AN OPEN REQUEST TO MAYOR BASS: MEAN WHAT YOU SAY (and vice versa).
During a recent interview, Mayor Karen Bass stressed an effort to look into the troubles with the NC system (and EmpowerLA) as an “opportunity” to “evaluate” the “function” and “capacity”. Garcetti just called from India. He wants his words back.
In a recent interview on AirTalk and the connected, subsequent LAist article, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass discussed the “opportunity” to “evaluate” the LA Neighborhood Council system. With a “new General Manager” (interim as of this writing), Mayor Bass views the recent discord, dysfunction and dissent within the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (EmpowerLA) as an opening to reassess the “involvement”, “function” and “capacity” of the system with the various neighborhoods represented by the system (sans Pacific Palisades and Brentwood). Note the quoted terms — all carefully utilized within the interview by Mayor Bass, as any good politician should, to say something without actually saying anything at all.
Yet, with interviews such as these, what is NOT said is the more interesting of the partygoers — the individuals you were certain would be there, but aren’t. One begins channeling Hermagoras of Temnos (or Aristotle, or Aquinas, take your pick) to ask the five W’s, traditionally: who, what, when, where, why. But for this article, we’ll adjust to who, when, where, and why, and split the “what” into “”in what way, and “by what means”?
Considering how EmpowerLA enjoys keeping as much as possible in-house, as any good bureaucracy should, the natural first move might be the interim GM, Vanessa Serrano, to present a solution via an internal audit of the system. Of course, that’s tantamount to a financial institution suggesting a self audit of its own dealings to satisfy a government inquiry. As long as one entity controls the input and output of information, that one entity controls the narrative, and that narrative then controls any needs for additional information, and so on and so forth, etcetera etcetera. In the end, you’re left with something akin to a late 2022 report presented by EmpowerLA regarding NC elections — a massive report with lots of graphs, charts, words and numbers… that seemingly answered next to nothing.
If Mayor Bass is genuine with her words (which has been the case so far during her tenure), then might I suggest a course of action that steers away from EmpowerLA, instead choosing the road leading directly to the key “who”, or the direct recipients of EmpowerLA’s dysfunction — the Neighborhood Councils themselves.
Board members respected for their outsized efforts in relation to the Neighborhood Council governance and well-being would be optimum in organizing such an effort. Groups such as LAANC, VANC, and WRAC could be mobilized to assist in maintaining organization and conducting non Brown Act meetings via Zoom to collect as much public opinion as possible. By limiting the “where” to NC in-person meetings governed by the Brown Act, this would curtail input to only those who can attend the in-person meetings (SB411 is making its way through the State legislative gauntlet as of this writing).
Considering BONC, or the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners, are tethered to EmpowerLA, I’d skip over them altogether. Focusing on the 12 regions, rather than the 99 individual Councils, I’d call for the NCs to arrive at a set of concerns individually, and then package these concerns by region. For instance, Region 4 (Southeast San Fernando Valley) may own a set of concerns that might vary a bit from, say, Region 8 (Northeast LA) and Region 12 (Harbor). Grouping everything into a single report could mitigate some non-overlapping results, lessening their importance and relegating them as footnotes to the more common concerns. By keeping the NC reports regional, rather than one massive offering, it may assist with maintaining the integrity of the socio-economic needs of the area, as well as whether or not EmpowerLA has succeeded in meeting those unique needs. This would cover the “in what way”.
Then there’s the “by what means”. Article 9 of the City Charter allows the City Council to “delegate its authority to neighborhood councils to hold public hearings prior to the City Council making a decision on a matter of local concern” (Sec 908) . Again, this may circumvent any EmpowerLA involvement, allowing the Neighborhood Councils to report directly to their respective City Council members. This is important, since Section 914 of the same City Charter allows the “City Council to adopt ordinances concerning neighborhood councils consistent with requirements for the Plan set forth in Section 904 at any time, which ordinances shall supersede any inconsistent Regulations that have become effective pursuant to Section 905”. Sections 904 and 905 concern the development and implementation of the Plan, with “plan” meaning the formation of the NC system.
As for the “when”, the statement dropped by Mayor Bass arrives at a tricky juncture — spawning center stage amidst a Citywide NC election. It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: Nearly any resolution this City partakes presents an extended run-up leading to eventual action, so we may see autumn leaves (or perhaps a Thursday turkey dinner) before the City is set to enact such a plan, by which time all Boards should be seated and deep into the conduct of business. In terms of a timeline, it’s safe to assume some time during the 4th quarter of 2023, keeping in mind such an undertaking would be a perfect stump for the upcoming 2024 City elections, where seven City Council seats are up for grabs.
And the why? This W, in my opinion, is the most subjective. Los Angeles prides itself as a frontrunner to a great many things. A leader in technology and entertainment. Status as a Global City (ranking in the top 10 on most GC indexes). A destination for millions. Yet, the Honolulu and District of Columbia Council systems appear to be far more efficient and effective than their younger Los Angeles sibling. And all three are absolutely annihilated by the U.K. Parish Council system (we’ll leave Handforth for another conversation). Los Angeles SHOULD possess the absolute best community council system on planet Earth, and should set forth the process of correcting its faults by reverse engineering the way the system functions, rather than asking those at the top to hold themselves accountable. It shouldn’t cost millions. It shouldn’t create unnecessary bureaucracies. It should increase civic engagement and inclusiveness. And, it will place our Council system atop all others as the model for other municipalities to follow.
Angelenos must be proud of their Neighborhood Councils. Whether you believe it to be hyperbole or not, the civic heart and soul of Los Angeles depends upon it.
