Neighborhood councils of Los Angeles

Neighborhood Councils in the City of Los Angeles are city-certified local groups made up of people who live, work, own property or have some other connection to a neighborhood. Neighborhood Council Board Members are elected or selected to their positions by the neighborhoods themselves. There are currently 99 Neighborhood Councils within the city limits, and a corresponding Department of Neighborhood Empowerment within City Hall.^[1]

History

In 1999, voters approved a new City Charter that established the Neighborhood Council System and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment “to promote more citizen participation in government and make government more responsive to local needs…”.^[2] Specifically, the charter ensures each neighborhood council receives early warning of upcoming city decisions and has the opportunity to be heard.

The charter also requires that neighborhood councils be consulted in the budget process. Article IX, Section 909 of the city charter mandates that each neighborhood council “may present to the Mayor and Council an annual list of priorities for the City budget.” The mayor must “inform certified neighborhood councils of the deadline for submission so that the input may be considered in a timely fashion.”^[3]

Public participation

Membership

The standard for membership is often more liberal than the location-specific approach used by most political subdivisions ("you vote where your house is" standard). Participation is based on "stakeholder status"—a broader definition—a businessperson or someone representing a local church, or hospital, or charity would qualify—on that basis—even if they do not live in the exact area. Several positions on neighborhood councils may be set off—specifically—to guarantee that those local business people, church, and charity participants are included. This resident—local businessperson alliance hopefully encourages acceptable, practical, economic development for an area.

Meetings

To effect their interests, neighborhood councils organize a monthly "town meeting", not unlike the historic model demonstrated in New England towns. An agenda is posted on issues under discussion, relevant community reps or City of LA or LAPD officials may be invited, discussion is opened to members of the council and the public attending, and then the council votes to take its position. Basic parliamentary rules are followed, and the California standard for open public meetings, the Brown Act, guarantee designated "public comment" periods.

Organizational structure

Administration

The neighborhood councils have been allocated $32,000^[4] each per year for administration, outreach and approved neighborhood projects.

Vision

The vision of a citywide system of independent and influential neighborhood councils, and the creation of a city department to guide that process, was the centerpiece of the new City Charter that was approved by the voters in June 1999. There are currently (as of early 2019) more than 90 neighborhood councils in the City of Los Angeles, and a list of neighborhood councils can be found on the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment's website.^[5]

Mission statement

To promote public participation in government and make government more responsive to local needs by creating, nurturing, and supporting a citywide system of grass-roots, independent, and participatory neighborhood councils.

The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment Pledge

1. We will treat the public with courtesy and respect.
2. When explaining a restriction, making a suggestion, or reporting a delay, we will always explain the reason why.
3. We will ensure that people who call during working hours will always have an opportunity to speak to someone.
4. We will avoid using insider or bureaucratic language.
5. We will be good listeners.
6. We will honor the Mayor's "no wrong door" policy, and never use the words, "It's not my job!" We will find out whose job it is.
7. We will never say, "Because that's the way we've always done it," or "We tried it that way once but it didn't work."
8. We will keep the promises we make.
9. We believe that everyone deserves an answer.
10. We will strive to be the best friend that neighborhood councils have.

The Plan for a Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils (Plan)

Starting with a skeleton staff in 1999, the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment held 16 public workshops throughout the city to begin teaching people about grass-roots participatory democracy, and to hear the public's needs, dreams, and suggestions. By the time the Plan for a Citywide System of Neighborhood Councils (Plan) was adopted, nearly 50 more public hearings had been held.

Plan

The Plan was approved on May 25, 2001 by the City Council through an ordinance. The Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) and the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners reviewed years of extensive study regarding neighborhood councils, and received months of public comment before presenting a proposed plan to the Mayor and City Council in December, 2000. For six months, City Council committees received public comment on the proposed plan, and made revisions before submitting it to the Mayor for final approval in May, 2001. The Plan establishes a flexible framework through which people in neighborhoods may be empowered to create neighborhood councils to serve their needs. The Plan also sets minimum standards to ensure that neighborhood councils represent all stakeholders in the community, conduct fair and open meetings, and are financially accountable.

Formation

Neighborhood councils are groups of people that, once certified by the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners, will elect or select their own leaders, determine their own agendas, and set their own boundaries. The goal is to make them as independent as possible from government so that they will have the influence and power to affect citywide and local decision-making far beyond what neighborhood groups have done. People would be truly empowered to guide the futures of their neighborhoods.

Functions and services

Through the Early Notification System (ENS), neighborhood councils receive notice of issues and projects that are important to them as soon as possible. In this way, they will have a reasonable amount of time to understand, discuss, and develop positions before final decisions are made.

