Councilmember Paul Krekorian, chairman of the city’s Education and Neighborhoods Committee, released a comprehensive review today of local democracy following a nearly year-long study of Los Angeles’ 92 neighborhood councils. The report encompasses the wide-ranging views of community leaders throughout Los Angeles.
Councilmember Krekorian speaks at the first Neighborhood Council Town Hall Workshop in Van Nuys | Sept. 19, 2010
“As Chairman of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee, I have made it a priority to gather input from neighborhood councils and all other stakeholders interested in the future of the Department Of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) and the neighborhood empowerment movement,” Councilmember Krekorian said.
“This report is a culmination of that effort and reflects the various views and opinions expressed at numerous neighborhood council meetings, regional alliance meetings, and many other events my staff and I have attended over the last 11 months.”
The report summarizes the input provided by those who participated in the two citywide town halls the office of Councilmember Krekorian conducted to gather specific information on neighborhood council elections, the role of DONE, the funding program and training and ethics requirements for neighborhood council board members.
“The global economic crisis and the fiscal emergency facing the City of Los Angeles has had a devastating impact on the DONE budget, which has resulted in a reduction of DONE staff by more than 50%.,” Councilmember Krekorian said. “While the budget crisis has presented us with unprecedented challenges, I also see it as an opportunity – an opportunity to make DONE more efficient, more effective, and more focused on the core function of empowering communities and helping neighborhood councils to flourish. Going forward, I will utilize these opinions in my policy making process on how to move forward with the challenge of reforming and improving DONE and the neighborhood council system.”
