Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Newsletter

November 7, 2002

Re: School Board Motion, Best Practices, Doing Business.

SCHOOL BOARD MOTION

The motion that was submitted by David Tokofsky and Marlene Canter, instructing the Superintendent to report on ways that the School District can better serve the Neighborhood Councils (sent to you in an earlier e-mail) has had a date change. It was originally scheduled to be heard at 3:30 p.m. on November 12. People can still come and speak on that day, but it would best to hold off until November 26. 3rd and Beaudry downtown. I’ll be there. Parking nearby at 333 S. Boylston St. You can contact Diana Neskovka in David Tokofsky’s office at Diana.neskovska@lausd.net.

BEST PRACTICES

We’ve created a spot on our Web site at www.lacityneighborhoods.com just for best practices. This will be a place where you can go and find out about some of the best ways to conduct elections, create logos and newsletters, conduct outreach, etc. If there is something that you’re especially proud of, send it to us and we’ll include it on the Web site and ensure that world knows about the good work you’re doing.

DOING BUSINESS

As mentioned before, we’re starting to run across some problems involving Neighborhood Councils that have been certified, but haven’t had their elections. In nearly every case, the bylaws don’t permit the organizing committee or interim board to do anything but plan the election. Some are trying to request projects and services from the City, and make it appear that it’s an official action of the Neighborhood Council. This will only damage the credibility of the group.

City departments are concerned, and it’s a legitimate concern, that the requests are not the result of a vote by an elected board, but rather the wishes of an individual who hasn’t been elected by anyone. The departments are anxious to serve, but they want to ensure that they’re acting on requests that come from the representatives of the neighborhood.

I had mentioned before that we have designed a system through which official NC positions and requests can be communicated to the City via e-mail using an official e-mail address that’s reserved just for this purpose. This is a lot simpler than having to produce signed paperwork. But there’s an element of trust involved here. The City is trusting that someone who the elected board has not authorized to communicate for them, isn’t abusing that trust.

A remedy would be for each official request or position sent to the City from the NC include a statement as to how the decision was reached. For example: 15-0 vote of the governing board at its meeting of October 3, 2002.

Greg Nelson

213 / 485-1360
866 / LA HELPS toll-free
213 / 485-4608 fax
done@mailbox.lacity.org email