Neighborhood councils are first formulated to fit coherent neighborhoods within the City, from a process to elect a council certified by the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners. With an approved charter of organization, neighborhood councils are set free, in principle, forever, to run their open neighborhood elections and continue. Residents inside the neighborhood council area are empowered to elect a board, which then chooses its own leaders, determines its own agendas, and take locally discussed positions on issues of zoning, policing, community development, and the design of the Los Angeles City Charter. The goal is to make neighborhood councils independent from elected officials, and street-savvy enough to define their own community's positions on public issues so that they can develop the influence and power to affect citywide and local decision-making.

City Hall and other councils

A funding level of $50,000 a year per Neighborhood Council was established—to be used for any appropriate community use—with a dedicated percentage on outreach and community building—subject to City of Los Angeles auditing and contracting standards. This has since been reduced to $32,000 per NC per year.

List of Neighborhood Councils[6]

Neighborhood Council	Meeting Day	Meeting Location
Arleta	3rd Tuesday	Osborne Neighborhood Church 13501 Osborne Street Arleta, CA 91331-5306
Arroyo Seco	4th Monday	Ramona Hall 4580 Figueroa Los Angeles, CA 90065
Atwater Village	2nd Thursday	Christ’s Church of Griffith Park 3852 Edenhurst Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90039
Bel Air-Beverly Crest	4th Wednesday	American Jewish University 15600 Mulholland Dr. Room 223 Los Angeles, CA 90077
Boyle Heights	4th Wednesday	Boyle Heights City Hall Community Room 2130 East First Street Los Angeles, CA 90033
CANNDU	4th Thursday	Los Angeles Ascot Public Library 120 West Florence Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90003
Canoga Park	4th Wednesday	Canoga Park Community Center 7248 Owensmouth Ave. Canoga Park, CA 91303
Central Alameda	1st Saturday	Vernon Branch Library 4504 S. Central Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90011
Central Hollywood	4th Monday	Hollywood Neighborhood City Hall 6501 Fountain Ave. Hollywood, CA 90028
Central San Pedro	2nd Tuesday	Port of Los Angeles High School 250 W. 5th Street San Pedro, CA 90731
Chatsworth	1st Wednesday	Lawrence Middle School 10100 Variel Ave. Chatsworth, CA 91311
Coastal San Pedro	3rd Monday	Cabrillo Marina Community Bldg. Cabrillo Plaza Berth 28 San Pedro, CA 90731
Del Rey	2nd Thursday	Del Rey Square 11976 Culver Boulevard Del Rey, CA 90066
Downtown Los Angeles	2nd Tuesday	Los Angeles Theatre 615 S. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90012
Eagle Rock	1st Tuesday	Eagle Rock City Hall 2035 Colorado Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90041
East Hollywood	3rd Monday	Armenian Youth Center 1559 N. Kenmore Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90027
Echo Park	4th Tuesday	N/A
Elysian Valley Riverside	2nd Wednesday	Dorris Place Elementary School 2225 Dorris Place Los Angeles, CA 90031
Empowerment Congress Central	General: 4th Monday	Western Avenue Elementary School 1724 W. 53rd Street Los Angeles, CA 90062
Empowerment Congress North	1st Thursday	N/A
Empowerment Congress Southeast	4th Tuesday	New Prospect Baptist Church 10910 S. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90061
Empowerment Congress Southwest	3rd Monday	St. Andrews Recreation Center 8701 S. St. Andrews Place Los Angeles, CA 90047
Empowerment Congress West	Community Town Hall Meeting 1st Saturday Board Meeting 3rd Monday	Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Community Room (near Sears) 3650 W Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90008
Encino	4th Wednesday	Encino Community Center 4935 Balboa Blvd. Encino, CA 91316
Foothills Trails District	3rd Thursday	Lake View Terrace Recreation Center 11075 Foothill Blvd. Lake View Terrace, CA 91342
Glassell Park	3rd Tuesday	Glassell Park Community Center 3750 Verdugo Rd. Los Angeles, CA 90065
Granada Hills North	1st Tuesday	Saint Euphrasia Parish Hall 11766 Shoshone Ave. Granada Hills, CA 91344
Granada Hills South	1st Thursday	Granada Hills Charter High School Rawley Hall 10535 Zelzah Ave. Granada Hills, CA 91344
Greater Cypress Park	2nd Tuesday	Cypress Park Recreation Center 2630 Pepper Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90065
