An important link for your enlightenment:
'BudgetLA - From the Horseshoe to the Mayor's Office!'
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Some NC background
The City's budget issues impact all areas of life in the city. The Neighborhood Council system is currently one of those items. There are 90 Neighborhood Councils within the system, a system created under the City Charter that was authorized by L.A. voters about 10 years ago. Members of an NC board are elected or appointed and ALL these positions are taken from that NCs stakeholders, and ALL of the people holding the positions are VOLUNTEERS, not paid staff.
Major changes are being made by the City Council and recommendations have been made by the CAO, Chief Administrative Officer, Miguel Santana. Funding cuts here are bettter described as slashes more than cuts, with a 50% reduction of each NCs funds sought. The NCs current funding was earlier cut by 10% for the current fiscal year, July 2009-July 2010. Proposals affecting the NC system to the extent that any real ability to operate each NC are dangerously close to be approved.
There have been some negative aspects of the NC system highlighted in the news in recent months that involve only a handful of the NC's 90 certified NCs ranging from a criminal theft (being prosecuted now) to use of poor accounting methods and spending choices. All this was done within a handful of the NCs but used by opponents of the system to tarnish the rest of the system and disregarding the many notable achievements throughout the system by dozens of NCs.
Each NC has issues and interests particular to the corresponding area of the city it represents, but all have a common interest of seeking to serve communities and bridge the large gap often found between communtities and City Hall in attending to quality of life in Loa Angeles.
The BudgetLA organization
This is a coalition of NC members, stakeholders (and nearly all in the City are stakeholders of an NC with voting rights attached), and other interested persons working to produce a result that will improve the NC system with organizational changes and workable budget results to avoid outright neutralization of this part of city operations.
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ACTION REQUESTED:
Read the link for the current status of actions and consider using emails, telephone calls, and faxes to support the NC system. (The City Council contact information is shown here from a posting made earlier in the week.)
City Council added a Special Meeting today at 10 am and has a regular meeting Tomorrow at 10 am. Messages to their offices are important, with your own CD having the most weight- since you can vote for or against them (or their endorsed friends if being termed-out).
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