Neighborhood Empowerment Town Hall Report

Results of the Neighborhood Empowerment Town Hall Survey:

On Sunday, Sept. 19, Councilmember Paul Krekorian hosted a workshop to build a foundation for the future of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which oversees the city’s 92 neighborhood councils. During the four-hour session, respondents were asked to offer their feedback about the town hall and how the next workshop – planned for October at USC (a specific date will be released soon) – can improve.

Respondents rated the workshop via a series of five questions from 1 – the lowest rating – to 5 – the highest. According to the survey, the workshop proved exceedingly beneficial as exemplified by the answers below:

• More than half – 51% – rated the workshop a 5, with one going above and beyond by rating the overall event a 6.
• The overwhelming majority – 79% – rated the workshop either a 4 or 5;
• The average rating of the entire event was 4.2;
• The highest rated question, asking if people felt they were able to effectively communicate, received an average rating of 4.39;
• The lowest rated question, asking if respondents believe the information gathered will be used effectively, received an average rating of 4.02;
• Asked about their overall impression of the event, respondents offered an average rating of 4.18;
• The highest rated response – 33 people rated it a 5 – was the question asking if respondents would encourage others to attend our next town hall.

The questions and videos from the workshop’s presenters below the fold:

[Updated] First Neighborhood Council Workshop a Smashing Success

On Sunday, Sept. 19, more than 100 neighborhood council members from throughout Los Angeles gathered to change local democracy in Los Angeles. The first of two Neighborhood Council Workshops, hosted by Councilmember Paul Krekorian, allowed residents the opportunity to present their own vision on the future of neighborhood councils and participate in breakout sessions to address specific problems they think plagues the NC system.

Watch Councilmember Paul Krekorian kick-off the event by clicking here or watch the YouTube video below*:

While all the data from Sunday’s event – including more videos – are still being processed, culled and meticulously arranged (we will have a detailed round up on this blog soon), we wanted to thank every one who spent Sunday afternoon with us, making the future a little brighter for local empowerment. For now, watch the video and enjoy some pictures from a great event.

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Your Chance to Help Shape the Future of Local Empowerment

On Sunday, September 19, join concerned residents throughout Los Angeles for the first Neighborhood Council Workshop to discuss the future of local empowerment. The workshop will take place in the Marvin Braude Constituent Service Center, Conference Room 1B, 6262 Van Nuys, Blvd., Van Nuys.

From 1 to 5 p.m., you will have the chance to hear from Councilmember Paul Krekorian, Department of Neighborhood Empowerment General Manager Bong-Hwan Kim and others.

In addition, you will get to have your own say during a series of break-out sessions to discuss neighborhood council funding, the mission of DONE, ethics training and much more.

You will also have the opportunity to present your own vision on the future of neighborhood councils. Audio-visual equipment is available upon request, but because of time constraints, each presentation will be limited to five minutes and we must be notified of each one by September 12.

For more information, or to RSVP, please call us at (213) 473-7002 or send your name, phone number and what neighborhood council you represent to Daniel.Lopez@lacity.org. Space is limited, please RSVP as soon as possible and feel free to print out the attached flier for distribution among your neighborhood council.

Hope to see you there and all are welcome!

Sincerely,
Your CD2 Team

To see the flier, which you are more than welcome to distribute to your neighborhood council, please click here or see below:

Community Cheers “Very Major” Council Vote to Improve Neighborhood Empowerment

That big sigh of relief you heard this morning was from the city’s 91 neighborhood councils, who cheered a vote by the City Council Wednesday on a motion to they say will strengthen community empowerment.

The motion, by Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chair of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, restored five positions to the embattled Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) and transfered $1.3 million to it from the Community Development Department (CDD).

“This is a budget-neutral action that does not cost taxpayers a dime, but still allows the department to function in support of neighborhood councils,” Krekorian said. “DONE’s budget and staffing have been decimated of late, so this fiscally prudent move was an important step to strengthen community participation in governance.”