Greater Toluca Lake	3rd Tuesday	Toluca Lake Elementary School Auditorium 4840 Cahuenga Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601
Greater Valley Glen	1st Monday	Valley College Cafeteria Conference Room 5800 Fulton Ave. Valley Glen, CA 91401
Greater Wilshire	2nd Wednesday	Wilshire Ebell Theatre 743 S. Lucerne Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90005
Harbor City	3rd Wednesday	Harbor City/Harbor Gateway Library 24000 Western Ave. Harbor City, CA 90710
Harbor Gateway North	2nd Tuesday 4th Tuesday every 3rd month (January, April, July, and October) General Membership Meeting at 7 pm	135th St. Elementary School 801 W. 135th St. Gardena, CA 90247
Harbor Gateway South	2nd Thursday	Halldale Avenue School Auditorium 21514 Halldale Ave. Torrance, CA 90501
Hermon	2nd Thursday of Every Odd Numbered Month	The Hermon Fellowship Center 5800 Monterey Road Los Angeles, CA 90042
Historic Cultural	2nd Tuesday	222 S Hewitt St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
Historic Cultural North	N/A	N/A
Historic Highland Park	1st Thursday	Highland Park Senior Center 6152 N. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90042
Hollywood Hills West	Varies	Women’s Club of Hollywood 1749 N. La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046
Hollywood Studio District	2nd Monday	5500 Hollywood Blvd (1st Floor – Gallery Space Corner of Hollywood and Western Ave.) Los Angeles, CA 90028
Hollywood United	2nd Monday	Fire Station 82 Annex Second Floor 1800 N. Bronson Ave. Los Angeles, CA, 90028
LA-32	1st Wednesday	El Sereno Senior Center 4818 Klamath Place Los Angeles, CA 90032
Lake Balboa	1st Wednesday	Gault Street Elementary School 17000 Gault Street Lake Balboa, CA 91406
Lincoln Heights	3rd Thursday	Lincoln Heights Senior Citizens Center 2324 Workman St. Los Angeles, CA 90031
Los Feliz	3rd Tuesday	Elysian Masonic Lodge 1900 N. Vermont Avenue Los Angeles, CA, 90027
MacArthur Park	1st and 4th Monday	MacArthur Park NC Office 685 S. Carondelet St. Los Angeles, CA 90057
Mar Vista Community Council	2nd Tuesday	Mar Vista Recreation Center Auditorium 11430 Woodbine St. Mar Vista, CA 90066
Mid City	2nd Monday	LAPD Wilshire Division Community Room 4849 Venice Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019-5664
Mid-City West	2nd Tuesday	National Council of Jewish Women 543 N. Fairfax Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036
Mission Hills	1st Monday	Mission Community Police Station Falco Room 11121 Sepulveda Blvd. Mission Hills, CA 91345
NoHo	2nd Monday	North Hollywood Senior Center 5301 Tujunga Ave. North Hollywood, CA 91601 (North side of NoHo Park)
North Hills East	1st Monday	Penny Lane’s Rainbow Room 15314 Rayen Street North Hills, CA 91343
North Hills West	3rd Thursday	New Horizon Center 15725 Parthenia Street North Hills, CA 91343
North Hollywood Northeast	3rd Thursday	LA Fire Station 89 7063 Laurel Canyon North Hollywood, CA 91605
North Hollywood West	4th Wednesday	Saticoy School 7850 Ethel Ave. North Hollywood, CA 91605
North Westwood	1st Wednesday	UCLA Weyburn Commons Village View Room 4th Floor 11020 Weyburn Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90024
Northridge East	3rd Wednesday	Northridge Woman’s Club 18401 Lassen Street Northridge, CA 91325
Northridge South	4th Thursday (except Nov and Dec meetings)	Northridge Middle School 17960 Chase Street Northridge, CA 91325
Northridge West	2nd Tuesday	Northridge Christian Church 18901 Chatsworth St. Northridge, CA 91326
Northwest San Pedro	2nd Monday	Peck Park Auditorium 560 N. Western Ave. San Pedro, CA 90732
Olympic Park	1st Monday	Catch One 4067 W. Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90019
P.I.C.O.	2nd Wednesday	Claude Pepper Senior Citizen Center 1762 S. La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90035
Pacoima	3rd Wednesday	Pacoima City Hall 13520 Van Nuys Blvd. Pacoima, CA 91331
Palms	1st Wednesday	Iman Cultural Center 3376 Motor Ave. Palms, CA 90034
Panorama City	4th Thursday (3rd in Nov & Dec)	Mission Community Hospital Medical Office, 2nd Floor 14860 Roscoe Blvd. Panorama City, CA 91402
Park Mesa Heights	2nd Saturday	YES Academy 3140 Hyde Park Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90043
Pico Union	1st Monday	Kolping House – Auditorium 1225 S. Union Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90015
Porter Ranch	2nd Wednesday	Porter Ranch Community School Multipurpose Room 12450 Mason Avenue Porter Ranch, CA 91326
