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This is to remind all stakeholders on our e-mail list that we have a special meeting planned for April 4th at CSUN and our regular meeting is on April 17. 

4-4-02 Special Meeting Agenda

The Northridge Community Council will hold a special meeting on April 4, 7:30 pm, at CSUN.

 CSUN has thoughtfully provided us a conference room (277) in University Hall. This is reached through the information booth at Prairie Street on the West side of the campus.

Please note this is on the West side of CSUN  not on the East side where  the elementary school is located. Tell the booth attendant that you are from the Northridge Community Council, and that will get you free parking.

Here is a map

http://www.northridgecouncil.org/images/unhallcsun.htm

The sole subject of the meeting will be modifying the council's bylaws in a manner that we can live with and that DONE and can also live with.

the agenda is here:

http://www.northridgecouncil.org/notices/020404ag.htm

There are two essential problems. DONE still refuses to allow stakeholders to vote on issues even though the charter and ordinance recommends it. The DONE bureaucracy, while ignoring the charter and the ordinance, claims we must have a deliberative body and stakeholders are prohibited from voting. 

DONE COMMENT - The Directors will vote on all affairs before the Board. These matters shall not be voted on by Community Stakeholders not on the Board of Directors.

see http://www.northridgecouncil.org/done/020313done.htm#novote

The DONE issues have become so complex we have added a special DONE page

http://www.northridgecouncil.org/done/index.htm

 to our website.

In researching the charter we find that the neighborhood council’s function is to serve in an advisory role on issues of concern to the  neighborhood, and make recommendations to L.A. City.

See http://www.sf-valley.org/charter/900_charter.htm#900

Sec. 900. Purpose. To promote more citizen participation in government and make government more responsive to local needs, a citywide system of neighborhood councils, and a Department of Neighborhood Empowerment is created. Neighborhood councils shall include representatives of the many diverse interests in communities and shall have an advisory role on issues of concern to the  neighborhood.

 We feel that if we modify our bylaws to have  the stakeholders give their advice on issues of concern through voting, it will preserve both our views of stakeholder rights, and the charter's language, against DONE's staff position  that stakeholders have no voting rights.

See http://www.sf-valley.org/charter/900_charter.htm#906

Sec. 906. Certification of Neighborhood Councils.

(a) By- laws. Each neighborhood council seeking official certification or recognition from the City shall submit an organization plan and by- laws to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment showing, at a minimum:

(6) guarantees that all meetings will be open and public, and permit, to the extent feasible, every stakeholder to participate in the conduct of business, deliberation and decision- making.

And the same statement in the ordinance see:

http://www.sf-valley.org/Done/doneoridence.htm#22.811

We requested guidance from DONE on this issue and pointed out to DONE, which is chronicled on our web, that the whole purpose of neighborhood councils is to get input from the neighbors (stakeholders) on the issues of concern.

They have publicly stated they will not certify our council if we maintain our radical position of allowing stakeholders to vote on issues.

We’ve already taken a position on internal issues (not community advice) that the directors will make those decisions. We intend to modify the bylaws so that the officers will make the decisions, and if we ever receive any L.A. City money, the officers will be subject to the L.A. City ethics laws.

We intend to add a section called "Things DONE Required Us To Add" to the bylaws.

The first addition is their insistence that our bylaws include language that will follow state and federal law. We always assumed that was a given, but DONE insists we must still make the statement in our bylaws. This alone speaks volumes in the efficacy of the City of Los Angeles.

This meeting (4-4-02)  will be on the changes and the final vote will occur at their next meeting on April 17th.

Most of the board members feel strongly that the stakeholders have a right to have input on community issues and that DONE is plain wrong. We feel this compromise with the stakeholders giving advice for the community, and the officers making internal decisions, will work.

If it doesn't, and DONE still refuses to certify because we're so radical that we allow stakeholders to give advice, and the stakeholders refuse to give up this right, we intend to follow our stakeholders advice to operate as an uncertified council and wait for the election on creating our own city in November, which will be done by a vote instead of a decision delivered by a council.

Here is a PR release on Hahn take on the councils. As to how the :citizens: participate while being banded fro vote is a mystery of LA City government.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Katisha Robinson, March 18, 2002 213/978-0741 MAYOR HAHN ANNOUNCES NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL APPLICATIONS SURPASS EXPECTATIONS LOS ANGELES -

 Mayor Jim Hahn today announced that over 50 applications have been received for neighborhood councils throughout Los Angeles surpassing the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment's (DONE) expectations. Last week Mar Vista became the 50th neighborhood council to turn in an application requesting recognition as an official neighborhood council. "I am pleased that the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment has received over 50 applications from neighborhood councils that want to be certified," said Mayor Hahn. "I have always been an advocate of bringing city government to the people and I know that with the growth spurt of neighborhood councils throughout Los Angeles, more citizens will have the opportunity to actively participate in city government."

"Democracy is alive and flourishing in Los Angeles," said Greg Nelson, the General Manager of DONE. "I am confident that Los Angeles is becoming the national model for grass-roots participatory democracy. Clearly, no other city has accomplished what we have done in such a short period of time." To date, a total of 52 neighborhood councils have turned in their applications. The Board of Neighborhood Commissioners will review the applications to determine that they meet the guidelines to complete the certification process to become an official neighborhood council.

I am sorry this E-mail is so late. As I am in the tax business this is a tough time to due community work ad coupled with a DSL line problem yesterday things fell apart. Do not forget the decision will be made at the 4-17-02 meeting which is 13 days from today see you there. Charles Brink.