Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
Newsletter

July 23, 2004

Congress Photos Available; Brown Act Video/DVD; Form 700 - Conflict of Interest Update

CONGRESS OF NEIGHBORHOODS PHOTOS AVAILABLE

The world renown photographer, Gary Leonard, took a fantastic set of pics at the last Congress of Neighborhoods.

If you'd like to view them, and download your favorite ones, go to our Web site and click on Photo Gallery, and then click on the last icon. Or click on this link:

http://www.lacity.org/done/photo_gallery.htm

The photos are divided into four sections, and there are often several shots of the same person. This is because we wanted to let people choose which pic of themselves they wanted to download. After about a month, we'll eliminate what appears to be duplicates and leave the best selection of photographs for the rest of the world to view. Here's how photographs there are in each section:

Until we implement a better system, if you want to know which number your photo is in the sequence, right click on the photo and then left click on Properties.

BROWN ACT TAPE/DVD

The Office of the City Attorney and we produced an easy-viewing, 20-minute tape on the basics of the Brown Act. It was done in the form of a skit in which the attorneys play the part of Neighborhood Council leaders. Our Advocates (Project Coordinators) have been distributing those to the Neighborhood Councils that want them. They are available on tape or on DVD. If your Neighborhood Council hasn't received it, please contact your Advocate.

FORM 700 - CONFLICT OF INTEREST UPDATE

When we left off, Neighborhood Council board members had still not been required to fill out the Form 700 financial disclosure statement. That would not happen until the City Council adopted a proposed amendment to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment's Conflict of Interest Code. That proposal is still in the Council's Education and Neighborhood Committee while the Office of the City Attorney explores whether or not there is a way to exempt Neighborhood Council board members and staff from the filing requirement.

The City Attorney initiated their exploration of this subject when they released Opinion 2004:7. In that letter, they said that they were asking the state's Fair Political Practices Commission about whether or not Neighborhood Councils could be exempted from the state's Political Reform Act and/or the requirement to file the financial disclosure statement (Form 700). You can find that by going to our Web site and clicking on Reference Library>Legal Advice, or clicking here:

http://www.lacity.org/done/page2.cfm?doc=legal_advice

The FPPC just responded, and that 7 -page letter will appear on our home page tonight. Shortly, we'll add it to the same place on the Web site where 2004:7 is located.

Please do not try and read too much into the FPPC letter. It possibly raises more questions that it answers. City staff is hard at work to answer these questions so that a report on the options can be sent to the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners and the Education and Neighborhoods Committee.

In the meantime, there is no requirement for filing Form 700, but regardless of what happens, the state's laws about what constitutes a conflict of interest still apply. That information was included in the Board Orientation Packages that were given to you when you were installed. If there is ever any question about whether or not you have a conflict of interest, please contact your Advocate or the City Attorney.

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Greg Nelson
gnelson@mailbox.lacity.org

866 / LA HELPS
213 / 485-1360
213 / 485-4608 fax
done@mailbox.lacity.org email
www.lacityneighborhoods.com website