In fact, DONE itself was close to decimation after the mayor proposed rolling the department into CDD during this year’s budget negotiations. Neighborhood councils railed against that proposal, fearing it would be the death knell for the community empowerment department after its funding – and staff positions – had been steadily siphoned off.

Community empowerment: Alive and well in L.A.

Council Nixes DONE Consolidation

Today, at the behest of Councilmember Paul Krekorian, the City Council voted 12-0 against the mayor’s proposal to consolidate the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and the Community Development Department.

Councilmember Paul Krekorian during a Los Angeles City Council meeting.

This action followed months of debate in the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, which Krekorian chairs, and will be followed by many more meetings throughout the city to determine the future of neighborhood councils. Read more about this ongoing debate from our past live-blogs: here, here and here.

In addition to opposing the consolidation, Krekorian introduced an amendment that instructs the city’s Chief Administrative Officer to ensure DONE can continue serving neighborhood councils:

A proposal to reorganize DONE and improve support to the Neighborhood Councils is going to require additional time to work with the City staff and receive input from stakeholders.

To ensure continued support for the Neighborhood Councils, I move to instruct the CAO to report back in 15 days to the Education and Neighborhoods Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee with a proposal to continue operating DONE as a standalone Department for up to six months while the Council and Mayor develop a new organization structure for DONE. It should be the goal of this proposal to ensure cost neutrality, but the CAO should report, in any event, on any budgetary impacts.

Stay tuned to CD2Policy for updates on what lies ahead for neighborhood councils and, as always, let us know your thoughts.

What Lies Ahead for the Proposal: Live-blogging the E & N Committee meeting

Councilmembers Paul Krekorian and Janice Hahn listen as residents chime in on the consolidation proposal, June 4, 1010

1:47: Councilmember Paul Krekorian, head of the Education and Neighborhoods committee, kicks-off the meeting, apologizing for the late start due to the conclusion of today’s City Council meeting. There is one item on the agenda, and on everyone’s mind today: Whether the council should adopt the mayor’s proposal to consolidate the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) and the Community Development Department (CDD). First up is mayoral aide Aaron Gross.

1:51 Gross: “I think we established the need to look at the future of neighborhood councils (NCs)…we need to figure out the next steps to best serve NCs.” [During last week’s committee meeting, about two-dozen NC members spoke against the proposal. No one spoke in favor of it.]

1:56: Gross and, by extension the mayor, signal a willingness to go back to the drawing board. “We will put a halt on the 45-day clock and discuss with the community when is the appropriated place to start a new process.” Per the city charter, the council has 45 days to act on the consolidation. If no action is taken, the consolidation would go into effect.

2:00: Krekorian, who has been driving the debate, agrees and says he wants to develop a “consensus vision…for how we can move forward, more effectively.” He goes on to say he wants to work with the mayor’s office to develop a broader vision with NCs and wants to set up a dialog across the city “in the coming weeks and months…before we have a complete architecture on the larger policy.”

2:03 Committee member Councilmember Janice Hahn speaks of her trepidation about the proposed consolidation. “I feel like we’re doing this backwards,” she said. “We should have been getting the input of NCs…to focus on the future of NCs. I think we’ve wasted a lot of time and money working on a proposal that was not well thought out.”

2:09 Hahn said, “If we don’t have a positive, good thought-out plan, NC funding will run out.” Krekorian clarifies that NC funding is not part of the discussion and will not be affected by this proposal.

2:13 Mayor isn’t rescinding the consolidation idea, Gross says, but it’s one proposal and there are a number of other ideas out there. What are yours?

2:15 Krekorian proposes disapproval of mayor’s proposal. “That will be the end of that,” he says. Going forward, he vows to work with the mayor on a new proposal, but will start with input from NCs, other council offices, etc. “We will drive the policy making, but will do so with the mayor.”

2:18 Gross vows mayoral participation with the council, in general, and with this committee, specifically.

