Testimony from the 2-25-03 BONC hearing when the revised bylaws were hand delivered

CHARLES BRINK: Charles Brink with the Northridge Community Council. My comments in no way reflect upon this council. We think it's a fine idea, and it's a fine idea to have councils as small as possible.

And our problem is a procedural problem.

We were the fourth council to apply for certification. Your staff has sand-bagged our application now for almost 18 months, refusing to bring it to a vote. You violated your own ordinance which requires, once a 20-day period is passed to provide a report, it be brought to you for a vote.

You haven't.

We're going to piggyback on your approval tonight to go to the city council to object to the actions of the fact that you have refused to bring our neighborhood council to a vote. So we think that your actions deprive Northridge of its representation.

Your actions here of now carving Northridge up into multiple pieces, including the idea of creating Porter Ranch while still ignoring Northridge council's application for November 19, 2001, is just atrocious.

We have finally modified our bylaws again to remove all stakeholder rights completely, as the city attorney has demanded. The only rights they have left under our bylaws is the simple right to vote on the directors once every two years, which is all the City Charter will allow. We think it's wrong, but to be certified we have to do it.

Ms. Moreno claims she can't read it on your website, so we've conveniently brought eight copies of the new bylaws with me to pass out. I have a full protest over the fact you should not be going ahead and approving a council within our territory here to make, so we can bring that also in the court action.

And when you last met on the Northridge council, which was on March 19th last year, in your minutes you will find a statement, quote, "We will allow no council to operate within your area until a vote is heard on your council." You're violating your own statement tonight.

But please go ahead and approve this because if we had been asked, I'm sure our council would say this is a wonderful idea. In fact, the only reason we even included the council originally is DONE wanted to mix them in with the other side of the freeway, and that wasn't an appropriate mix so we grabbed them and put them in to our side.

We wish the people all the luck in being your own council; just understand we are mad as hell because they wouldn't bring us up for a vote. And when they ignore you and tell your stakeholders they can't vote and they can't opinion on anything, you'll know really what the neighborhood council is all about.

And here are the copies. Thank you.

Thank you.

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