LOS ANGELES – Neighborhood Council representatives from throughout the city are headed to City Hall to call on the Mayor and the City Council to honor the City Charter which established the Neighborhood Council system and which mandates appropriate funding. They take with them a BudgetLA Statement that says “At this time of financial crisis for the City, the solutions require a partnership between the elected officials at City Hall and the elected representatives of our 90 neighborhood councils.”
Neighborhood Councils exist to advise the Mayor and the City Council on City Budget priorities, to monitor the delivery of services, and to involve the community in the governance of the City of Los Angeles. The Charter goes so far as to call for periodic meetings with responsible officials of City departments.
As the CAO’s “City Restructuring Proposals” are considered by the Budget and Finance Committee on Monday afternoon, Neighborhood Council leaders will stand in defense of the neighborhood council system and will position the NC system as a Funding Solution, a Communication Solution, and as a Community Building Solution. Ultimately, the NC system is an ASSET, not a LIABILITY, and it is protected by the City Charter. To that end, neighborhood councils stand as partners with the Mayor, the City Council, and the City Staff in working together for “An LA that Works!”
BudgetLA has hosted two emergency workshops which have drawn 110 different members from 47 different neighborhood councils, all focused on working together to take on bankruptcy, pensions, the delivery of city services and the reorganization of the city system. The BudgetLA position starts with two basic premises, that “everything is on the table and must be considered as we work together to solve the budget crisis and neighborhood councils must be at that table as partners in the process.”
The NC reps have taken a full-spectrum approach to the budget crisis and believe that it is essential that the community engage with our elected officials as well as city staff to pursue Revenue innovations along with Pension reform while maintaining prioritized delivery of City Services and the implementation of Organizational improvements, all of which work together to guarantee that Los Angeles take its place as a Great City.
This past Saturday, BudgetLA featured Alex Rubalcava who addressed LA’s future on “The Road to Bankruptcy” and the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment’s GM, BongHwan Kim’s “A Vision for Neighborhood Councils.” BudgetLA will meet again on Saturday, February 13 and on Saturday, February 27 at Hollywood City Hall. Both BudgetLA sessions start at 10:00 am.
Press Conference
Monday, February 1, 2010
City Hall Rotunda
200 Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Budget & Finance Committee
Monday, February 1, 2010
City Council Chambers
200 Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
BudgetLA supports the activities of several neighborhood council groups, all working together to pursue solutions to LA’s Budget Crisis. Participants include the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition, the Saving Los Angeles project, the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, the Mayor’s Budget Advisory Committee and representatives from neighborhood councils throughout the city. For more information visit http://BudgetLA.org where you will find a Calendar of upcoming events, the Speakers Bureau, an archive of BudgetLA videos and links to individual neighborhood councils. Join BudgetLA on Facebook and follow BudgetLA on Twitter (@BudgetLA) To get involved, join BudgetLA on Saturday, February 13 at 10:00 am for “Look for the Union Label” at Hollywood City Hall, 6501 Fountain Ave., Hollywood 90028.
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