Comments
MARK, MY WORDS - Like Sisyphus, the volunteer members of LA Neighborhood Councils are condemned to dutifully push that rock up the mountain against the unrelenting winds of a city council bent on neutering the elected body intended to be the voice of our communities. Manufactured under the guise of assisting community volunteers, the Department Of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) has turned out to be an “agency provocateur” that purposely adds another layer of bureaucracy and confusion in an already dysfunctional and abusive relationship.
On a recent Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils meeting, DONE’s general manager Raquel Beltrán, has solidified suspicions that the department was created as nothing more than a means of enforcing the desires of the LA City Council, and helping them avoid being burdened by the input of those pesky neighborhood representatives and constituents. Perhaps our city council is okay with foisting the job of listening to constituents to another department, but I, as a belabored taxpayer, am not.
The long-established Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (VANC) would be a logical option to represent and support the needs of NCs throughout the valley, but the city has instead once again, plunged its ladle into their bottomless pot of idiot stew where it overcooks reasonable ideas, and serves up bowls of exorbitantly expensive obstructionism. In case you haven’t noticed, the LA City Council, not being allowed to subvert the democratic process altogether, simply creates dysfunctional bureaucracies that seem reasonable in words, but in deed, only drain taxpayer coffers while accomplishing next to nothing. How next to nothing? By design, few know the details and any data that is shared with the public is whitewashed.
Video of Beltrán’s flustered attempt to discourage a NC president from sending a board approved letter to the City, is just one in numerous examples of the intimidation that the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council (STNC) has experienced. The letter requested a stay of COVID vaccine mandates for NC candidates since mandates could discourage participation and compromise the integrity of the election. A previously unannounced requirement like this at a time when the overwhelming majority of government agencies are winding down mandates, is suspect to say the least.
Under the watchful and vindictive eye of Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, the STNC has suffered many a setback and given only begrudged assistance. NCs have been holding events throughout 2022 and were never told that COVID vaccines were or would be a requirement. Does this mean the City has been negligent by knowingly exposing the public and board members to risk of infection? Endless requests for assistance, answers and resources have been ignored, space to hold meetings on City property rescinded and an 11th hour vaccine mandate imposed upon candidates just after the threat has dissipated and just in time to possibly bias a municipal election.
As the rest of the country winds down, why at such a suspect moment, is LA government winding up? Illustrated here is a short list of agencies that have ceased or are in the process of ceasing COVID-19 vaccine mandates for 2023:
Federal:
- The Biden administration withdrew its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for companies with 100 or more employees and that the COVID-19 public emergency will be officially over on May 11th.
- The Pentagon formally dropped vaccine mandates for the Military in January.
State:
- California schools quietly drop all vaccine mandate requirements by early February. (LAUSD paused until at least July)
County:
- In 2022 LA County dropped vaccine and mask mandates at bars, breweries, night clubs, lounges and large outdoor events.
City:
- This month, LA will now “approve” religious or medical exemptions for city workers.
First of all, what city employee is qualified to make that determination? Secondly, who gave them the authority to do so? In district 7’s case, this is nothing more than a blatant attack on a community elected NC, designed to replace it with a far left loud minority faction bent on choosing the words we are allowed to use or not use, legislating based on pseudo-science and most importantly, towing the company line of “LA City Council INC.” If there is one thing we all know in our minds, feel in our hearts and see with our eyes, it is the consistent long term failure of the same recycled policies and programs, nonprofit robber barons and corrupt politicians void of ideas, competence and even the most minuscule interest in saving this city from itself.
It may not be very apparent lately when reading my articles, but I am still a committed moderate. I strongly believe we all have more in common than we don’t and often become hung up on our benign differences. However, when I see what I believe to be a trend of devolving common sense and reason , my irritated typing fingers are compelled to go where they will. So, I am “DONE with DONE” and any other roadblock agency that only provides another level of bureaucracy standing in the way of community members and their NCs trying to dig their way out of the quagmire that Los Angeles politicians have created.
DONE, as it is currently staffed, has revealed itself as a second-rate Frankenstein monster with all the angst as the original and none of the humanity. Los Angeles became too big many years ago and has needlessly continued to bloat ever since. Poisoned by greed in City Hall, hobbled by apathy and ignorance in the voting booths and sold to the highest bidder by the city council, Los Angeles is fighting for her life. As real estate developers are allowed to pillage our land and resources, constituents are left struggling to make ends meet while footing the bill.
Ramping up vaccination mandates on the eve of local NC elections will only selectively thin the herd of potential board members for Sunland-Tujunga and other communities that are politically moderate or conservative and are outspoken about their disapproval of Councilwoman Rodriguez and her special interest agendas. The City defines volunteer NC members as “employees” only when it suits them. To ask that these unpaid “employees” submit to an experimental vaccine that has been shown to be much less effective than advertised, more dangerous and at this point almost universally unnecessary, serves only one purpose. To influence a community election by strong-arming constituents. I, for one, will exercise my right to show up and cast my vote with nothing but proof that I cared enough to do so.
(Mark Dutton is a lifelong musician, music producer, and writer. He was arguing politics with his parents since he was a pre-teen. Majored in psychology and left college in his 3rd year on a 30 year magic bus trip around the world playing and writing music with some of the best in the biz. Mark is a contributor to CityWatchLA.com.)
