RETHINKING LA - Last week, the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council found itself in the spotlight as a boardmember sought to rescind previously awarded funds from one organization and to award them to another organization.
This simple situation had within it the potential to polarize the board, divide the community, alienate neighborhood partners, and create a lose-lose scenario.
But an amazing thing happened.
A good sized crowd showed up for the AVNC Board meeting where they were welcomed and treated with respect as they spoke eloquently and passionately in support of the The Independent Shakespeare Company and in defense of the previously awarded funds.
The AVNC Board turned a lose-lose situation into a win-win scenario, demonstrating the maturity of the neighborhood council and setting a powerful example of positive conflict resolution.
Leonora Pitts, Chair of the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council writes:
It ended up being a really remarkable evening of grace and democracy. Bennet Kayser, LAUSD School Board member for District 5, pledged to find some funds to save the math programs if we’d save the ISC funding. A young lady who works as an engineer and PhD student said that she would volunteer one day a week tutoring math if we’d save the ISC funding. We were all given the opportunity to correct some of the misrepresentations that have been floating around about all these organizations too.
Throughout the night, my board talked about the importance of keeping our word. I was humbled by Pat Kane, who vehemently opposed some of this funding when we passed it originally, but who said that our word was our bond.
The supporters of the ISC spoke so passionately and eloquently about the company, the arts in general, and the importance of Shakespeare. Even some of the original advocates of this motion came around by the end of the discussion and asked us not to rescind the funding.
Most extraordinarily, these organizations – which had no reason to be pitted against each other, but heartbreakingly were – ended the night discussing ways in which they could partner together.
All the while, even with all the passion in the room, I was very proud of how all tempers were kept in check. It says a lot about the AVNC and our Atwater Villagers.
From the Independent Shakespeare Company Facebook page.
Thank you to everyone who came out to the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council Meeting. We were really well represented and everyone was very eloquent. We were able to keep our funding and in the process we actually laid the groundwork for some future partnerships with the local schools which have been so hard hit by the latest funding cuts. Thank you again and thanks to all who signed the petition.
From BongHwan “BH” Kim, General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment.
This week, I had the opportunity to visit the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council (AVNC), and what a meeting it was – with over 100 people in attendance! As is usually the case with such a large show of people, there was a contentious issue on the agenda regarding an action the board took to fund an arts project and an attempt to rescind the board action.
I was so impressed with the manner in which the board handled the matter. Everyone clapped for every speaker regardless of where they stood on the issue. Board members with opposing views treated each other respectfully and setting a civil tone for all.
It reminded me why the Neighborhood Councils are so important for Los Angeles. It was the best of local democracy in action. AVNC is doing something city government isn’t designed to do, but is in many ways even more important for our city’s quality of life – community building.
Kudos and a hearty thank you to the AVNC board for your commitment to your neighborhoods.
A special congrats to outgoing President Leonora Pitts. Under her leadership, the board has done so much for so many and with so little in the way of public funds. She will be leaving Los
Angeles with her family. We will be losing one awesome leader, but I know that others will quickly fill in and rise to the challenge.
In a city as large as Los Angeles, the significance of this NC meeting, the agenda item, and the small amount of money on the table may seem small. But the resolution of this simple situation is the small spark of diplomatic genius that should serve as an inspiration to the City of LA.
The AVNC demonstrated the power of win-win conflict resolution and of the tremendous value of mining untapped community partnerships rather than scrapping over budget crumbs.
In advance of the Board meeting, the ISC prepared for the meeting, demonstrating the importance of preparation and organization, and came prepared to solve problems, not to fight.
Attached is a letter my wife Enci and I submitted in advance of the meeting and in support of the AVNC and the ISC:
To our friends on the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council,
First things first, thank you for the time and energy you invest, as individuals and as a Neighborhood Council, in fulfilling your commitment to improving the quality of life in Atwater Village. You have much to be proud of and we appreciate you.
As for the upcoming AVNC Board meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 12, 2012, we are unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts but wanted to offer our comments on Agenda item #7-e and our request for a Board action.
We are opposed to Agenda item #7-e, a “Request to rescind previously approved expenditures to Independent Shakespeare Co…” and ask that you reject the motion for reconsideration.
1) The Independent Shakespeare Company is a community asset and a great partner with the AVNC. Last month’s decision to contribute $5,000 to the ISC was made by the Board and it was a wise decision, one that demonstrates a commitment to the arts, to culture, to education, to the community, and to significant outreach on behalf of the neighborhood council. That decision should stand.
2) While the AVNC Board bylaws provide a mechanism for reconsidering previous actions, the proposed justification in this case falls far short of reasonable grounds and instead simply creates a false dichotomy that pits one organization against another. The motion for reconsideration should fail.
3) The strong history of partnership between the AVNC and ISC is of significant value, as is the reputation of the AVNC, and to award funds and then to take them back is an action that not only hurts the ISC financially, it would damage the reputation of the AVNC in the community. The motion for reconsideration is a lose-lose proposition.
4) The current budget cuts within local schools are a significant concern but the proposed solution (rescinding funds from one party and allocating to another) falls far short of qualifying as reasonable or effective. Community activists in search of significant funding for school programs would be better served pursuing larger granting options, yet the City of LA falls far short of even attempting to get its fair share of awards from private, state and federal sources, most of which typically require some form of community support in the development of the grant application. To that end, the good intentions of those attempting to reallocate funds would be better served in pursuit of more appropriate funding source.
5) News of this proposed action has gone viral, prompting people to sign a petition in support of the Independent Shakespeare Company and calling on the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council to reject the motion to rescind the $5000 awarded last month. It’s interesting to note that in addition to the 200+ signatures gathered in two days, there are a large number of very positive and charming comments attesting to the significant impact of ISC and AVNC in the community.
We thank you for your consideration and ask that you reject Agenda item 7-e, the motion to rescind the $5000 awarded to the Independent Shakespeare Company.
As the Bard would say, “All’s well that ends well!”
(Stephen Box is a grassroots advocate and writes for CityWatch. He can be reached at: [email protected]. You can also find him on Twitter and on Facebook.) -cw
Tags: Stephen Box, Rethinking LA, Atwater Village Neighborhood Council, Leonora Pitts, BongHwan Kim, DONE, Bennet Kayser, Independent Shakespeare Company
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 31
Pub: Apr 17, 2012