Rampart Village	3rd Tuesday	St. Anne’s 155 N. Occidental Blvd. #236 Los Angeles, CA 90026
Reseda	3rd Monday	Reseda Neighborhood Council Community Space 18118 Sherman Way Reseda, CA 91335
Sherman Oaks	2nd Monday	Sherman Oaks Elementary School 14755 Greenleaf St. Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
Silver Lake	1st Wednesday	Ivanhoe Elementary School Auditorium 2828 Herkimer Street Los Angeles, CA 90039
South Central	3rd Tuesday	All People Community Center 822 E. 20th St. Los Angeles, CA 90011
South Robertson	3rd Thursday	Simon Wiesenthal Center 1399 S. Roxbury Dr. Los Angeles, CA 90035
Studio City	3rd Wednesday	BLDG. 8 MPR-3 4024 Radford Ave. Studio City, CA 91604
Sun Valley Area	2nd Tuesday	Villa Scalabrini Retirement Center 10631 Vinedale St. Sun Valley, CA 91352
Sunland-Tujunga	2nd Wednesday	North Valley City Hall 7747 Foothill Blvd. Tujunga, CA 91042
Sylmar	4th Thursday	Sylmar High School Spartan Hall 13050 Borden Ave. Sylmar, CA 91342
Tarzana	4th Tuesday	Tarzana Elementary School (Auditorium) 5726 Topeka Dr. Tarzana, CA 91356
United Neighborhoods of the historic Arlington Heights, West Adams, and Jefferson Park Community [7]	1st Thursday	Council District 10 Field Office 1819 S. Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90006
Valley Village	4th Wednesday	Faith Presbyterian Church Social Hall 5000 Colfax Avenue Valley Village, CA 91607
Van Nuys	2nd Wednesday	Marvin Braude Constituent Center 6262 Van Nuys Blvd. Van Nuys, CA 91401
Venice	3rd Tuesday	Westminster Elementary Auditorium 1010 Abbott Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA 90291
Voices	2nd Tuesday	Vermont Square Library 1201 W 48th St. Los Angeles, CA 90037
Watts	N/A	Kulick Youth Opportunities Center 1501 E. 103rd St. Los Angeles, 90002
West Adams Neighborhood Council	3rd Monday	Vineyard Recreation Center 2942 Vineyard Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90016
Westchester/Playa	1st Tuesday	Westchester Municipal Building Council Community Room 7166 W. Manchester Ave. Westchester, CA 90045
West Hills	1st Thursday	de Toledo High School 22622 Vanowen Street West Hills, CA 91307
West Los Angeles	4th Wednesday	Felicia Mahood Center 11338 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025
Westlake North	2nd Thursday	Central City Neighborhood Partners (CCNP) 501 S. Bixel Street Los Angeles, CA 90017
Westlake South	4th Thursday	MacArthur Park Community Room 2230 W. 6th Street 3rd Floor Los Angeles, CA 90057
Westside	2nd Thursday	Westside Pavilion 10800 W. Pico Blvd. Community Meeting Room B Los Angeles, CA 90064
Westwood	2nd Wednesday	Belmont Village 10475 Wilshire Blvd. 1st floor Community Room/ Town Hall Los Angeles, CA 90024
Wilmington	4th Wednesday	Phineas Banning High School 1527 Lakme Ave. Wilmington, CA 90744
Wilshire Center-Koreatown	2nd Monday	Pio Pico Library 694 S. Oxford Ave Los Angeles, CA 90005
Winnetka	2nd Tuesday	Winnetka Convention Center (Next to Canoga Bowl) 20122 Vanowen Street Winnetka, CA 91306
Woodland Hills-Warner Center	2nd Wednesday	American Legion Hall 5320 Fallbrook Ave. Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Zapata-King	3rd Wednesday	Avalon Carver Community Recreation Center 4920 South Avalon Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90011

References

1. "About Neighborhood Councils". Empower LA. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
2. "LA City Charter Section 900: Neighborhood Empowerment" (PDF). EmpowerLA. 1999. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
3. Sonenshein, Raphael J. (2006). Los Angeles: Structure of a City Government. THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF LOS ANGELES. p. 139.
4. "About Neighborhood Councils".
5. Box, Enci. "Councils". Empower LA. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
6. "Councils".
7. "United Neighborhoods of the historic Arlington Heights, West Adams, and Jefferson Park Community Neighborhood Council" (PDF). LAcity.com. Retrieved 16 March 2024.

External links

• EmpowerLA
• North Area Neighborhood Development Council
• Venice Neighborhood Council
• Palms Neighborhood Council
• Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council
• Highland Park Neighborhood Council
• Winnetka Neighborhood Council
• North Westwood Neighborhood Council
• Panorama City Neighborhood Council
• Hermon Neighborhood Council
• Woodland Hills-Warner Center Neighborhood Council
• DTLA Neighborhood Council