TALK BACK-I couldn't have asked for a better illustration for my recent CityWatch article (“North Hills West Fallout”) on verbal abuse. The article entitled "LA Uncensored: Eric Garcetti’s First Hundred Crooked Days "by Joseph Mailander typified what I was talking about. It appeared in the same edition.
Mr. Mailander’s blog cast aspersions on the ability of two volunteers at the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council - which was a perfect example of verbal (written) abuse. He made his opinion look like they were actual facts – which they were not. Clearly the opinion gods were in my corner!
Conventional wisdom would say ignore this type of negative story. The author is looking for publicity so don't feed into his rantings. But as the self appointed scribe of all things about Neighborhood Councils, I feel compelled to answer.
The points about our newly elected officials and the Mayor’s new paid appointees are fair game. It comes with their pay grade. Mayor Garcetti has an entire team to respond to Mr. Mailander’s allegations and comments.
Unlike him, I am more than a little cautiously optimistic about the abilities of this Administration. The Mayor’s team are accessible, and so far the words match the deeds and it feels like we are on the right track.
What I found really objectionable was the vicious personal attack on two women VOLUNTEERS who have contributed more to their communities and to the Neighborhood Council System than most. The author doesn’t even live in Sunland-Tujunga.
I am not always the cheer leader for everything that NC's do. The series "Is BONC BUNK?” which appeared in CW in August can attest to that. But I happen to know both of these ladies, who command a tremendous amount of respect and affection in NC land.
Take the case of Cindy Cleghorn, whose description from Mr. Mailander was so completely off base that I wondered who he was talking about. She has chaired the LA Neighborhood Council Congress for THREE years, and each year it has been more successful.
Having been a professional in the tradeshow and event industry for decades I know how much time and attention it takes to make events successful. Not only has Cindy been Congress Chair, but she heads PlanCheck NC and is very active in Sunland-Tujunga community life. I don't know when she sleeps. In my prior career I would have charged major "bucks" to put together an event like the Congress.
As to the financial irregularities that Mr. Mailander referred to... that was "BUNK". In the first few years of the NC, each received $500 per month for petty cash. They also received $50,000 per year. Those were the days!
I checked with EmpowerLA and was told there were no financial irregularities with the Sunland- Tujunga NC...then or now! Mr. Mailander made it sound like they were the only NC engaging in this nefarious siphoning of tax payer money.
When he enquired at City Hall , Mr. Mailander was told this was a program for all the NC’s which included having individual bank accounts for the monthly $500. He conveniently left that out of his article. General manager Grayce Liu reiterated that all complaints of infractions or financial irregularities are investigated. If there is nothing to the grievance or complaint, it is dismissed without comment.
I heard there was a group known as the “Serial Grievance Club” who visit the 20th floor at City Hall with some regularity – and 95% of their grievances are unsubstantiated and dismissed. Talk about wasting City resources…
Lydia Grant, a recently confirmed BONC Commissioner, is also from Sunland-Tujunga. She has been an activist in her community since her children were small. It started when she objected to the way her elementary school principal was handling student safety(bullying). She became a full time volunteer at her daughter’s Middle School supervising safety at school events and playground activities. Since then, she was instrumental in helping to pass the State “Parent Trigger” law.
Lydia is very involved in various NC activities, including serving on her NC Board. Because she cares about helping Sunland-Tujunga improve their physical surroundings, she is a frequent visitor to the LA Public Works meetings. She is a far more qualified selection than some previous BONC commissioners who loved the title - but did litte else. Lydia is a force of needed change.
Her education in nursing shows her deep interest in helping people. If Mr. Mailander feels that all BONC Commissioners must have a university degree, we can award her a NC “Doctorate in Public Service”! As we all know, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg proved you don’t need a university degree to be a success!!!
I am puzzled by the deep interest and supposed knowledge the author has in Sunland-Tujunga NC. It is not his community and as far as I could determine he is not a “factual based stakeholder.” The Sunland-Tujunga NC is perfectly capable of listing its accomplishments so they don’t need me to tout them. I am just appalled at the insults.
Mr. Mailander you are entitled to your opinions. As CW Editor, Ken Draper reminds me with some frequency - especially when I get on my soap box - CW is an opinion publication. But as we learned during the latest Washington debacle, “One is entitled to one’s own opinions... you are not entitled to your own facts."
(Denyse Selesnick is Second Vice-President of the Tarzana Neighborhood Council and a Contributor to City WatchLA covering Neighborhood Councils. She encourages your comments at [email protected])
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 11 Issue 85
Pub: Oct 22, 2013