NC WATCH-Maybe we should change the name of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Congress … anything with the word ‘Congress’ in it automatically sounds dysfunctional. When you get more than twenty-five “volunteers”---all with their own very definite opinions- the chance for dysfunction increases.
I am happy to say I don’t think it will happen in this case. The annual Neighborhood Congress will be held at City Hall, Saturday, September 20. Under the Chairmanship of Cindy Cleghorn (Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council) and her hard working committee, this year’s Congress promises to inspire, educate and give the delegates a renewed sense of commitment to the City and their individual neighborhoods.
The theme “Keys to Success” is goal oriented. There has to be an outcome that can be measured not only for the investment in time and money … but also in helping to bond so many diverse people into a fairly cohesive group. How many of us have attended conferences, workshops and trade exhibitions covering either our careers or non-profits or both? Some of us attend grudgingly expecting it to be the “same old-same old. Others look at it as a chance to network with colleagues near and far, learn some new things and perhaps even find a new job.
In the Los Angeles Charter … it says that the NC’s should hold up to two Congresses a year with the help of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (EmpowerLA). Each of the ninety-five NC’s is asked to contribute from their annual $37,000 budget. Most do and it varies from a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand. This enables the Congress to be free … including breakfast, lunch, all of the workshops and best of all free parking at the official City Hall garage! Last year more than 75 out of the 95 NC’s were represented among the more than 700 attendees.
Full disclosure … I love events like this. Maybe because I organized them professionally for more years than I want to admit. I always believed … and still do ... that if you attend a learning event and take away two or three new ideas that will improve your performance, it is well worth the time and effort. You may not even learn it from the workshop leader but someone sitting next to you.
To get back to the name “Congress” maybe we have more in common with Washington DC than I originally thought. They can’t or won’t vote on anything substantial and our Neighborhood Congress is NOT allowed to take a vote on any issue. The City Attorney tells us we operate under the Brown Act. If some NC’s have more than a quorum of their Board attending the Congress, it is considered a serial meeting and if they vote on any issue it is against the Brown Act and we can all be sued.
As has been mentioned before … the Brown Act was put in place to stop all of the back room dealing and allow the public to know what is going on and voice their opinions. We all know how well that has turned out, right Mr. D’Arcy?
The Neighborhood Council system was established to be independent of City Hall so that our City officials could have a better understanding of the opinions and needs of all stakeholders. There are times when the word “independent” feels like an oxymoron.
The City Attorney and his very strict interpretation of the rules feels stifling. Yes, they are there to advise, which literally means we can or cannot accept their advice. Of course if we go against the City Attorney’s ruling and get sued, they don’t have to defend us individually, or as a group. As a litigious society we live with frivolous lawsuits and since the 1,700 plus Board members are all volunteers, no one wants to incur personal legal fees.
The City Attorney is a convenient scapegoat and in many cases they are overly cautious. How can one be independent and at the same time have all these caveats? What we need from the City Attorney’s office is not a constant “you can’t do that!” but “let’s see how you can do it so you are not breaking any laws.”
There has always been an “Action” session at the close of the Congress. One year the delegates voted overwhelmingly against postponing the NC elections because of budgetary concerns and agreed to take on the election process themselves, with the help of EmpowerLA, the City agency. It worked well and was accomplished for a lot less money. Now, this is an established partnership between the City Clerk, EmpowerLA and the NC’s.
Another year there was an overwhelming vote of confidence for then EmpowerLA Acting Department Manager, Grayce Liu, with a strong recommendation to the Mayor that she be appointed permanently.
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This year we discovered that we cannot vote on anything. In fact we never should have voted in previous years. What a waste of time to have 700 plus NC Activists in a room and not be able to accomplish an accord on important issues.
Having discovered our lack of compliance, we are now consulting with the City Attorney on how best to accomplish our goals without breaking any rules.
Some NC activists think their role is to be adversarial when it comes to government issues and policies. I disagree. The best way to get things done is on a partnership basis. I truly believe that a “private/public partnership” is the best approach in the majority of projects.
Even though the Neighborhood Councils operate as a City Agency, the individual NC’s are definitely private sector thinkers. This is one the reasons the system has grown in both numbers and stature since its inception.
I hope to see some “Big Ideas” generated at this month’s Neighborhood Congress. Mayor Eric Garcetti, the keynote speaker, has used some “Big Ideas” in his Back To Basics Agenda. We have so much leadership, creativity and “smarts” in the Neighborhood Congress. It will be fascinating to see the vision presented for the betterment of Los Angeles.
NEED TO KNOW:
● Register for the Congress of Neighborhoods
As always your comments are welcome.
Denyse Selesnick is a contributor to CityWatch covering activities, policies and foibles in NC Land. She is Co-Chair, Program Committee for the LA Neighborhood Congress to be held September 20 at City Hall, and a former officer and Board member of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council. She can be reached at [email protected])
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 12 Issue 72
Pub: Sep 5, 2014