2:25 It’s public comment with those in attendance hoping NCs remain part of the discussion to shape their future and one resident calling for outgoing DONE GM, BH Kim, to stay on to oversee whatever transition takes place.

2:36 Krekorian officially recommends the committee deny the mayor’s proposal and, going forward, “draw input from the 91 NCs.”

2:48 Committee continues to hear public comment…

2:53 Meeting is adjourned. Stay tuned for how the committee intends to work with NCs throughout L.A. to ensure they remain viable, efficient and important stewards of local democracy. Thanks for following this live-blog and, as always, we welcome your comments.

Neighborhood Council Elections Today – Find Out Where to Vote

Hello and welcome to neighborhood council election day. In this morning’s Daily News, Councilmember Paul Krekorian had this to say in an opinion piece:

THROUGHOUT the San Fernando Valley today, neighbors will be coming together to select their community’s leadership in neighborhood council elections. The results of this latest step forward toward neighborhood empowerment will impact our communities for years to come.

Neighborhood council members play an active role in shaping the present and future of our community. The neighborhood councils are critical partners for me and my staff as we serve the people of the Valley, and they help inform my thinking about development, transportation, quality of life and public safety in my work in City Hall.

Every Valley resident who wants a say in shaping the future of our community should participate in these neighborhood elections.

Read the whole piece by clicking here.

If you live or do business in Reseda, Tarzana, Lake Balboa, Encino, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, Greater Valley Glen, Mid-Town North Hollywood, Valley Village, Studio City and/or Greater Toluca Lake, you may vote from 2 to 8 p.m.

A complete list of polling locations is after the jump:

Tell Us What You Think About the Future of Neighborhood Councils

Mayor Antonio Villaraiogsa has proposed consolidating the Community Development Department into the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, which many of you know as DONE.

This is a potentially historic moment for neighborhood councils as it could prove to be a monumental fork-in-the-road for the future of neighborhood empowerment. Tell us what you think of the proposal by taking this poll and feel free to give us your ideas in the comments section on how to reform DONE.

Neighborhood Elections Approaching

Neighborhood Council elections are fast approaching for many communities in CD2, including Mid-town North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Valley Glen and Van Nuys. The elections, slated for Thursday, May 27, from 2 to 8 p.m., will allow you to have a say on issues that affect your neighborhood on a daily basis. For more information, email our office and please don’t forget to vote!

Streamlining DONE, a Live Blog

4:18: Meeting adjourned with more discussion to come next week. In the interim, please feel free to contribute your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you for following.

4:08: CDD will  get a chance next week to weigh in on this issue.

4:02: Modernizing the way NCs pay for their goods and events, while ensuring maximum accountability, is on the table here.

3:55: On to item #4 (item #3 was skipped), concerning NC bank cards, which CM Zine just called a “fail safe solution.”

3:49: CM Krekorian responds to angst of some NC members who complain that their funds are being used to pay down the city’s deficit: “Neighborhood Councils  are of immense benefit in terms of energy, eyes and ears and many other aspects. The city of Los Angeles benefits from their vitality. Whatever we do that causes a reduction in rollover [and] detracts from their ability to do what they’re doing, hurts our constituents and hurts our city. Sadly, that’s true of most everything in our budget, but we’re doing our best to wade through.”

3:40: Committee moves to item #2, which concerns the subject of NC rollover funds.

3:27: With public comment over, CM Krekorian looks to ensure details of the transition are finalized. He wants the staffing requirements needed for the transitional period formalized as well as the time line for when CDD will take over DONE.

3:11: The first public commenter is Mike O’Gara from Sun Valley NC. His message is clear: “DONE needs a general manager.”

3:03: Al Abrams, of the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners: A lot of the ‘problems’ DONE has had comes from the fact that residents have not had the ability to weigh in. “The systemic failures can be traced back to that…but there is tremendous value in this potential merger.”