most of them.  There is a desire to do the right thing; what is lacking is [...]

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Krekorian, Kim Visit VANC to Discuss NC Motions

Council Member Paul Krekorian, in his appearance last Thursday at the monthly meeting of the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, expressed regret that his recently introduced motions were being interpreted as a plan to reform DONE rather than as a first step in an extended process to improve the NC system and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. He [...]

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