Department of Neighborhood Empowerment

DONE Newsletters 2008

June 18, 2008

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Re: Board of Neighborhood Commissioners Certifies the Voices of 90037 Neighborhood Council, Elects New Board Officers

At it's June 16, 2008 meeting, the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners (BONC) certified Voices of 90037. The boundaries of the Neighborhood roughly encompass Martin Luther King Boulevard to the North, Normandie Avenue to the West, the 110 Freeway to the East, and 62nd and 63 rd Streets to the South. There are some 56,000 residents in the new NC's area, which also includes a boundary overlap or "shared space" with the Empowerment Congress North Area and encompasses the whole of the Exposition Park Complex. The Voices 90037 board will consist of 15 community stakeholders.

"We welcome this new Neighborhood Council to the Neighborhood Council System," BongHwan Kim, General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, said. "There is a real opportunity for leadership in the community the Neighborhood Council consists of. We will look forward to working with the new NC leaders to assist them in any way we can to empower the board and stakeholders to impact City government and improve community quality of life issues," he said.

The BONC also elected new officers at its June 16 meeting. The Reverend Dr. Lewis Logan was elected President, and Michele Siqueiros was elected Vice President of the board.

The Reverend Dr. Lewis is the Senior Pastor at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. He received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Columbia Theological Seminar in Decatur, Georgia. In December 2006, he was elected President of the Los Angeles Council of Churches.

Michele Siqueiros currently serves as the Executive Director for the Campaign for College Opportunity, an organization dedicated to expanding college opportunities to the next generation of California students. She worked for the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment as a Senior Project Coordinator, and for Public Allies and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund (NALEO) before that.

BongHwan Kim, General Manager of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment, said, "In Reverend Logan and Michele Siqueiros, we have a seasoned leadership team who have influence in the broader community, understand the Neighborhood Council System, and provide depth to the policy and contractual decisions that the board is responsible for. The Department looks forward to working with them."

Kim also praised the leadership of former board President Linda Lucks, who headed up the Commission in 2006-2007. "Linda Lucks," he said, "brought a perspective on community activism and leadership that has made a difference in the entire City of Los Angeles . She is well-respected, and we are delighted that she will continue to serve as a BONC member."

The BONC consists of 7 community leaders appointed by the Mayor of Los Angeles. They are responsible for policy decisions and contractual agreements.

The board terms of the new President and Vice-President-elect are for July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009.

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BongHwan Kim, General Manager
done@lacity.org

Department of Neighborhood Empowerment
334-B E. 2nd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

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