CONGRESS OF NEIGHBORHOODS-Neighborhood Council Board members and Committee chairs … and stakeholders … from throughout the City will gather at City Hall on Saturday for the annual LA Congress of Neighborhoods. Organized by Cindy Cleghorn, Volunteer Chairwoman of the Congress Planning Committee and Thomas Soong from EmpowerLA, the Congress has been months in the making.
Registration could exceed 650 and there are more than 30 workshops and seminars taking place during the day- long event.
Two contrasting looks at the future of the NC System are occurring –one in the morning by CityWatch contributor Bob Gelfand who will discuss how to dismantle the NC System and make it a wholly independent body. He has several of the original founders of NCs and the NC system to discuss power and how to get it.
On the other hand I am moderating a panel on how to make the current system better and meet the needs of the future. Councilman Bernard Parks, Chair of the Neighborhoods and Education committee; Grayce Liu, General Manager of EmpowerLA, Victor Medina, South Bay and newly confirmed to the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC); Kevin Taylor, president, Reseda Neighborhood Council; and Yvonne Ellet, Empowerment Council West Area NC; will be sharing ideas and suggestions as well as hearing from the audience.
I am really excited about this. I still feel that the NC System is one of the best things that LA has going for it and… it’s time to take it to the next level.
I’m comparing the two opposing viewpoints somewhat to the group who want to completely dismantle Obamacare and the group that want to make it work even better.
It is gratifying to see how much respect our elected and appointed officials are giving to Neighborhood Councils by their attendance at the Congress. In addition to Mayor Garcetti, who will give the keynote and Council President Herb Wesson who will add his welcome to the assembled group, both City Attorney Mike Feuer and City Controller, Ron Galperin will give words of wisdom during the “Meet the Leaders Session”, which will be held immediately after the opening ceremonies.
Several Councilmembers have indicated they will be present and look forward to the opportunity of speaking at the “Meet the Leader Session”
This is government and its citizens up close and personal. There are sessions covering every aspect of Neighborhood Council life. There are 1700 men and women on 95 neighborhood councils who donate their time and expertise to making life better for their communities and insuring that both elected and appointed officials understand the needs of their constituents.
The cost in brainpower and time cannot be measured. The Citizens of Los Angeles are lucky to have this kind of support and our government is fortunate that they can participate directly where the rubber huts the road.
See you Saturday!!! You can still register on line … or just show up. Opening session starts at 8:30.
(Denyse Selesnick is 2nd Vice-President Tarzana Neighborhood Council and a contributor to CityWatchLA covering Neighborhood Councils.)
