Nobody Listens at City Hall

MY TURN-(Editor’s Note: In 1992, when former Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs announced his idea for Neighborhood Councils, he said they were needed because ‘the public has lost faith in their elected officials. They have become cynical about government. They don’t believe anybody is listening.’ Now, 23 years and 96 neighborhood councils later, it would seem that nothing has changed. Where have you gone Councilman Wachs?) 

 How do we persuade our elected officials to listen to their constituents when it’s not an election year? In my last few articles I’ve been highly critical of the actions or non-actions of both our City Councilmembers and the City Attorney. That should probably also include the Mayor's office, since direction and policies come from him. 

In the last couple of weeks, I have heard from several readers who have felt like they’ve been banging their heads against a wall trying to get things done for their community. Reputable sources have said that the reason the City Council meetings are so unanimous is that no one votes against another City Councilmember's agenda. 

It’s an unspoken rule that any discussion on items needs to take place in committee. The councilmember proposing something for his community has an almost carte blanche ... even if the community doesn't agree. And the voters who elected him or her just have to live with the results. 

City Council President Herb Wesson was heard saying that he doesn't control the other members. However, he does have control over Committee appointments -- and can use that incentive when he wishes. 

On the opposite side of things...the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC) is an executive committee that has stated that, even when the majority of Neighborhood Councils want something done, they don't have to listen. Why? Because the NCs are not their constituents. The Mayor appoints the Commission so the Commissioners are encouraged to take direction from the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment and the City Attorney. In addition, the Mayor's office tells them for whom to vote and, also, not to make any waves. 

There are significant groups of Angelenos saying that there’s no reason to contribute their time, effort and ideas because the system is rigged. Unless someone has a "machine" supporting them, winning an elected position in LA is impossible. 

Here’s a response to my “Sham” article that came from one of our up and coming leaders, Corrine Ho, President of Canoga Park Neighborhood Council. She is a perfect example of the kind of the new breed of civic leader we desperately need. The following is an excerpt from her Facebook post: 

"It feels a little demoralizing to read that things are not going well in NC land. There have been many articles written about the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC) and its role. Considering that the BONC's role is to set policies for NCs, the question would be:  what are the policies the BONC could set? 

“Though I am of the belief that NCs should be allowed the autonomy and independence to create works that benefit their community, I also believe there ought to be a standard for operations; therefore, the need for policies to ensure uniformity in practices. 

“Every neighborhood in Los Angeles differs from one to the other and presents its own characteristics and needs. A one size fits all way of doing things, might not necessarily be efficient. I suggest what could be beneficial for NCs would be policies resulting from those rules already in place. A single policy on the use of funds for "Outreach" would be a good beginning. There are thousands of ways how NCs choose to spend their funds. But considering that the mission of the NCs is to ‘Engage citizens in local government and make the local government more responsive.’ 

“The BONC meetings are not accessible to all NC Board members due to factors like schedule and distance, since it often takes place at the City Hall downtown. If I could address BONC, I would like to ask them to set a policy spelling out what does ‘return on investment looks like.’ What makes a successful NC?  

“We frequently hear NCs don't get the respect they deserve. What does respect feel like? It should start by the Councilmember treating the NCs in his/her District as partners...not adversaries. We know that some Council Members forget that the NC Boards are ELECTED by their neighborhoods and put in tremendous amount of hours without monetary compensation. 

“There is so much expected from an NC in terms of day-to-day operations and regulations that there is less time for us to do as the Charter dictates and be creative and out in the community. It is no wonder that we have a challenge in recruiting new people for our Boards and committees. Those who are not involved in the NC system wonder why those NC board members bother to do this work for free? Some say we are doing the job of the city. For me the payoff is the great education we get about how the City government works and what the tools are at our disposal to improve the quality of life in our respective communities. 

“BONC should be making it simpler and more efficient for us to be successful, rather than coming up with more regulations."  

The Northeast San Fernando Valley has experienced firsthand the capricious, and some say malicious, behavior of Felipe Fuentes, the Councilmember representing District 7. He is the one who evicted both the Sunland Tujunga NC and the Police substation from a city-owned building in order to “lease” the space to non-profits, including giving a 20-year contract to the 5013C non-profit Conservation Corp. Of course, the fact that this particular organization also gets money from the City -- and is now paying $1 a year in rent -- doesn't make economic sense. 

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Tuesday, two representatives from Sunland Tujunga NC went to the City Council meeting because Fuentes had put the approval of the two leases on the agenda. According to Nina Royal, Publisher of the North Valley Reporter, she and stakeholder Marjorie Maxon did not receive the agenda until late Friday afternoon so there was no time to get the STNC to approve a Community Impact Statement.  But they wanted to speak against the motion personally anyway. 

Apparently, agenda items 49 and 50 were moved to the beginning of the meeting and when Ms. Royal and Ms. Maxon arrived a few minutes later, the motion had already passed. Then they had to sit through the entire meeting, waiting for Public Comment, in order to give a two minute rebuttal. 

Naturally they got nowhere. You can see this online at the LA City Council website. 

I also received a copy of a letter sent to Fuentes from Jesse Martinez, the President of Mission Hills NC which is also in District 7.  

Here is an excerpt: 

“Hello Councilmember Fuentes: 

“We haven't seen much of you in a while in the Mission Hills area. I would like to bring to your attention a change in our monthly Board meeting agendas. In the past we have set the ‘Reports/announcements from Public Officials’ at the beginning of the agenda. However, this results in a brief report from your Field representative and he/she leaves immediately afterwards. 

“How can a field rep or public official know or understand its constituents, if they don't stick around long enough to hear what the issues are and the dialogue related to the issues? In order to facilitate your representatives' knowledge of Mission Hills, we are moving the public officials’ reports to the end of the agenda.  

“Our meetings usually start at 6:45 p.m. and we are finished around 9:00 p.m. It is our considered opinion that it is even more important for your office to hear from us... as it is for your reports to be delivered, most of which can be found on your website. 

“We are asking the other NCs in District 7 to do the same, since many of them have encountered the same problem. This should make it more efficient for your field reps since they can schedule the monthly two hour time block well ahead." 

This is the time when elected officials who are or who will soon be termed out start planning for their next elected position. Some have already started fundraising and rumors regarding musical chairs between City Council, County Supervisors and State Legislative seats abound. 

Not to be too cynical but won’t it be interesting to see who becomes more accessible and supportive in the next few months? 

As always, comments and ideas are welcome …

 

(Denyse Selesnick is a CityWatch columnist. She is a former publisher/journalist/international event organizer. Denyse can be reached at: [email protected]) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.

–cw

 

CityWatch

Vol 13 Issue 92

Pub: Nov 13, 2015